In 1831 physician and slaveowner Dr. John Sappington, established a two-acre burial ground for his family, and in 1856 allocated two additional acres less than a half mile west as a cemetery for enslaved African Americans.
Located approximately five miles southwest of Arrow Rock along a two-lane county road, the rural, rectangular cemetery is characterized by a level lawn, interspersed with modest stone burial markers arranged informally throughout. Enclosed by a wooden perimeter fence, unlike the largely treeless burial ground, the northern, western, and southern edges are sparsely vegetated with deciduous canopy trees, offering expansive views of the relatively flat agricultural fields beyond. Because burials dating before 1865 are unmarked, and several are in poor condition, many of the ground’s approximately 350 burials remain anonymous. The cemetery remained active until 2012, serving the town’s African American community until its final burial that year.
While still in use, the cemetery was managed by a board of directors that kept records and managed the property. Though a fire in the 1950s destroyed much of the documentation, it has been possible to recreate a list of those buried on site. This resource, and additional signage near the cemetery’s entrance, interprets the site’s history.
On June 5, 2021, following a series of rehabilitation efforts, including the addition of a paved drive and parking lot to the south, the cemetery was dedicated as a State Historic Site, becoming Missouri 92nd State Park.
