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Leaders of the Past Buried in Richland Cemetery

For more than a century, nestled on a hill near the intersections of Stone Avenue and Laurens Road, Richland Cemetery has been the resting place of some of Greenville’s most influential and prominent African Americans.

Recently, Greenville City Council took the first steps to beef-up maintenance of one of its valuable, historical resources — Richland Cemetery. By the creation of Friends of Richland Cemetery, a non-profit support group, citizens will attempt to address maintenance and beautification issues by raising funds for additional capital improvements, as well as raising awareness and preserving the historical significance of the cemetery.

If you are interested in serving on the Friends of Richland Cemetery support group, please contact the City Clerk’s Office, City of Greenville, at 864-467-4350.

Several of Greenville’s most prominent citizens are interred at Richland Cemetery. These people made significant contributions to the Greenville community during their life time. The legacy of their contributions continues today.

Leaders of the Past

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Jesse L. Bates Sterling High School Teacher of Science and Mathematics
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Photo of Jesse L. Bates Photo of Masselena Vivian Lawrence Bowen Photo of Hattie Logan Duckett Photo of Mary Moone Calhoun Photo of Cora Kilgore Chapman Photo of J. Pickens Pick Chappell Photo of Emma Clark Photo of Elias B. Holloway Photo of Florence L. Lykes Photo of Anna M. Richardson Photo of Lila Lomax Sewell Photo of William R. Sewell Photo of Dr. Oswald M. Thompson Photo of Harriet Elizabeth Williams Photo of Hattie E. Williams Photo of Lida Logan Williams
Jesse L. Bates: Sterling High School Teacher of Science and Mathematics
Masselena Vivian Lawrence Bowen: Teacher in Greenville County Schools for 50 years; 40 of these years at Allen City School, teaching seventh grade
Hattie Logan Duckett: founder of Phillis Wheatley Center; elementary school named in her honor (Hattie Duckett Elementary School, now Fine Arts Center)
Mary Moone Calhoun: Union Elementary School Teacher
Cora Kilgore Chapman: First African American Registered Nurse; first African American superintendent of Greenville Hospital
J. Pickens Pick Chappell: Trustee of Sterling High School, Trustee of Workingman’s Savings & Loan (African American Bank)
Emma Clark: owner and manager of Broadway Beauty Shop, the oldest and one of the First African American beauty parlors in the Greenville
Elias B. Holloway: appointed principal of then Union School (West End School); and First African American mail carrier; Writer for Greenville News
Florence L. Lykes: Sterling High School Teacher of Social Studies
Anna M. Richardson: Sterling High School Teacher of English, affectionately known as Ma Richardson
Lila Lomax Sewell: First African American school supervisor; Piano teacher
William R. Sewell: First African American licensed building contractor – constructed Sterling High and SC Franks Funeral Home (former location on Anderson Road)
Dr. Oswald M. Thompson: one of Greenville’s first African American Dentists, who received his Dental Surgery Degree in 1905
Harriet Elizabeth Williams: graduate of Sterling High School; first African American female in Greenville County female to receive a Master’s Degree (Atlanta University) in Pure mathematics
Hattie E. Williams: one of the first Trustees of Allen Temple AME Church
Lida Logan Williams: One of Greenville’s first African American Registered Nurses.