Haven of Rest Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas

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Get directions 7102 West 12th St
Little Rock, Arkansas 72065 United States

Coordinates: 34.74220, -92.35250
501-753-8304
Cemetery ID:

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aven of Rest Cemetery is an historic African American cemetery was established in the early 1900s. The earliet birth and death markers bear birth and death dates as 1841 and 1903, respectively. It is located near the well established University Park Neighborhood at 12th and University Streets in Little Rock. It was accepted as a perpetual care cemetery by the Arkansas Cemetery Board in 1955 and consist of 18 acres. Haven of Rest is the largest African American cemetery in the state of Arkansas (with more than 7,500 burials). It is the final resting place for prominent Arkansas such as Dr. Joseph Albert Booker (1871-1926), the first President of Arkansas Baptist College founded in 1884; Attorney Scipio A. Jones (1867-1943), best known for defending twelve Black men condemned to death after the Elaine Riots in 1919; and Civil Rights Pioneer, Daisy L. Bates (1914-1999), NAACP President and mentor of the "Little Rock Nine" who integrated Central High School under the watchful eyes of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the entire nation in 1957. Very close to the center of Haven of Rest Cemetery is a boulder with a plaque commemorating the 21 boys who perished during the early morning hours on March 5, 1959 fire at the Arkansas Boys Industrial School in Wrightsville, AR. During the early morning hours, the doors were locked from the outside and there were no adults on duty to unlock them. The boys ranged in age from 13 to 17 and most were confined for petty crimes. No charges were ever filed in the case. The monument installed by the Friends of Haven of Rest Cemetery at the mass grave for 14 boys who could not be identified pays homage to all 21 victims.