Discovery Of Bones At Relocated Black Cemetery In Washington Park Sparks Reaction
Date Posted: November 15, 2019
Posted In: Discussion, Projects,
From St. Louis Public Radio: Malissa Blanchard doesn’t know if any of her ancestors were buried in the former Douglas-Lawnridge Cemetery in Washington Park, IL but she can’t rule it out.
She’s black, she grew up in nearby Lovejoy and the cemetery served black families from throughout the region until the 1940s.
Blanchard, 69, of Washington Park, has had an uneasy feeling since last month, when state officials discovered apparent human remains at the site while doing preliminary work for a highway project. The cemetery was supposed to be moved in the 1960s to make way for construction of Interstate 64.
At the very least, Blanchard would like to see some kind of historic monument erected.
“I just want some recognition for it,” she said. “I want the public to know that the cemetery existed. I want the people who are buried there to be remembered and not forgotten.”
Blanchard, a former grocery-store clerk, is founding president of the non-profit Community Awakening Civic Organization, which serves an annual meal for police and firefighters. She first learned about the cemetery 15 years ago while researching local history, but she couldn’t drum up much interest with other residents.
“To me, it’s a sacred place,” she said.
Archeological study continues
The Illinois Department of Transportation is planning a $28.5 million replacement of the Kingshighway (Illinois 111) bridge over Interstate 64 and its ramps in the next few years. Officials asked for public input last summer and learned about the cemetery. Archaeologists did some digging and found bones that appeared to be human.
The discovery set in motion a legal process required by the Illinois Human Skeletal Remains Protection Act, according to Brad Koldehoff, manager of the cultural resource unit in IDOT’s environmental section. It could eventually lead to overpass-project design changes or relocation of some remains.
The Illinois State Archaeological Survey will complete its investigation before the project is turned over to IDOT’s district office for design work, said IDOT spokesman Joe Schatteman.