(HOUSTON) — A cemetery dating back to the 1800s, with the bodies of slaves and African-Americans who fought in wars and were denied a proper burial, is being bulldozed by heavy equipment, and the family who owns the land says they don’t even know who is responsible.
The Bradshaw Cemetery is clearly marked on Rand McNally maps and Key Maps, yet heavy equipment started clearing a large swath through the area Monday, seemingly without warning.
NEWS 92 FM’s Dennis Spellman has this exclusive report:
See photos of the cemetery after the bulldozing below…
Jeremy Nelloms is heartbroken by what’s happened.
“I don’t want to see my grandmother dug up out of the ground,” Nelloms said. “There’s no way. I’d die before I’d let that happen.”
The cemetery is on Church Road off Maxey near Interstate 10 in east Houston.
Family members confronted those clearing the area, and they appear to have taken off but left a big mess behind.
Trevia Wooster Beverly of the Harris County Historical Commission says developers need to be very careful when excavating anywhere near a cemetery because it’s illegal to just plow over graves.
“He had better stop and do some investigation because he could be in some bad trouble if he keeps on,” Beverly said.
And that’s the family’s fear.
The excavating equipment was removed after family members confronted those clearing the land, but they don’t know who was operating the heavy equipment nor if it will return.
EXCLUSIVE: Family Left Without Answers as Historic Black Cemetery Bulldozed was originally published on news92fm.com
