ST. LOUIS – The Greenwood Cemetery in Hillsdale has undergone a transformation.  

It was 2015 when Raphael Morris, current president of the Greenwood Cemetery Preservation Association, launched an effort to clear away decades of decline.

“You couldn’t see a single headstone on the property,” he said.

Association members received help from church members, community groups and other volunteers who spent countless hours clearing away overgrown brush and debris.

“Over time, people see your commitment and they want to help you, and that’s what made the difference for us,” said Shelley Morris, Greenwood Cemetery Preservation Association secretary and historian.

She said notables buried at the cemetery include Harriet Robinson Scott, who with her husband Dred Scott unsuccessfully sued for their freedom; Lucy Delany, the author of an 1892 book documenting life as a slave suing for freedom in St. Louis; and Charlton Tandy, a civil war veteran and crusader for civil rights.  

“You have people who were buried here who were part of the history of St. Louis,” Shelley Morris said.

On Thursday, the cemetery held a 150^th anniversary celebration that included the completion of a new road built through a partnership with Engineers Without Borders.

The new road, built with recyclable materials, allows water to drain. 

Previously, there was so much runoff from rain that visitors could not access parts of the cemetery.

“Below this (new road) is a whole filtering system that allows water to go in-between the pavers, down into the ground, and return it to the earth,” said Lee Martucci, Aspire Pavers vice president.

He said understanding the significance of the cemetery enhanced his pride in constructing a road using materials such as old tires and recycled plastics. 

“We’re also helping the environment by diverting products that would have gone into landfills,” Martucci said.

Raphael Morris said some have questioned why he’s spent so much time and effort during his retirement working on the cemetery.   

“I have a good friend who tells me all the time, you know you got this retirement thing all wrong, and I always tell him no, I think I got this one right,” Morris said.