College students nationwide support a mission to preserve the historic Brush Arbor Cemetery in Starkville

Nestled between Commodore Bob's and Scooters Records on University Drive in Starkville is an often overlooked nationally registered historic site.

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – College students from around the country are supporting a mission to preserve the historic Brush Arbor Cemetery in Starkville.

Nestled between Commodore Bob’s and Scooters Records on University Drive in Starkville is an often overlooked nationally registered historic site.

Brush Arbor is an African American cemetery with tombstones that range from 1882 to 1920. Over the next three years, students from universities from across the country will be striving to preserve this historic site.

“We believe that that cemetery is a critical part of Starkville’s history,” said Dr. Jordan Lynton Cox. “It is a critical part of understanding, not only the African-American community in Starkville but also the growth of Starkville. It cuts across some really important periods in the development of Starkville and so we think it is really important to preserve this space.”

The group plans to create a digital archive of records about the cemetery and the people buried there to make it more accessible to the public. The next step is to begin discussing how best to preserve the site. They plan to have the community involved throughout the whole process.

“It is really important for us to include the community in every part of what we do for the preservation of this place,” said Lynton Cox. “We need the community to help us find the information about the people who are buried here and the life of the cemetery by donating any materials that they have for us to scan and digitize so that we can further protect the history of this place.”

The students hope to help the community learn more about and connect with its heritage.

“I hope that the information that we can find helps with connecting the people of Starkville to their history and for them to feel like they know more about, not only their families, but the greater community around them,” Lynton Cox said.

The students hail from schools in Minnesota and Florida among others, with one student coming from Mississippi State.

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