Who We Are
Pennsylvania Hallowed Grounds (PAHG) is an all-volunteer organization with the mission to honor, interpret, and preserve African American cemeteries and the burial sites of Civil War African American Sailors and United States Colored Troops in America.
PAHG connects and builds the capacity of stewards of these cemeteries and burial sites, and supports conservation, documentation, education, and training. Working collaboratively with other groups and organizations, PAHG provides tangible encounters with memory and enriches the public understanding of history.
“Preserving African American cemeteries is vital not just to our country’s past, but to our country’s future. These sites draw a direct, personal connection between American history and our experiences today.”
Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (2021)
History of PA’s Black Civil War Soldiers and Sailors
Stop Destroying African American Cemeteries
Highways, factories, and other development projects across the United States are threatening the sacred spaces of African American cemeteries. An archaeologist looks to new Congressional action to stop the destruction.