[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18239]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING MOUNT OLIVE CHURCH CEMETERY

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                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 5, 2013

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
historically significant polyandrium within the Bolton community, the 
Mount Olive Church Cemetery.
  With its beginnings dating well into the early 1800s, the Mount Olive 
Church Cemetery originated as the Fork Hill Cemetery, located at the 
intersection of Joe Hall Road and Mount Olive Road in Bolton, 
Mississippi. The cemetery was later moved and renamed the Mount Olive 
Cemetery in the late 1800s. For over 200 years, this cemetery has 
served as the final sepulture for so many in the Bolton community, 
especially for African Americans.
  Generations of families, many of whom were not members of the Mount 
Olive Missionary Baptist Church (who maintains the cemetery) have been 
laid to rest in this cemetery. Because of the enforcement of 
segregation laws, the prospect of African Americans to seek burial of 
loved ones in appropriate, designated burial grounds was sometimes a 
far-fetched and difficult task. Unlike their White counterparts, 
African Americans would at times have to resort to burying their loved 
ones in non-traditional sites located outside of a designated cemetery.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the Mount 
Olive Church Cemetery for providing and remaining a historically 
significant sacred final resting grounds for so many African Americans 
during a period of legal segregation. Its historical significance 
serves as an important tool for reflection for those who experienced 
such segregation as well as for future generations to honor and cherish 
within the Bolton community.

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