Starkville Completes First Phase at Brush Arbor Cemetery

The city finished the initial round of improvements at the historically Black cemetery, including a new entrance, with two more phases planned.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in African-American

Starkville Completes First Phase at Brush Arbor Cemetery

Live Poll

Should your city spend public money restoring historic neglected cemeteries?

Starkville has completed the first phase of improvements to the Brush Arbor Cemetery, a 2-acre historically Black cemetery, including a new entrance with replaced steps, a leveled concrete approach, and a paved sidewalk. The first phase cost roughly $110,000, about $40,000 less than the city budgeted.

Why it matters

The work restores access and visibility at a cemetery dating to at least the 1850s that holds 46 headstones and at least 80 unmarked graves. Preservation efforts were disrupted after a $350,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant was terminated in 2025 amid federal funding cuts.

The first phase cost roughly $110,000, with $20,000 from the Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area, $15,000 from the America250 Legacy Grant, and $75,000 from the city including matching funds. The source does not specify how the remaining phases will be funded.

The players

Cathy Kemp

Cathy Kemp is a local community member helping lead the beautification effort at the Brush Arbor Cemetery in Starkville.

Starkville Town and Country Garden Club

The Starkville Town and Country Garden Club is a local civic organization whose Historic Preservation Committee is assisting with beautification of the historic cemetery.

Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area

The Mississippi Hills National Heritage Area is a federally designated region in northeast Mississippi that supports heritage preservation projects through grants.

The details

The first phase replaced deteriorating entrance steps with a newly leveled concrete entrance and paved sidewalk, and added an 18-inch brick seat wall with lighting along University Drive. A community advisory board of descendants, organizations, and community members guides the work, with Cathy Kemp and the Starkville Town and Country Garden Club's Historic Preservation Committee assisting alongside a local Black Panthers chapter.

2023: Mississippi State University's field school began formal preservation work at the site.
2025: The National Endowment for the Humanities grant funding the preservation program was terminated.
November 2026: A ribbon-cutting celebrated the new cemetery entrance.
2027: A summer field school for students is planned at the cemetery.

Culture Shift

The Brush Arbor project shows local communities stepping in to sustain heritage preservation after the 2025 termination of National Endowment for the Humanities grants. Its reliance on a mix of state heritage funding, a national bicentennial-linked grant, and city money reflects a broader pattern of preservation work being rebuilt at the local level.

Residents and visitors can now use a newly leveled concrete entrance and paved sidewalk at the Brush Arbor Cemetery along University Drive, which replaced deteriorating steps. The added brick seat wall and lighting improve visibility and access at the site in Starkville.

The takeaway

Community-led preservation can keep historic sites like the Brush Arbor Cemetery maintained when federal funding falls away. Supporters interested in the work can follow the planned nonprofit's efforts to accept donations and pursue grants.

What happens next

Two additional phases of cemetery improvements are planned, with Phase 2 hoping to add a staircase landing, benches, and marble crosses for unmarked graves, and Phase 3 hoping to add a walking path and steel brush arbor. The group also plans to incorporate as a nonprofit to receive donations and apply for more grants.