Researchers uncover Black history at this Des Moines cemetery
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The nearly 180-year-old Woodland Cemetery near downtown was planned before the incorporation of the town of Fort Des Moines. Photo: Jason Clayworth/Axios
As part of our Black History Month coverage, we recently spotlighted several local activists whose contributions influenced the broader Civil Rights Movement.
Why it matters: We barely scratched the surface, including history rediscovered from the graves at Woodland Cemetery.
Catch up fast: Researchers have in recent years documented more than a dozen Underground Railroad conductors and freedom seekers who are buried there.
- The National Park Service added Woodland to its National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom list in 2021.
Zoom in: Local historian Mike Rowley, who co-authored a book about the cemetery last year, highlighted some of the people buried there who made significant contributions to Black history.
John Lay Thompson (1869-1930)
- Editor and owner of The Iowa Bystander, the oldest Black newspaper west of the Mississippi, into the 20th century.
Henrietta Wallace (1833-1913)
- A Black woman who served three years as a cook for the 39th Iowa Infantry during the Civil War before choosing Iowa as her home.
Delia Webster (1817-1904)
- The first woman imprisoned for assisting runaway slaves.
📺 Learn more: Videos about the lives of dozens of people buried at Woodland Cemetery are available via QR codes at their gravesites or online.
