Sources: Kentwood High Magnet School and Keeping Up With Kentwood and an17.com
Overview: The 1903 Kentwood, Louisiana, train wreck was a horrific Illinois Central Railroad collision on November 14 at around 7:00 PM, where a fast-moving Illinois Central Chicago express rear-ended a local train at the Kentwood station, killing dozens, mostly African American laborers. The local train No. 32 was stopped on the main track, not the siding, and was running behind schedule, while the express train was moving at high speed.
For over 100 years, the victims of the train wreck rested in an unmarked mass grave at Oak Grove AME Cemetery—its exact location forgotten over time. The victims were mostly African American laborers heading home after payday and were unidentifiable due to the severity of the wreck.
For decades, Ann Trappey, former KHMS history teacher, has worked to rediscover this forgotten grave, guided by stories passed down by the late historian Mrs. Irene Morris. With research assistance from Oak Grove AME Church members, historian Candice Picard, and train-wreck expert Tom Davidson, records indicated several possible sites. Ground-penetrating radar brought to the cemetery by Professor David Holt and his team from the University of Southern Mississippi has now confirmed the mass grave’s location.
Click here for an17.com's interview with Ann Trappey
Click here for a more detailed account from hammondstar.com
Members of Oak Grove AME Church, community leaders, KHMS principal Sharess Baptiste and welding teacher Mr. Tyler Morgan joined KHMS students to place stakes and chains around the burial site.
Plans are underway to install historical markers and a memorial stone to permanently honor these victims and their place in Kentwood’s history.
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