February 25, 2023 9:00 am— 11:00 am
New Corinth, built in the 1880s in the center of the Hooks plantation about a mile from what had been slave quarters two decades earlier, is one of only about 10 properties in the county individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is historically significant for its association with African American social history, including the layout and design of the cemetery. It is also the burial location of Rosa Lee Ingram, a widowed mother of twelve, whose death sentence in 1948—along with the death sentences of her 16- and 14-year-old sons—sparked a (successful) national and international campaign to save their lives. This is something Professor Susan Bragg has written about here: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/ingram-rosa-lee-b-1980/.
The main threat to the cemetery is the encroachment of vegetation. The thorns and pine trees have really started to take root in the back half of the cemetery. There will be a wide range of ways to help from clearing and cutting to raking and hauling debris. We’d welcome your participation! I’ll have some extra gloves and I’ll bring some of my own hand tools, but bringing your own hand tools is encouraged. Wear long pants and, if you have them, boots.