Shady Grove Cemetery presentation scheduled for May 28

Historian Bob Blythe is set to give a presentation on Shady Grove Cemetery located in southwest Cape Girardeau at 10 a.m. May 28 in Ballroom A of the University Center at Southeast Missouri State University.

Blythe, a former regional historian for the Southeast Region of the National Park Service, will speak on Shady Grove's importance to Black history in the region. Upkeep for Shady Grove was undertaken by former slaves following the Civil War, according to a news release on the event from Brenda Newbern, executive director of Visitcape. Blythe will also present on the effort to preserve Black cemeteries throughout the U.S. because of their historical and societal impact.

"Shady Grove Cemetery's history provides us with insight into slavery in Missouri, including the freedom and challenges African Americans faced in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War during Reconstruction," Newbern said in the release.

Blythe's presentation is sponsored by Bollinger Center for Regional History, Historic Preservation Program, SEMO's Department of History and Anthropology and the university.

The event will be open to the public at no cost.