Gower Cemetery

Historic African American cemetery in Edmond, Oklahoma

United States historic place


Gower Cemetery
U.S. National Register of Historic Places


35°40′53″N 97°21′37″W / 35.68139°N 97.36028°W / 35.68139; -97.36028 (Gower Cemetery)
Area	1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built	1889
NRHP reference No.	91001895^[1]
Added to NRHP	December 27, 1991

Gower Cemetery is a historic African American cemetery located in Edmond, Oklahoma.^[2] It was established in 1889 by a formerly enslaved couple named Ophelia and John Gower who allowed other families of color and indigent people to bury their dead on their land for free.

History

The burial ground was recognized by the State of Oklahoma in 1907. The Gower's granddaughter worked to have the site added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991 as the sole surviving proof of a former black homesteading community in that location.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6] It is estimated that 200 individuals are interred at the site which is located east of Interstate 35 on Covel Road between Douglas and Post Roads.^[7]

References

^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
^ "The Gower Cemetery". Edmond Historical Society Museum. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
^ Jack Money (March 30, 1992). "Cemetery Gains Status". Retrieved December 27, 2021.
^ James Coburn (September 5, 2020). "'Don't let weeds grow on my grave': Poems on Gower Memorial Cemetery". Non Doc. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
^ Sara Marian (January 13, 2018). "Gower Cemetery". Clio: Your Guide to History. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
^ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Gower Cemetery". National Park Service. Retrieved December 27, 2021. With accompanying pictures
^ "National Historic Sites". Edmund Historic Preservation Trust. Retrieved December 27, 2021.