Washington Cemetery

The story

The land for Washington Cemetery and Bethany Colored Church was donated to former slave Charlie Washington by Henry Wenke Sr. after the Civil War. In addition to a Methodist Church and a Baptist Church, the cemetery and adjoining land was used by the growing Center Union Community. This community grew from former slaves seeking to purchase farmland.

The earliest known burial was in 1882, while the last person was buried here in 1954. Much of the cemetery and many headstones were damaged by a nearby landowner’s development in 1975. More recently, through the Washington Cemetery project this sacred ground has been preserved and protected.