Montgomery's oldest Black cemetery to be rededicated after years of work

Historian Richard Bailey will unveil new historic markers and a new gazebo this week during a public rededication for Lincoln Cemetery, which is Montgomery's oldest African American cemetery.

Bailey has been part of a push to better document the cemetery, where Black families were buried for generations starting in 1908. Montgomery Advertiser records show that the cemetery's condition has been a concern for decades. It was designed for 750 burials, but nearly 7,000 people are buried there.

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One of the new markers at the cemetery will focus on Ben Moore, the namesake for the hotel. The other will focus on the life and legacy of Lowndes County lawmaker Hugh A. Carson, whose 1879 ouster marked the beginning of the disappearance of the Alabama's Black Reconstruction officeholders. Bailey said descendants of Moore and Carson have been invited to the rededication.

He said the new gazebo will allow researchers to extend their visits to the cemetery.

The rededication event starts at noon Friday at Lincoln Cemetery, which is at the intersection of Lincoln and Harrison roads. Bailey said a limited number of 60-page souvenir booklets about the history of the cemetery will be available to guests.

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brad Harper at bharper1@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Montgomery's Lincoln Cemetery to be rededicated after years of work