The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) anthropology students partnered with Pass Road Elementary School and the Historical Society of Gulfport to help clean and preserve the historic Mississippi City Cemetery during a recent community service event.
The Mississippi City Cemetery Clean-Up Day began with a training session at Pass Road Elementary, where participants learned about the role of anthropology in preserving local history and were taught proper techniques for cleaning cemetery markers and headstones.
The cemetery is one of the oldest burial grounds in the region, with many unmarked graves. The oldest known grave dates back to 1841. Once part of the former Mississippi City, a historic unincorporated town and railroad center, the cemetery is central to an ongoing restoration project led by the Historical Society of Gulfport.
Dr. Marie Danforth, a Southern Miss anthropology professor who has supported the initiative for years, emphasized the importance of community involvement.
“I always appreciate the opportunity to work with the community. It is a way for all of us at USM to give back a bit through such an enjoyable experience with the kids. Plus, we are helping to preserve a fascinating part of coast history,” said Danforth.
Southern Miss anthropology major Robert Risher echoed the value of shared learning during the event.
“If there is anything that I could say about the cemetery cleanup, it is that it is a joy to see how the elementary students interact and grasp the local history. It is a joint learning experience where we uncover details together. I would even go so far as to say that they may know more about the area itself going in. It gives this nice balance where we learn from them, they learn from us and their instructors, of course, but we are also all learning together,” Risher said.
The Mississippi City Cemetery Project remains a collaborative effort between educators, students and community members, preserving not just headstones but also the legacy of an important piece of Gulfport’s past.