Waco, McLennan County
The city of Waco established Greenwood Cemetery in 1875, with equal acreage allocated for the White and Black communities. In the 1930s, Mrs. Emma Norwood and others began the the care now given this part of by People's Cemetery Association. Church, Masonic, and political leaders lie here beside people from many walks of life. The most famous is the great American baritone Jules Bledsoe (1899-1943), a native of Waco. Bledsoe studied abroad, starred in grand opera, and gave a classic to the world when he sang "Old Man River" in the original cast of "Showboat", a popular drama. (1976)