Greenwood Cemetery
Waco, McLennan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The city of Waco established Greenwood Cemetery in 1875, with equal acreage allocated for the White and Black communities. In the 1930s, Mrs. Emma Norwood and others began the the care now given this part of by People's Cemetery Association. Church, Masonic, and political leaders lie here beside people from many walks of life. The most famous is the great American baritone Jules Bledsoe (1899-1943), a native of Waco. Bledsoe studied abroad, starred in grand opera, and gave a classic to the world when he sang "Old Man River" in the original cast of "Showboat", a popular drama. (1976)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Established by the city of Waco in 1875, Greenwood Cemetery was laid out with equal acreage for the White and Black communities in a segregated era. Church, Masonic, and political leaders rest here among ordinary Wacoans, and in the 1930s Emma Norwood and the People's Cemetery Association took up the care of its Black section. Its most celebrated resident is baritone Jules Bledsoe, the Waco native who originated "Ol' Man River" in the first cast of "Show Boat."
Why it matters
Greenwood binds together the story of Southern segregation and Black cultural achievement, holding the grave of a groundbreaking African American opera singer whose voice reached the whole nation.
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Related people
- · Jules Bledsoe
- · Emma Norwood
Themes & tags
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