DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. — Relics of history were smashed to pieces after a large tree collapsed on gravestones at Harrisburg’s oldest Black cemetery.
“I’ve not seen this before,” said Rachael Williams, the executive director of Saving Our Ancestors Legacy, a 501c nonprofit and descendent-led organization.
Williams says Lincoln Cemetery was abandoned for many years before her nonprofit began restoration efforts in 2021.
She describes the damage as unfortunate.
“We’ve known these trees were going to come down for a long time and we’ve just been trying to get enough money, get enough support so that we could actually get them down before they damage anything,” Williams said.
Burial records for the cemetery are scarce.
A couple of headstones show some burials dating back to the 1700s before the cemetery was consecrated in 1877.
“There’s a lot of very old headstones that are over 160 years old underneath this tree,” Williams said.
Williams’ research suggests many African American soldiers are buried on the grounds, some dating back to the American Civil War.
Williams says it’s important the grounds are maintained to preserve both American and African American history.
“Because of how historic this cemetery is, how fragile the stones are, it’s really important people are not running through here and that we can keep them and the cemetery safe,” Williams said.
The trees are believed to have fallen due to old age.
The group plans to have the remaining old trees removed and have new ones planted in their place.
Williams welcomes anyone to volunteer.
“We’re here every third Friday of the month, Friday through Sunday,” Williams said.