Ernest Jordan is the President of Friends of Father Dickson Cemetery. Located along Gravois Greenway: Grant’s Trail at Sappington Road, Father Dickson Cemetery was one of the first public cemeteries available to African Americans in the St. Louis area. More than 12,000 people were interred there before it closed in the 1970’s. Without a perpetual care endowment, the cemetery fell victim to abuse and neglect. Friends of Father Dickson Cemetery organized in 1988 to restore and preserve the historic 13-acre site and more than 167 years of African American History. https://youtu.be/fNzJfoeXp2M
Meet Hogan
Posted on Thursday July 25, 2024
Have you ever seen people riding uni-cycles on a greenway? There’s a good chance it’s Hogan H. & his son Corvin:
“I’ve lived in St. Louis for 15 years and been an active distance uni-cyclist for about 10 of those years. Many people have seen my son and I uni-cycling on the greenways. I enjoy the dedicated spaces to ride and be safe. It allows me to explore the city and enjoy an interesting method of traveling. A typical ride for me is 5 – 10 miles out and back. My longest ride to date was the MRT loop in downtown St. Louis. When I finished, my GPS logged just over 26 miles-it was quite an accomplishment for me! I’m currently on a quest to unicycle for 1 hour in all lower 48 US states with my son Corvin. To date, we have uni-cycled in 35 states.”
Home greenways: Deer Creek, Gravois (Grant’s Trail), Meramec: Greentree Park to Arnold’s Grove Park, Mississippi: Riverfront Trail, Missouri: Monarch Chesterfield Levee & River des Peres Greenway
Meet Kelly
Posted on Thursday July 25, 2024
Kelly H. cycles 40 miles a day, five days a week, from her home in Soulard to her job in Crestwood. When the Gravois Greenway extension opened up in June, she starting riding on the greenway. It’s made all the difference in her daily commute:
“I was 100 percent on the road before. When the new section opened up at River City Blvd., I tested it out and loved it. I prefer being away from the cars and I like being around other people who are riding their bikes. I like seeing all the families walking and riding together. There is a sense of community on the greenway-much better than driving to work in your car. If I have a bad morning, by the time I get to work everything is better. I can’t wait until the bridge over the River des Peres opens!”
Meet Korri
Posted on Thursday July 25, 2024
Korri has lost 70 pounds and transformed her health. She took her first step towards wellness on July 24, 2017 with a walk on Gravois Greenway: Grant’s Trail:
“I was experiencing a variety of health problems and undergoing tests—it was a really uncertain time for me. I knew that no matter what the diagnosis was, I needed to make some changes. I was house sitting for a friend who lived next to Grant’s Trail and I decided to take a walk. That’s where my fitness journey began—right by the Clydesdales! I kept on walking. I tried to start running but couldn’t even make it from one utility pole to another. I joined a gym and started working with a trainer. After a year, I ran a half marathon! On October 4, 2020 I ran a full marathon right where it all started—on Grant’s Trail. Being able to run a marathon is something I never thought would be possible, and finishing one has taught me that I can always redefine impossible for myself. When I got down to the last six miles I was able to dig deep and keep going because I knew I could do hard things. Starting a fitness journey is hard and learning to fuel my body properly is hard, but I did it and will continue to strive to be better for myself. Running the greenway reminds me that anything is possible!”
Home Greenways-Gravois Greenway: Grant’s Trail, Meramec Greenway: Lower Meramec Park.
Meet Bomi
Posted on Thursday July 25, 2024
Bomi Park is the Assistant Project Manager for the World Trade Center St. Louis & St. Louis Mosaic Project. She is an unofficial “greenway ambassador” and enjoys introducing them to people who have come from around the world to live in St. Louis:
“Walking on the greenways reminds me where of where I come from. I think many other foreign-born people would agree that the Greenways are special to us for similar reasons. People walk and ride bikes more and drive less in South Korea, and the places for walking and biking are separated from cars. I live close to Grant’s Trail and like seeing all people and getting a different view of things. I also like how it can take you to so many places—the library, the Clydesdales at Grant’s farm, stores & historic sites. I love being out on the greenways!”
Home Greenway: Gravois Greenway: Grant’s Trail
Meet Mona
Posted on Thursday July 25, 2024
Mona Vespa is the President of GO! St. Louis. GO! is a local non-profit organization that encourages individuals and families in the #STL region to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle year round. They accomplish this through community collaborations, school-based programming and the creation of new and fun fitness events:
“Running is my sport, my hobby and my profession! Personally, I can’t imagine a better way to explore your own city than on foot, and the greenways are the perfect way to do that! Every time I run a greenway, I am reminded that our city is incredibly diverse in landscape and character, but is also comprised of neighborhoods and communities who are all working towards a similar goal: to make their part of our city a vibrant and welcoming home. And as a part of my job, what a joy it is to share that with the runners and walkers of our area. I’ve used greenways for several GO! St. Louis race routes, and our Summer Passport program’s entire focus is to introduce more runners to the incredible gem of these paths throughout our city. GO! St. Louis is thankful for GRG’s work and dedication to outdoor recreation in our region!”
