[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 112]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING THE BEULAH CEMETERY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 7, 2014

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor one 
of the most intact historic properties associated with the growth and 
development of the African-American community in the historic Vicksburg 
and Warren County, Mississippi, area.
  Beulah Cemetery was established in 1884 by the Vicksburg Tabernacle 
#19 Independent Order of Brothers and Sisters of Love and Charity, who 
bought the land from Harvey and Lucy Shannon for $1,000. It originally 
encompassed 52 acres; however, through sales and transfers to the 
National Park Service and individuals, the entire property is now 14.5 
acres. From its establishment in 1884 until the 1940's, the cemetery 
was the most important cemetery for Vicksburg-area African Americans 
and remains today a visible landmark for the black community. Blacks 
were buried in churchyards or on private land until Beulah Cemetery 
became the main cemetery for Vicksburg-area African Americans.
  The African American community has historically constituted about 
half of Vicksburg's population. Beulah provides significant historical 
information about this important group of citizens through its 
gravestones. So few historic resources concerning the area of the 
African American community remains therefore it's increasing the 
significance of Beulah Cemetery.
  The cemetery is the final resting place for members of the most 
prominent black families in Vicksburg, including ancestors of almost 
every native black in the Vicksburg area. The cemetery documents the 
existence of generations of people for whom otherwise there might be no 
surviving material available.
  Among the prominent people buried at Beulah are the founders of the 
black funeral homes (Jeffersons/Dillons); G. M. McIntyre, principal of 
Cherry Street School and school namesake; Robert Banks Marshall, the 
city's first black postal employee; and William Tillmon Jones, Grand 
Chancellor of the Knights of Pythias, 1889-1906.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the Beulah 
Cemetery as they strive to preserve African American history in the 
Vicksburg and Warren County, Mississippi, area.

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