• Mt. Hope Cemetery Exhibit at Raleigh City Museum- May 2022

    RCCP collaborated with the City of Raleigh Museum to help fund and research a traveling exhibit about those interred at Mt. Hope, a public African American cemetery. The exhibit was launched at the museum this summer and uses a QR code to access an audio tour of the cemetery. RCCP’s program about the exhibit was […]

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  • Indy Week covers Juneteenth gathering at City Cemetery

    On June 19, 2020 a group of Raleigh citizens gathered to pay respect to the enslaved people interred at City Cemetery. Not a “celebration” of Juneteenth, but a quiet tribute by volunteers who came to clear debris from about 30 headstones. Follow this link to read the whole story.

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  • Cato Plaque Dedication

    Saturday September 7, 2019, RCCP, after more than a year-long process, held a plaque dedication ceremony for a slave named Cato, a bookbinder who worked for William Boylan at his printing press. Boylan published a newspaper, The Raleigh Minerva, where Cato’s obituary was published in 1811- a remarkable and most unusual tribute to an enslaved […]

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  • In Memorium

    In memory of our friend and colleague Dean Ruedrich, an extraordinary restoration preservationist.

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  • RCCP Accepts Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Historic Preservation

    RCCP received this year’s Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Historic Preservation for the restoration of the William Peace family plot at City Cemetery. It took our non-profit 9 years to raise $90,000 to restore the massive stone walls, replicate the fence at a Virginia foundry, and repair four grave markers for William Peace and his family […]

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  • A Walking Tour: The African-American History of City Cemetery

    This tour focuses on African-Americans who lived in Raleigh, beginning with establishment of municipal City Cemetery in 1798 to the life of scholar,teacher and activist Anna Julia Cooper (1858-1964). With John George, Terry Harper, Betsy Haywood, Jane Thurman Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018, 4-5 pm (Rain or Shine) Meet at City Cemetery Gate, East and Hargett […]

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  • Historic Preservation Workshop 2018

    City Cemetery, East & Hargett Streets, Raleigh, NC Saturday, April 14, 2018, 10:00 am – 1 pm (rain date: April 21, 2018) Dean Ruedrich, Restoration Specialist and Preservationist Terry Harper, Preservationist and Archaeologist The program includes a brief tour of cemetery. Discussion of preservation, restoration and conservation objectives in historic cemeteries. This includes best practices for restoration and cleaning methods of cast iron fences and monuments, as well as planning […]

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  • City Cemetery Audio Tour

    The City of Raleigh recently funded the fascinating recording of historian Betsy Shaw, a founding member of RCCP, giving her tour of historic City Cemetery. Shaw has given tours at City Cemetery for more than 40 years. Please download this map and click here to access the audio.

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  • Mt. Hope Cemetery 9th Annual Walking Tour

    Mt. Hope Cemetery- meet at Fayetteville Street gate With Jane Thurman and Edna Rich-Ballentine Sat., June 2, 2018, 10-11 am Rain date, Sat., June 9, 10-11 am

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  • Slave cemetery fights for life. ‘I’m haunted by who the descendants are of these folks.

    By Josh Shaffer February 20, 2018 01:40 PM Updated February 22, 2018 01:28 PM RALEIGH In 1811, a slave known only as Cato died of consumption in Raleigh, taking his rest in the corner of City Cemetery reserved for the black departed. No one knows Cato’s age, but his reputation endures in an obituary printed […]

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