An introduction to the Grove Street Cemetery, a National Historic Landmark and the nation's first publicly chartered burial ground organized with streets and family plots, established in 1797. This tour will focus on the lives and legacies of Black New Haveners including William Grimes and family; John, Vashti, and Courtland Creed; Bias and Margaret Stanley; Mary Ann Goodman; the Park and Bassett families; Jacob Oshon; Alexander Du Bois (grandfather of W. E. B. Du Bois); and others. The tour is conjunction with the pathbreaking exhibition Shining Light on Truth: Black Lives at Yale & in New Haven on view now at the Yale Schwarzman Center. The tour will be led by Michael Morand, City Historian of New Haven, Director of Community Engagement at Beinecke Library, Chair of the Friends of Grove Street Cemetery, and lead curator of the exhibition.
Beinecke Library and Friends of Grove Street Cemetery
June 18 - 24, 2025 Details Free Reservations
Shining Light on Truth: Blacks Lives at Yale & in New Haven at the Grove Street Cemetery
A new exhibition to be installed at the Schwarzman Center, “Shining Light on Truth: Black Lives at Yale & in New Haven,” will illuminate ongoing research that recovers the essential role of Black people throughout Yale and New Haven history. The exhibition puts back at the center of local storytelling people who have always been central to local history. It celebrates Black community building, resistance, and resilience on campus and in New Haven.