| The ("Colored") Odd Fellows Cemetery is the most intact historic property associated with the growth and development of the black community of Starkville. The black community has historically constituted a significant proportion of the population of Starkville since its beginnings in the 1830s. The cemetery represents the longstanding historical presence of the black community by effectively documenting in its gravestones the existence of generations of people for whom otherwise there might be no surviving material memorial. The cemetery appears to have been established about 1911 in which year the parcel of land that it occupies was purchased by Lodge No. 2948 of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows of America (the historically African American branch of the Odd Fellows). This cemetery was listed on the National Register on 24 July 1990. This is a different cemetery from the historic Starkville Colored Cemetery on the north side of University Drive west of Nash Street (105-STK-0050-NR). |