History of The African American Burial Ground
Clemson University is committed to transparency and accuracy in telling the history of the African American Burial Ground in Woodland Cemetery (PDF).
This website will continue to serve as an accounting of the university's role in Woodland Cemetery and a place to share stories about African Americans who are buried there. The website will grow and develop as the office of the university historian continues its research. That work includes further exploration of the burial ground as well as research in university archives, off-campus document collections, and other resources and contexts such as oral histories.
Among the website's principal features is an interactive timeline that traces the history of the burial ground and includes links to original university and community documents as well as images and other records – updated with each discovery for those who wish to examine the records for themselves. This research may take several years.
Engaging the history of Clemson University and the local community is an essential component of the school’s land-grant mission. It guides us, and it grounds us. We value truth, and we value inclusiveness.
This website will tell that story.
