Yoakum African American Cemetery finishes project

The Yoakum Economic Development Corporation (YEDC) approved the release of funds to the Yoakum Memorial Association in an amount not to exceed $10,000.

With the funds, the Association did some much-needed work with the Yoakum Historic African American Cemetery.

This cemetery has been around since 1893. One of the latest additions to the cemetery includes a fence that surrounds 2.66 acres of the premises.

“We have completely restored the cemetery,” Yoakum Memorial Association President Vanita Cheeves said.

“What we did was clean off the entire property. There was overgrown trees and trash everywhere. We hauled brush away, cut down and trimmed up trees. We used weed eaters to clear out the ground. We got rid of so much brush and debris that beforehand, you couldn’t even walk in the cemetery. Now, you can walk all around it. We also cleaned some of the headstones.”

The African American Cemetery is located at 1600 Dunn St. near the Yoakum City Dump.

“We had the fence installed to protect the cemetery from the trash and debris from the City Dump,” Cheeves said. “We had a company from here in Yoakum that installed it. It was W-4 Fencing. It’s absolutely beautiful now.”

YEDC Director Genora Young said the project was in line with their strategic plan.

“The Memorial Association worked very hard to preserve the past and protect the future,” Young said at a recent meeting.

“When the committee reviewed this, we think they were impressed the fence was not a chain linked fence. Instead, it was much more protective and a higher quality fence.”

The YEDC will wait until this coming month to present the check to the Association. Cheeves aims on wearing her cemetery shirt.

“ This has been a labor of love for (Cheeves) ,” Young said. “She’s worked there for 23 years. We have photos from when it was just an overgrown pasture that you would never know that there’s a cemetery out there.”

Cheeves wants to thank the YEDC for their assistance.

“I am above and beyond proud that we finally got this done,” Cheeves said.

“All the work that we put into this was t re m e n d o u s . I h ave been working on this for nearly 24 years. I am blessed and thankful for the people with the association that came out and helped. They’re still helping to maintain it . The YEDC’s contributions were greatly appreciated.”

Looking forward , the Association submitted an application to the Texas Historical Commission.

“The goal is to get this cemetery designated as a historical site,” Cheeves said.

“It will also be registered in the State of Texas. If people are looking for historical information, they can look it up on a registry. We want this cemetery to not be forgotten. We will get a plaque we will put up when it gets designated."