Grisso Memorial, Fulton County, AR

Arkansas Cemeteries

GRISSO CEMETERIES

FULTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS

IN MEMORY OF THE BLACK SLAVES BURIED HERE.

Grisso Cemetery (the entrance pictured above) is only one of two

cemeteries in Fulton County where Black people are buried. Grisso

is unusual because the slaves are buried along with their owners, not

in a separate area of the cemetery. I hope that this is an indication of

good relations and working conditions between the slaves and their owners.

There are about 100 markers, mostly field stones in this cemetery.

The property was donated by Jacob Grisso, one of the prominent slave owners.

Two brothers are buried here. They were stone masons and were

rented out to build chimneys for houses in the local area. One brother

took sick and died. The other brother built a stone cover over his grave.

This is a most unusual cover as seen in the picture. The stone is inscripted

“Grisso Slave 1857” When he died, he was buried along side his brother

with only a flat marker. Decendents of the Harber family keep the cemetery

up and put flowers on the graves. We will most likely never know the names

or history of these slaves but it would be nice to remember them as

you visit your own loved ones.

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