African Cemetery No. 2, also known as The Cemetery of the Union Benevolent Society No. 2, is a historic burial site located in Lexington,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Founding and history

The first burials occurred on the property as early as the 1820s. The Colored Peoples Union Benevolent Society No. 2 purchased the property for use as a

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

in 1869. The last burials in the cemetery took place in 1974. In 1889, 300 bodies were moved from the Presbyterian Cemetery on Limestone Street to African Cemetery No. 2 under the supervision of C. O. H. Thomas. In 1973, Lexington city government took control of the cemetery. In 1979, the African Cemetery No. 2, Incorporated was organized to save the cemetery. In June 2003, a Kentucky Historical Highway Marker was placed on the site. The cemetery was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on March 31, 2004.

Burials

The 7.7 acre (3.1 ha) cemetery contains over 5,000 graves, of which 1,200 are identified with less than 600 being recognized with markers. Military veterans graves total 148, with 112 being

U.S. Colored Troops The United States Colored Troops (USCT) were regiments in the United States Army composed primarily of African-American (colored) soldiers, although members of other minority groups also served within the units. They were first recruited during ...

of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. About 80 of those veterans trained at nearby Camp Nelson, a

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

supply depot and recruitment site. Of Kentucky's almost 24,000

, 10,000 trained at Camp Nelson. In addition to Kentucky, states represented among civil war veterans are New York, Massachusetts, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Since 2005,

Juneteenth Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Deriving its name from combining "June" and "nineteenth", it is celebrated on the anniversary of General Order No. 3, i ...

Jubilee has been celebrated annually honoring Civil War veterans. An American flag is placed on each grave and every name is read aloud. Veterans are also interred from the

Buffalo Soldier Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This nickname was given to the Black Cavalry by Native American tribes who fought in th ...

Spanish-American War Spanish Americans ( es, españoles estadounidenses, ''hispanoestadounidenses'', or ''hispanonorteamericanos'') are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from Spain. They are the longest-established European American group in th ...

, 12;

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, 18; and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, 4. Clarence Espy was one of the soldiers who served with the 369th Infantry, the regiment which became known as the "

Harlem Hell Fighters The 369th Infantry Regiment, originally formed as the 15th New York National Guard Regiment before being re-organized as the 369th upon federalization and commonly referred to as the Harlem Hellfighters, was an infantry regiment of the New ...

". Espy, a native of Lexington, was awarded the

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

's highest military honor. R. C. O. Benjamin, a

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

and an

attorney Attorney may refer to: * Lawyer ** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions * Attorney, one who has power of attorney * ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film See also * Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gove ...

, was murdered on October 2, 1900, during an altercation involving

voting rights Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

for

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

s. In 1910, a monument was dedicated at his grave site. Over 150 graves are of those who worked in the equine occupations-trainers, jockeys, foremen, stablehands, and grooms. The range of birthdates, 1842 to 1897, and the dates of death, 1890 to 1932, indicate the prominence of African-Americans in a thriving horse and racing industry. Birthdates before 1866, show the likelihood that eight people were born enslaved.

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

Racing Hall of Fame

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

Isaac Burns Murphy Isaac Burns Murphy (January 6, 1861 – February 16, 1896) was an American Hall of Fame jockey, who is considered to be one of the greatest riders in American Thoroughbred horse racing history. Murphy won three runnings of the Kentucky Derby and ...

, born 1861, was originally buried in African Cemetery No. 2. Murphy, the first jockey to win three

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

s, died February 12, 1896, of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

. In 1967, his remains were moved to the

Man o' War Man o' War (March 29, 1917 – November 1, 1947) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as the greatest racehorse of all time. Several sports publications, including ''The Blood-Horse'', ''Sports Illustrated'', ESPN, and ...

gravesite off Russell Cave Road, and were moved again in 1987 to the

Kentucky Horse Park Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm, international equestrian competition venue, and an educational theme park opened in 1978 in Lexington, Kentucky. It is located off Kentucky State Highway 1973 (Iron Works Pike) and Interstate 75, at Exi ...

. The

International Museum of the Horse International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

, located at the

, is collaborating with cemetery volunteers in creation of the Chronicle of African-Americans in the Horse Industry. This interactive educational website tells story of African-Americans and the role they played, and still play, in the horse industry. The museum also has a permanent exhibit, Black Horsemen of the Kentucky Turf, to celebrate the forgotten contributions of African Americans to the horse industry in Kentucky. Some of those featured in the exhibit are interred at the cemetery. A documentary created by the cemetery's volunteer organization in conjunction with the Lexington Public Library is available at this link. A cemetery map which notes individuals and sections is available here.

Restoration

On April 4, 2002, volunteers from Canine Solutions International searched, mapped, and studied the physical grounds of the cemetery. The approach to preserving the cemetery grave stones was the subject of a paper by M. Riegerta and A. Turkington. The paper published in ''Building and Environment'' discusses the "scientific knowledge of decay processes with conservation theory and the needs of stakeholders".Building Stone Decay: Observations, Experiments and Modeling
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References

:Notes

External links

African Cemetery No. 2 web site
* {{Authority control 1869 establishments in Kentucky African-American cemeteries in Kentucky African-American history of Kentucky Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky National Register of Historic Places in Lexington, Kentucky