Historic Durham Cemetery Gets City Funding To Expand

DURHAM, N.C. — With less than 15 plots remaining, Durham is planning to invest $737,000 to expand a historic, public Black cemetery.

Beechwood Cemetery, south of North Carolina Central University on Fayetteville Street, is the final resting place of more than 10,000 people, including notable Durham African American business and community leaders like NCCU founder James Shepard.

“There are some names that people find very, very well-known in the community, but there are also a lot of unsung heroes there as well,” says Melva Rigel, who leads tours of the cemetery.

Pastor Jay Augustine of St. Joseph AME Church has led many funeral services at Beechwood.

“It is a cemetery that holds such a sentimental value in the African American community, so precious to so many families,” he said.

Beechwood Cemetery opened in 1924, but now it is running out of space. Fewer than 15 plots remain. The investment would allow for another 390 plots.

“I am delighted to know we will no longer be facing the threat of running out of plots,” Augustine said. “The expansion will allow families that have been laid to rest there to continue with their family traditions and maintain continuity in the same place.”

Chatham Civil Contracting will do the work. Andrew Dimmette, Chatham Civil vice president of operations said, “Basically, we’ll be forming the overall landscape so that it’s ready for the plots once they are needed. It’ll be grading, drainage, making sure we have a nice gentle slope through there.”

Project manager Luke Pierce said they would build “a 12-foot wide by 50-foot long bridge across the stream to access the new area” in addition to a new driveway for pedestrians and light vehicle traffic.

This article first appeared on WRAL.com