Greenwood Cemetery’s colorful history in downtown Jackson is explored in Belhaven films

By Simeon Gates | Originally published by Mississippi Today

Jackson’s historic Greenwood Cemetery is the subject of a new series of short films created by Belhaven University students.

The premiere, which is free and open to the public, is at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in Belhaven University’s McCravey-Triplett Student Center.

There will be an introductory film about the cemetery, several films about figures buried there, a film about the cemetery’s beekeeper David Buck, and a poetic tribute to Jackson’s statuary. 

Jones S. Hamilton, a Confederate veteran, businessman and state senator who was acquitted in an infamous murder trial; Dr. Lewis T. Fitzhugh, Belhaven University’s first president; and Lucy Tapley, the first woman recorded to vote in Mississippi’s history, are among those featured in films.

After the premiere, the films will be uploaded to the cemetery’s website.

Greenwood Cemetery was established in 1821. It was originally six acres. Nick Walters, chair of the Greenwood Cemetery Association’s public relations committee, estimates it is now about 21 or 22 acres. He explained the city of Jackson owns the cemetery, and it was declared full in the 1890s.

Walters called the cemetery “one of the crown jewels of Jackson.” 

“When the city of Jackson was first laid out in 1821, there was space set aside for any citizen — regardless of race, color or creed — who could be buried in this public cemetery,” he explained.

Public officials and common citizens, Confederate and Union soldiers, Black and white Mississippians, Catholics and Protestants, writers, university presidents, governors (eight of them) and more are all laid to rest side-by-side.

“We want to be able to reflect and tell any and all of those stories, because we think it’s a great way to talk about Mississippi’s history,” Walters said.

The cemetery is also known for the art of its tombstones, tombs and mausoleums. Visitors can walk through acres of headstones big and small and sculptures of angels and crosses. It also is downtown Jackson’s largest greenspace, located just northwest of the Mississippi Capitol, along North West Street.

The cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Mississippi Landmark.

In addition to promoting the cemetery, the Belhaven project gives film students hands-on experience, allowing them to showcase their work and network with local professionals.

Students were given broad creative freedom with their projects. Joey Nelms, assistant professor and chair of film production at Belhaven University, said they worked on films as independent projects or as part of their class assignments.

Nelms explained the benefit of film as a format.

“I think film has a unique power in that it’s experiential,” he said.

“The best film out there encourages you not to just take on the filmmaker’s ideas as some type of proselytization or some type of propaganda, but to actually be a participant in what’s happening.”

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This article was originally published by Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Source: Original Article