HOUSTON -- The tombstones in Olivewood Cemetery in the Heights area of Houston read like a who’s who of Houston’s African-American history.
“This place is very sacred and it houses remains of many a individual that played a role in early Houston history,” said historian Charles Cook.
Olivewood Cemetery came into being shortly after the Emancipation Proclamation reached Texas.
“This is one of the most important black historical sites in Houston that’s still around,” Cook said.
But by the 1990s Olivewood was practically abandoned and overtaken by weeds. That’s when the descendants of those buried there sprang into action.
They organized to regularly keep the historic site maintained. Volunteers now show up twice a month to clear weeds and brush.
But then a bigger problem than weeds sprang up.
“They found several skulls, jaw bones, teeth, some limbs from the foot area,” said Margott Williams of Descendants of Olivewood.
It turns out erosion was unearthing remains, as many as 12 sets of them. They would turn up periodically scattered in a ravine.
That’s when archeologist Robert Marcom stepped in to help.
He and scientists with The Community Archeology Research Institute are volunteering their services to collect, identify and properly group the remains that have surfaced. The University of Houston has donated lab space.
“When they’re removed from the ground, the first thing we do is sort them. We clean them. We do whatever’s necessary to stabilize them,” Marcom said.
“It’s kind of like a CSI-type project. They’re being very respectful but we’re finding out age, age range, we’re finding out male or female,” Williams said.
By spring the archeologists and the Descendants of Olivewood hope to give the remains a proper re-burial. In the meantime, volunteers will keep working to make the historic site one of rest and peace.
“Everyone deserves the respect of having their burials honored and maintained,” said Marcom.
To volunteer for clean-up duty or donate funds go to www.descendantsofolivewood.org.
