Overgrown weeds and large piles of trash are just some of the problems plaguing Washington Park Cemetery.
It is one of the region's largest African American cemeteries. It is also the final resting place for more than 50,000 people, including those who fought in the civil war and both world wars.
Washington Park Cemetery is located in Berkeley just off Natural Bridge Road near St. Louis Lambert International Airport.
The cemetery owner, Kevin Bailey, bought the cemetery for $2 from the previous owner in 2009. Bailey wanted to clean up the cemetery because he’s been visiting it since he was a child. Bailey was just two years old when his father, Kevin Garrett Bailey, was buried at Washington Park.
Bailey says his father was shot in the back four times near downtown St. Louis. No one was arrested. Caring for the cemetery is Bailey’s way of caring for his father. However, it’s an uphill battle.
Bailey says at least 15 sections of the cemetery need major work, including an area with a pile of tombstones that were never properly placed at burial sites by the previous owner.
Bailey says volunteers have helped to clean up the cemetery over the years. The director of
Michel Funeral Home, Calvin Whitaker, also volunteers his service to the cemetery. He says volunteers from DUI courts help during the weekend. Both Whitaker and Bailey hope more volunteer their time at service at Washington Park out of respect for the thousands of people who are buried at the site and their loved ones. You can email Bailey at krb99@hotmail.com if you would like to help out.
