Mount Zion Riverlake Cemetery at Cherie Quarters

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Located on the grounds of the privately owned Riverlake Plantation, the Mount Zion Cemetery in the Cherie Quarters is the site of a number of graves belonging to the slaves and descendants of slaves of the Riverlake Plantation. The site is currently upkept by an advisory board formerly led by Mr. Ernest Gaines who is now buried there in honor of his ancestors. Each year the public is invited to visit the site for beautification and to honor those who passed unnamed and unknown due to their enslavement. While the oldest marked grave is dated 1924, it is suspected that the unmarked graves are older and likely contain the remains of those enslaved on the plantation.

Images

Nature, Grass, Daytime, Natural environment

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

The Mount Zion Riverlake Cemetery is located in Cherie Quarters of the Riverlake Plantation. The cemetery remains as a connection between the times of slavery and today. The cemetery is featured in several of Author Ernest Gaines’ works including Catherine Carmier and A Gathering of Old Men. Mr. Gaines felt a deep connection with the cemetery and so began the work of conservation and protection. He and his wife became President and Vice-President respectively of the Mount Zion Riverlake Cemetery Association. Upon Mr. Gaines’ death in 2019, he was buried there among his ancestors as a way to honor the unnamed and forgotten. It is also reported that one of Mr. Gaines’ teacher from his childhood schooling at Cherie Quarters is also buried at the Mount Zion Cemetery.

Sources

The Author. (2020, July 09). Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://ernestgaines.louisiana.edu/author

Frink, C. (1999, November 21). Cemetery Reminds of Past Lives Cherie Quarters [Editorial]. The Advocate. Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://www.goupstate.com/news/19991121/cemetery-reminder-of-past-lives-cherie-quarters

Gaines, E. J. (2016, October 26). An Invitation from the Ganies Family. Retrieved November 30, 2020, from https://ernestgaines.louisiana.edu/news-events/news/20161026/invitation-gaines-family