Do you know anything about the Huntsville Slave Cemetery?

Question

I have spent the larger part of every day for almost a month visiting my husband at the hospital.  In the process, I walk miles every day because the complex is huge and spreads over at least 4 or 5 city blocks.  To vary the scenery, sometimes I go outside to get from one place to another.

I have seen two different places that have plaques saying that the hospital is built over the "historical Huntsville slave cemetery".  My first thought was that it's refreshingly nice to see that, here in Alabama where the confederate flag is more visible than the American flag, they are honoring a slave cemetery from the past.  It took a while (my brain function is taking a big hit from the extended stress I'm under) to sink in that I'm not sure they're honoring anyone - why did they build a hospital on an existing cemetery and what happened to the people buried in it when they did that?

Right now, I'm too busy trying to keep my husband alive to do any research on this, but perhaps a WikiTree member either knows or can find out the whole story.  If need be, I suppose I can take a photo of these plaques to post.

Answer 1

Hi Gaile,

Hoping for your husband's improved health. And please take care of yourself, too.

I found this article which says the original cemetery on whose grounds the hospital was built had some of the deceased reinterred in another slave cemetery (Glenwood), but others' relocation is a mystery and some are believe to be buried under the hospital complex.

This article says the Georgia Cemetery was on 2 acres which was sold to the city commissioners in 1818.  In 1870 remains were reinterred but, again no one knows how many were moved and how many remain under what is now the site of the hospital's parking garage.

Stay strong, Gaile!