LEXINGTON, Ky. — African Cemetery No. 2 in the downtown area contains rich history pertaining to the horse racing industry, particularly the role that African Americans played in that.
There is a sense of calmness and peace as one makes their way through the cemetery, but Yvonne Giles, who calls herself the “cemetery lady,” insists that those who are buried there still speak to her.
“I had somebody say, ‘That’s weird, why would you call yourself the cemetery lady?’” Giles said. “I said, ‘It’s because it’s the truth.’ You know, I listen. I listen to these stories that are still available if you’re willing to look for them.”
She says an example of this was when she learned about a stud groom — George Allen — who died in 1930.
“They find me,” said Giles. “I was not looking for him, honest. I was searching for my soldiers, and here he pops up. I thought, ‘Okay, they’re talking to me again, but I’m listening!’”
George Allen is one among many horsemen who are buried in African Cemetery No. 2. The discovery of these names began in 1995 when Anne Butler, who was the director of the Center of Excellence of Kentucky African Americans, became a member of the cemetery’s board along with Mark Coyne to restore the cemetery.
“We started out focusing on the individuals in the thoroughbred racing industry because this cemetery has the highest concentration of Kentucky Derby winners that we know of,” said Coyne. “It has an emphasis on individuals from the African American community who were very important in causing that industry to develop.”
Those winners include Oliver Lewis, James “Soup” Perkins and Isaac Murphy, who was the first to win three Kentucky Derbies. Murphy’s remains were moved so that he could be buried with his horse, Man O’ War.
Over 170 people who are in the cemetery were involved with the horse racing industry.
“The fact that we have other individuals who are also notable in that industry but because the cemetery was essentially abandoned in 1973, there was no knowledge that they were there and there was very little appreciation of that history of the individuals who were important in thoroughbred racing,” said Coyne.
The discovery of these stories has painted a picture of how the horse racing industry helped those who were successful within it to accumulate wealth. In the mid-1800s, African Americans made up a large portion of jockeys, with the best signing $4,000-10,000 contracts.
“$10,000 in the 1880s is a million, and they took that money — well, I’m going to say their wives took their money — bought property, sent their children to the best of schools, sent them to colleges,” said Giles.
Bringing those stories to light is what Giles and Coyne hope to do through their work with the cemetery.
New and updated signs are being put up in African Cemetery No. 2 this week. There will be a Derby Day Tour Saturday at 10 a.m., just before the big race, for people to learn about the stories of prominent African Americans in the horse racing industry.