Des Peres Presbyterian Church & Cemetery

Description:

• This still functioning cemetery has an amazing history. Founded in 1816, it became a very popular tourist attraction as a result of not only its beauty and history, but also because of the role that it played before the Civil War. The Old Meeting House located on the grounds of the Des Peres Presbyterian Church and Cemetery was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Thousands of slaves found their ways to freedom as a result of the work that abolitionists selflessly engaged in at this site. A marker that commemorates the struggles of the victims of the American slave trade who were buried in the cemetery without grave markers is left for passers by to see. Since the cemetery is a religious site, it is advised that all visitors come with a sense of reverence and respect. Many people visit the cemetery and leave with a sense of connection with the earth and its past. -Cathryn D. Blue
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