Greenwood Cemetery

Greenwood Cemetery was established in 1890 as a pauper burial area, serving white, African American, and possibly Native American residents of Buena Vista. By 1895, over 80 citizens had been buried in this cemetery, with burials continuing until the late 1940s. Recent examination of the 3.10-acre area indicates that there are over 200 graves; 47 of the people buried here have been named to date. For eighty years, Greenwood Cemetery was neglected and its maintenance ignored. Friends of Greenwood Cemetery was officially established through a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Buena Vista on March 3, 2022, to restore the cemetery. Many citizens buried in the cemetery are the laborers who built the city of Buena Vista. They toiled to build and maintain factories, homes, and businesses. The goal of Friends of Greenwood Cemetery is to honor these citizens through the restoration of their final resting place.

The following activities have been completed to restore the cemetery:

• Cleared grounds and gravesites of underbrush, fallen trees, shrubs, and debris.
• Erected a permanent fence around the cemetery to preserve its boundaries.
• Erected a bulletin board that tells the history of the cemetery and acknowledges all those who helped to make the project a success.
• Erected a monument to honor the individuals buried in the cemetery.
• Identified and marked gravesites whenever possible.