State Park Honors Freed Slaves

Legislation that creates Missouri’s first state park that honors the heritage of freed slaves has been signed into law by Governor Mike Parson. The bipartisan bill from Windsor State Representative Rodger Reedy authorizes the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to acquire the Antioch cemetery in west-central Missouri’s Clinton as a state park and historically significant educational site:

The five-acre Antioch Cemetery is in Clinton, south of Warrensburg. The bill was approved by the Missouri House 149-0. Supporters say making it a state park will preserve and honor the final resting place of slaves and their descendants.