Long neglected and vandalized, Quinette Cemetery has now been restored by the City of Kirkwood. It is possibly the oldest African American cemetery west of the Mississippi, according to an explanatory text posted at the entrance.
There is a very nice path constructed by a Boy Scout troop that wends its way around the cemetery, where there are perhaps around 100-200 people buried.
The original name of Big Bend Road was Quinette Road, and now this short curved road around a former hollow is known as Old Big Bend Road. That hollow to the south was filled in at some point and Big Bend goes straight through from Marshall Road west to I-270 around Sunset Hill.
There are at least five veterans buried in the cemetery, and the location of their graves are marked where they are interred.
There is also a memorial to the other veterans whose burials are lost due to the extensive vandalism and neglect that occurred for so long at the cemetery. It is worth taking a trip out to visit this incredibly historic place.