African American Burial Grounds
Our region’s burial grounds for African Americans are in danger from development and neglect. HWF is dedicated to finding solutions for perpetual care.
Maides Cemetery
Since May, 2021, members of HWF have volunteered at Maides Cemetery under the leadership of community advocate and HWF Trustee Kathy King. Maides Cemetery is an abandoned, African-American burial ground located in Wilmington adjacent to Maides Park, located at 1101 Manly Avenue. To learn more about the cemetery and how you can get involved, click here. (Heartfelt thanks to Wilmington Funeral & Cremation for their invaluable support in coordinating our clean-ups!)
The burial ground contains graves reaching back to the late 19th century and displays traditional, African-American burial customs such as grave goods, concrete headstones, and flora-designated unmarked graves. Thanks to the leadership of Ms. King and the tireless efforts of volunteers, the burial ground is now identifiable, maintained, and dignified.
Dark Branch Community Cemetery
The Dark Branch community represents one of the last standing freedom settlements in the region, with its land ownership remaining largely intact among descendants of formerly enslaved Black Americans. Located in Brunswick County, just outside Wilmington, the Dark Branch community traces its roots to the Reconstruction Era..
The community’s cemetery serves as the final resting place for generations of African Americans dating back to the late 19th century. As an active burial ground, it holds marked and unmarked graves, including fieldstone markers from the post-emancipation period. The Historic Wilmington Foundation (HWF) supports the Dark Branch Descendants Association in its efforts to preserve this sacred site, which faces threats from encroaching development and environmental challenges. Together, HWF and the Descendants Association aim to ensure the cemetery remains a respected and protected site of African American heritage.
above: Gravestones within Maides Cemetery date back to the 19th century, and many feature African American funerary ornamentation. The glass inlay (pictured above) has been used to symbolize the “mirror image” of this life compared to the next.
photo credit: Historic Wilmington Foundation
HWF Advocates for the African-American Burial Grounds Preservation Act (S.3667)
African-American Burial Grounds Preservation Act
The African American Burial Grounds Preservation Act was passed into law in 2023. The Act established the African-American Burial Grounds Preservation Program, whose main function is to offer grants for identification, preservation, restoration, interpretation, and research and documentation of African-American burial grounds. While getting this program authorized was a success, the program, housed within the National Park Service, remains dormant because of a lack of funding. Click here to read a press release with updates as of October 2023.