National Register of Historic Places

Forrest City Colored Cemetery

Forrest, St. Francis County, Arkansas
Listed
September 21, 2021
Type
Site
Period
Early Republic
Ref No.
100007000

About this property

Forrest City Cemetery, also known as City Colored Cemetery and Purifoy Cemetery, is a historic Black burial ground in Forrest City, Arkansas, United States. It is thought that this burial ground was founded around c. 1880, by members of the Spring Creek Baptist Church. The last burials here were in the 1960s, and over time it became overgrown and abandoned. It was rediscovered in 2012, and contains the burial sites for several prominent early African American leaders and politicians. Notable burials include Josiah Homer Blount (1860–1938), the first Black person to run for governor of the state of Arkansas in 1920. R. A. Williams, founder of the Supreme Royal Circle of Friends, and Wallace Leon Purifoy, principal at "Colored High School" in Forrest City and founder of the Black fraternity the Imperial Council of Jugamos are also buried at this cemetery. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2021.

Location

Forrest, St. Francis County, Arkansas
35.00946, -90.77209

Categories

ETHNIC HERITAGE-BLACK
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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The Civil War
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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The Community
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Nearby Historic Sites

Mann House
Industrial
0.3 mi
First United Methodist Church
Civil War
0.7 mi
Forrest City Public Library
Industrial
0.7 mi
Campbell House
Industrial
0.7 mi
Stuart Springs
Listed
0.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Forrest City Colored Cemetery listed on the National Register?

Forrest City Colored Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 21, 2021.

What type of historic resource is Forrest City Colored Cemetery?

Forrest City Colored Cemetery is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Forrest City Colored Cemetery?

The period of significance for Forrest City Colored Cemetery is recorded as the early_republic era, specifically around 1860.

Can I research the history near Forrest City Colored Cemetery?

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