Ten years after enslaved Texans finally learned of their freedom, a group of freedmen in Houston established their own cemetery in 1875.
That place, Olivewood Cemetery, became the city’s first incorporated African American burial ground.
At a time when segregation denied Black Houstonians dignity in life and even in death, Olivewood was a declaration of independence. It gave the city’s earliest freed families a sacred resting ground where they could honor their dead on their own terms.
One hundred and fifty years later, Olivewood is still here. Its anniversary in November marks a testament to the resilience of memory and the determination of descendants and volunteers to preserve Houston’s earliest Black history.
The cemetery’s founding sits squarely in the story of Juneteenth. When Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston on June 19, 1865, two months after the Civil War ended, to declare freedom for Texas slaves, the announcement reshaped life across the state.
“This cemetery is emancipation in stone,” says Margott Williams, president of Descendants of Olivewood. “To honor those people who came out of slavery, who became doctors, attorneys, seamstresses, farmers and veterans, it’s a privilege.”
Williams’ ties are deeply personal. Her grandmother passed away and Williams wanted to bury her beside her grandfather. When Williams arrived at the cemetery, she couldn’t find her grandfather’s gravesite. That was her turning point.
“I thought, this is a shame, that somebody’s last resting place on this planet should look like that,” Williams recalls. “To be able to walk in the steps of your ancestors is a very important step.”
That discovery inspired Williams to help found Descendants of Olivewood in 2003. This nonprofit has since become the cemetery’s guardian. Its mission is to restore, preserve and tell the stories of those interred.
Lives that shaped Houston
Olivewood is a map of Houston’s Black history. Among its burials are Richard Allen, a state legislator and one of the founders of Emancipation Park in 1872; businessman John Brown Bell, who was formerly enslaved; lawyer J. Vance Lewis, also once enslaved and Reverend Jack Yates, the pioneering minister and civic leader, later reinterred at College Park Cemetery.
Hundreds of other shopkeepers, seamstresses, teachers, preachers, soldiers, mothers and fathers surround each of these men. Together, their lives trace the roots of Black Houston.
Charles Cook is the co-founder and maintenance coordinator of Descendants of Olivewood. As a long-time volunteer, those stories are what keep him coming back. “Oli-wood is the place to be,” he says, using the nickname many volunteers affectionately use. “There’s so much history, so much forgotten culture.”
Cook first stumbled on Olivewood in 1993, when it was buried under decades of overgrowth. Since then, he has devoted countless hours to clearing vegetation, repairing monuments and documenting burials.
“We figured it had been that way for 20 to 30 years,” he says. “Maintaining and preserving the land takes a lot of work.”
The long fight for preservation
For much of the 20th century, Olivewood was abandoned. Headstones toppled, vandalism spread and flooding from White Oak Bayou eroded the land. By 2010, much of the cemetery was at risk of permanent loss. Only a fraction of the site’s eight acres had been cleared of invasive growth.
In the past two decades, the group has rallied thousands of volunteers from church groups, scouts, students and corporate teams to maintain the grounds. In 2003, Olivewood was designated a Historic Texas Cemetery. This year, the site received its most significant boost yet, a $200,000 preservation grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a National Trust for Historic Preservation program. The grant will support long-term governance, maintenance and community engagement.
Jasmine Lee is an anthropologist working with Descendants of Olivewood. She is fascinated by the unique cultural aspects of Olivewood displays. But learning more about the beliefs, behaviors and lives of the individuals at rest adds more context to the experiences of Black men and women from slavery through Emancipation.
“About a quarter of the people buried here were born into slavery,” she explains. “For them, their headstones were their first chance at self-expression. To say, ‘This is who I was. This is what mattered.’”
One such grave belongs to Ola Edwards, who survived the transatlantic slave trade, endured bondage, witnessed emancipation and lived to help build Houston. Standing before his stone, Lee says, collapses centuries. “You’re only six feet away from so much history.”
Lee sees Olivewood as both sacred ground and a classroom. Students come to map graves, study headstone artistry and uncover forgotten lives because “a community at rest depends on a living community to carry on their legacy.”
Volunteers are participating in a program to beautify plots and walkways. Technology is helping build a digital database of burials, pairing headstones with genealogical records. As the cemetery becomes more accessible, visitors are increasingly using the space for quiet reflection.
“To preserve Olivewood,” Williams says, “is to preserve Houston’s Black story.”
For more information, visit descendantsofolivewood.org
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Notable Burials at Olivewood Cemetery
- Richard Allen (1830–1909) – Texas politician and founder of Houston’s Emancipation Park (1872).
- John Brown Bell (1858–1917) – Businessman, real estate investor, civic leader; formerly enslaved.
- J. Vance Lewis (c. 1853–1925) – Lawyer; born enslaved, became one of Houston’s first Black attorneys.
- Jack Yates (1828–1897) – Baptist minister and community leader; buried initially at Olivewood, later reinterred at College Park Cemetery.
