Welcome
Nestled against a bend of White Oak Bayou, and surrounded by rich Houston history, lies Olivewood, the city's first incorporated African American cemetery. It's been a jungle for years - the headstones have been literally buried under massive carpets of vegetation. Extending over an estimated 8 acres, only the front quarter of the cemetery had been successfully cleared of the seemingly endless tropical abundance including poison ivy and oak. For a long time, only the larger mortuary architecture rising above the undergrowth has hinted at Olivewood's location.
Descendants of Olivewood, Inc. is dedicated to the reclamation of this cemetery for the benefit of the present and future generations of Houston. We are committed to restoring, preserving and maintaining Olivewood Cemetery as a historic, educational, charitable, religious and cultural site of importance.
What's New?
If you love Olivewood Cemetery, and love beautiful photography, please check out Girl Scout Kasey French's Photographic Homage to Olivewood. The exhibit runs at Paulie's Restaurant in the Montrose through May, but you can take a little bit of it home with you as her photographs are for sale. Proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Descendants of Olivewood for the continued preservation and protection of the cemetery.
We Need Your Help!
The Descendants of Olivewood have a big job ahead of them and we need your help!
How can you help?:
- Mowing
- Doing historical research
- Identifying wildlife
- Conducting surveys
- Collecting oral histories
- Fund raising
For more information, please contact Margott Williams. And visit our Support page.
More About Olivewood
- We are learning more every day about Olivewood Cemetery, the people who are buried in it, and the culture that created it. Please visit the History page to read more.
- View more photos on the Olivewood Cemetery Flickr page, or the Descendants of Olivewood Flickr page.
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