Durham cemetery at capacity to get $700K expansion; city looking at hybrid burial grounds
A historic cemetery in Durham is running out of space.
The city has agreed to spend more than $700,000 to expand the Beechwood Cemetery. Elected officials are also looking at changing local law to allow Green Natural Burials in that city-owned cemetery and Maplewood Cemetery on Duke Street.
The city is considering making its two cemeteries hybrid burial grounds, which would mean traditional burials would still happen there along with green natural burials.
That option would require a change to Durham's cemetery ordinance.
Beechwood Cemetery is the final resting place of many prominent African-Americans from Durham.
"The founders of Black Wall Street are there," said Melva Rigel, the President of the Preservation Durham Board. "The executives of North Carolina Mutual are there."
She's in favor of the expansion, which adds 390 new spaces.
"It is much needed," Rigel said. "As you know, Beechwood as at capacity."
Some of those spaces will be for green natural burials, which use biodegradable containers and avoid embalming fluid. They're also less expensive.
"This is just another way of righting some of the disparate treatment of before," Rigel said.
A survey of more than 340 Durham residents shows 87% of are interested in those burials. 88% want ash scattering gardens, and 72% are interested in ongoing education.
Erica Xavier-Beauvoir is leading the Reimagine City Cemeteries Project, which includes a proposal for an ash scattering garden at Maplewood Cemetery.
"Just something very beautiful for folks to go to to scatter the cremains," Xavier-Beauvoir said.
Rigel said by expanding Beechwood Cemetery and including an option for green natural burials, more Black Durham residents will be able to be buried with generations of their families. Durham is looking at changing its city code (the cemetery ordinance) to allow for natural conservation areas for green natural burials.
According to Green Burial Council, traditional burials across the U.S. annually use 4.3 million gallons of embalming fluid, 20 million feet of hardwood boards and 1.6 million tons of concrete.
