Pinewood Cemetery

Nestled within the more opulent Elmwood Cemetery, Pinewood Cemetery is the humble final resting place for many of Charlotte's segregated African Americans.

By The Taphotourist

No hour is ever eternity, but it has its right to weep. ― Zora Neale Hurston

Located in the heart of the city, Charlotte’s 100 acre 150+ year old cemetery was mired in controversy when, in the 1960s, a chain link fence that separated the all-black Pinewood from all-white Elmwood was finally torn down.

Approximately 50,000 people are buried at Elmwood. Pinewood’s total inhabitants is unknown. Many of the grave markers were made of wood and those graves now cannot be readily identified.

While no longer legally segregated, the differences between the two cemeteries remains stark. Elmwood, with its concrete structures and methodical layout that includes views of city center, is a thoughtful and park-like environment. By contrast, Pinewood, lying eastward, was an organic burial ground leaving an arbitrarily-designed final resting place with views of the industrial areas of Charlotte.

Old hardwood trees provide beauty and support to the neglected graves of Pinewood but not everyone was forgotten. Charlotte’s most heralded African American artisans are buried here, including a crypt for W. W. Smith, the city’s famous black architect.

An African American boys organization tore down the fence separating Pinewood from Elmwood in 1969. Fred Alexander, Charlotte’s first black city councilman, said, “This fence…It didn’t mean anything to white folks, but when I was a little boy, I used to come here and see this and to me it was just the worst thing in the world.” Today, roads lead to both cemeteries and they share entrances.

Footnotes

I have a great love for cemeteries and the various kinds of graves around the world

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FootNotes

I have a great love for cemeteries and the various kinds of graves around the world

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Pinewood Cemetery

Nestled within the more opulent Elmwood Cemetery, Pinewood Cemetery is the humble final resting place for many of Charlotte's segregated African Americans.

FootNotes

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