Phone Email Instagram Flocknote

Sacred Heart Cemetery

- History of White Marsh Property
  
  Announcements
  
  Photo Gallery
  
  Volunteer
  
  Upload Information
- donate:
  
  The maximum number of form submissions has been reached. This form is currently not available.
  
  If you would like to donate to the cemetery project, please use the donation button below or write a check payable to "Sacred Heart Church" and mail it to 16501 Annapolis Road, Bowie, MD 20715. Be sure to write “cemetery project” in the memo line of the check.
  
  First Name REQUIRED Please fill out this field. Please enter valid data.
  
  Last Name REQUIRED Please fill out this field. Please enter valid data.
  
  Email REQUIRED Please fill out this field. Please enter an email address.
  
  Phone Number REQUIRED Maximum 20 characters Please fill out this field. Please enter a phone number.
  
  Donation REQUIRED $ Please fill out this field. Please enter a positive decimal.
  
  Total:
  
  Submit
  
  Proceed to Payment
  
  This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
- The Sacred Heart/White Marsh cemetery project includes many facets. We are conducting archeological discovery and related research on the people and activities at Whitemarsh/Sacred Heart to better understand, document, and tell the story of those who lived, worked, worshipped, and were buried there. This will initially focus on the cemetery and adjacent hillside grave markers, and potentially include other burial places and structures such as enslaved quarters, tenant dwellings, barns, and outbuildings. As research yields additional names to our burial register (which has grown from 900 to over 2200), we are developing a public-facing, searchable database. We are also focused on maintaining, mitigating erosion, and preserving the hillside, as well as implementing a preservation plan for the burial markers and related objects. Ultimately, we intend to memorialize and honor those buried on these sacred grounds.
  
  Some of this story has been told—particularly of the Jesuit (Society of Jesus) landowners and organizers of the first Catholic diocese in the U.S. and the creation of Georgetown University. The mostly untold story is of the enslaved people of African descent who lived and worked at Whitemarsh and other plantations, most of whom were sold to southern plantations in 1838. Our intent is to memorialize and provide some measure of dignity to our brothers and sisters in Christ—particularly those who were not granted that in life as enslaved persons.
  
  Our mission is to: Conduct archeological discovery, research, restoration, and memorialization of the burial areas at the former White Marsh Plantation Cemetery (now Sacred Heart Church) focusing on those formerly enslaved and newly emancipated African Americans from colonial times to the early 20th century. The project will serve to honor the memories and dignity of those who were denied this in life, in addition to reconnecting descendants, the parish and the broader community to this communion of saints, and to each other.
  
  In collaboration with descendants, state and federal agencies, and historical societies, we will:
  --Research, understand, and document the history of the cemetery and gather the names of those buried in it.
  --Restore, preserve, and maintain the cemetery as a means of honoring and memorializing those buried in a sacred place.
  --Research, understand, and document significant historical events, activities, and locations on the Whitemarsh/Sacred Heart property.
  --Make the finished information accessible to various interested parties to increase understanding of the people and history of Whitemarsh/Sacred Heart.
  --Facilitate reconciliation among those connected to Whitemarsh/Sacred Heart.
  -- Promote a historical understanding of the impact of these communities on the broader communities in Maryland.