Welcome to
New Light Cemetery
Preserving a Legacy Since 1890
In 1890, formerly enslaved African Americans established New Light Cemetery in the dense pine forests of Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, on land they purchased just 25 years after emancipation. For decades, the elements, vandalism, and neglect threatened to erase this historical treasure. The New Light Cemetery Restoration Fund is working to ensure that this sacred land will be preserved and maintained as a landmark and perpetual care cemetery for generations to come.
Our Mission
Our mission is to maintain and preserve New Light Cemetery, its grounds, monuments, and markers, while fostering restoration, education, research, and story-telling that captures the historical significance of the cemetery, New Light Methodist Church, and the perseverance of the New Light community.
Support New Light
The historical value of our family history and that of the New Light community is a story worth telling and preserving. Financial support is the key to long-term preservation of New Light Cemetery. Donations support ongoing upkeep of the grounds. Please consider making a one-time donation, a monthly gift, or annual pledge. Our goal of $100,000 in an interest-bearing account will provide for ongoing maintenance and preservation of the cemetery for generations.
Ways to Give
You may donate by check or Zelle.​ Make checks payable to: New Light Cemetery Restoration Fund
Mail to:
New Light Cemetery Restoration Fund
P.O. Box 1041
Starkville, MS 39760
Zelle donations to:
Please include your name
in the memo section of your transaction.