Home Greenway: All of them!
Meet Leslie
Posted on Thursday July 25, 2024
Leslie McCarthy is an executive editor for University Marketing & Communications at Washington University in St. Louis and a local St. Louis free-lance writer. Recently, she became one of 150 women to be selected for the “Over 50 Outside” challenge, a national campaign initiated by the team that started the 52 Hike Challenge to encourage women over 50 to get outside — at least 52 times in a year:
“How many miles of greenways are there? I aim to find out. The first thing I’ve learned through ‘Over 50 Outside’ is that a hike can be any length and anywhere, as long as there are green spaces and it’s outdoors. There are so many great trails in Missouri and the Great Rivers Greenway system is a huge part of it. No trail is the same on any given day — even if you’ve walked it before.” #over50outside
Home Greenway: Gravois Greenway (Grant’s Trail)
Meet The Covid Cycle Capers
Posted on Wednesday July 24, 2024
The Covid Cycle Capers, a cycling group created by Scott Gurrerro and Rick Schweitzer at the beginning of the pandemic, have ridden every mile of the greenway network! The duo decided to form the Capers after the Magnificent Missouri ride was cancelled in April 2020 and has grown to include almost 15 regular riders.
Rick chronicles one of their regular greenway rides fondly. “Our favorite loop to ride starts at my house [in Webster] down to the Deer Creek Greenway. We ride that down to Maplewood and catch the River des Peres Greenway to Jefferson Barracks Park over the casino bridge to the Mississippi Greenway. From there, we travel back up the River des Peres Greenway over the Carondelet Connector to connect to Grant’s Trail [Gravois Greenway] which takes us all the way back to Kirkwood. We use the city streets to get back home!”
These avid cyclists average 30 miles per trip, twice a week. One member exclaims, “Can you believe our first ride was in the middle of a thunderstorm?! I’ve never biked 25 miles back so fast in my life!”
[Pictured from left to right: Cindy Winter, Rick Schweitzer, Jennifer Judd, Bruce Linders, Louise Bullock]
Meet the McCulley Family
Posted on Tuesday July 23, 2024
The McCulleys are “frequent flyers” on Gravois Greenway: Grant’s Trail. In fact, they waited nearly two years to find a home in Crestwood that was on the greenway. It was convenient for Sean and Anna as they ran and cycled hours every day in training for their Half Ironman Triathlons. They recently joined the City of Crestwood, Dierbergs and McBride Homes to celebrate the new Crestwood Crossing Bridge and were serendipitously chosen to help cut the ribbon!
“We love living along Grant’s Trail. One of the reasons we moved to Crestwood was to be close to the trail. We were fortunate to find a home where we step out of our backyard and right on the greenway! We were heavily into running and cycling and it was great for our lifestyle. As our kids grew, it was a great place for our running stroller. We’ve been using the new Crestwood Crossing pedestrian bridge all summer. We walk to Dierbergs where we stop for some ice cream before continuing our walk with the kids and dog. We wanted to be a part of the official bridge opening and were delighted to be chosen to cut the ribbon!”
Father Dickson Cemetery: Gravois Greenway (Grant’s Trail)
Posted on Monday July 15, 2024
Located along Gravois Greenway: Grant’s Trail at Sappington Road, Father Dickson Cemetery was one of the first public cemeteries available to African Americans in the St. Louis area. More than 6,000 people were interred there before it closed in the 1970’s. Without a perpetual care endowment, the cemetery fell victim to abuse and neglect and was at risk of commercial development. Friends of Father Dickson Cemetery organized in 1988 to restore and preserve the historic 13-acre site and more than 167 years of African American History.
In October 2021, the cemetery was named to the National Register of Historic Places! This will make Fr. Dickson Cemetery eligible for possible grants, preservation benefits and incentives.
Father Moses DicksonCemetery is on Gravois Greenway: Grant’s Trail in Crestwood Grave of James Milton Turner
Father Moses Dickson
The cemetery is named for Father Moses Dickson. He was an Abolitionist who traveled the south, organizing a secret anti-slavery organization known as the “Knights of Liberty” which helped enslaved people to freedom through the Underground Railroad. During the Civil war, many of the Knighs of Liberty fought with the union forces, incurring many casualties. He was also a Minister of the African Methodist Church, founded the International Order of Twelve(a Black self-help organization), and was an educator and activist for Black suffrage.
Would you like to help preserve and care for this historic Black cemetery? Volunteers are needed on the 3rd Saturday of every month April –November from 10-noon. Call 314-822-8221 for more information or email friendsoffather@aol.com
ERNEST JORDAN, PRESIDENT OF FRIENDS OF FATHER DICKSON CEMETERY
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