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Woodland Cemetery Historic Preservation

Histories of the Cemetery

Historical Timeline

Read about the history of Woodland Cemetery and the African American Burial Ground from the 18th century to the 21st century. The Historical Timeline provides a comprehensive overview of important events in the cemetery's history and includes links to primary source documents.

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A white flag marks a field stone grave marker in Woodland Cemetery.
Photos and maps of the cemetery are looped.

Virtual Experiences of the Cemetery

Explore the Virtual Tour and the Visual History of the cemetery and surrounding landscape from the 1700s to the present day.

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History of the African American Burial Ground

Learn about the history of the African American Burial Ground from the era of enslavement to the era of Jim Crow.

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image of fieldstones
Images of tombstones in Woodland Cemetery.

History of Woodland Cemetery

Read about the history of Woodland Cemetery, established in 1924 by President Walter Riggs and the Clemson Board of Trustees for faculty and officers of the college.

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White circles signify unmarked graves under the pavement in Woodland Cemetery.
A GPR unit goes over the ground in Woodland Cemetery.

Project History and GPR

Explore the history of the project, including the work of Carrel Cowan-Ricks and student activism, and learn about ground penetrating radar (GPR), the technology used to recover hundreds of unmarked graves in Woodland Cemetery.

The Woodland Cemetery and African American Burial Ground Historic Preservation Project
The Woodland Cemetery and African American Burial Ground Historic Preservation Project | The cemetery is located on Woodland Drive at the intersection of Williamson Road and S. Palmetto Boulevard on the Clemson University campus. The team's offices are located in Suite 220 in Sirrine Hall.