Historic Smith Chapel Cemetery

11/22/2025

In 1871, several veterans of the U.S. Colored Troops returned home to their loved ones and began building a new life in freedom. Nine men, Austen Pringle, Nathaniel Abington, Smith Ball, Jackson Lockett [Luckett], David Bird, Thomas McClean, Mark Robinson, Claiborn Richards, and Martin Boyd would come together as trustees for the Smith Chapel A.M.E. in what is today's Foristell. For $40, they purchased a small one-acre of land to start a school for their children named Douglass, build an African Methodist Episcopal Church named Smith Chapel for their families, and establish a cemetery for their loved ones. Of the over 115 burials in the Smith Chapel Cemetery, at least ten veterans of the U.S.C.T. Many of these men had been brought to St. Charles County, from Virginia and Kentucky. Some had been born here, some had families here, but all had been enslaved here. Many of them have families that still live here today.

Today, students at St Charles Community College are working with a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom grant to study, research and preserve the history of Smith Chapel Cemetery.

These students have spent the past year (two semesters) working with Professor Grace Wade Moser research the history, prepare interpretive signage, write biographical histories and work with professional cemetery restorationist Jerry Prouhet.

This past week we were delighted to share our project and students work at the invitations of both the Wentzville Historical Society and the Warren County Historical Society. This project was made possible by a grant from the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

All of us are grateful and thankful for the community support!

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11/05/2025

The next General Membership meeting of the Wentzville Community Historical Society will be on Tuesday, November 18th. The meeting will be held at the Wentzville Community Club, 500 W. Main, Wentzville. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a catered meal for $20. Bring your friends and neighbors – everyone is welcome. For dinner reservations, please contact Bill Vehige at 636-272-5506 by Thursday, November 13th, or you can email at [email protected]. In your email, put Meal Reservation in the subject line. In the body of the email, state the number of reservations needed and the names of each individual. The doors open at 6:00 pm and the program will begin at approximately 7:15 pm.

Dorris Keeven-Franke will present the story of the Historic Smith Chapel Cemetery and its connection to the Underground Railroad. In 2024, Smith Chapel Cemetery was officially listed on the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, honoring the legacy of Benjamin Ogelsby, Martin Boyd, and Smith Ball - members of the U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War. Discover how these courageous families returned home and helped build a thriving community for future generations. She will be joined by Professor Grace Wade Moser and students, and Cemetery Restoration Professional Jerry Prouhet. For more about this project, see

Historic Smith Chapel Cemetery

10/13/2025

The stone had toppled and had been lying on the ground for well over 70 years, according to his descendant Bill Sanders, who was there to witness the restoration by Prouhet. Sanders is the caretaker of the Cemetery and has many relatives in the cemetery. The students are learning genealogy techniques as well; but information is scarce for African American families. ...

The stone had toppled and had been lying on the ground for well over 70 years, according to his descendant Bill Sanders, who was there to witness the restoration by Prouhet. Sanders is the caretake…

08/25/2025

Buried History, Uncovered Stories shares the stories being discovered by the local history students in the Smith Chapel Cemetery in Foristell...

In February of 2025, Audrey Pinson, a student from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, heard about the project and contacted Dorris Keeven-Franke, Project Director, wanting to know mor…

08/10/2025

We hope that EVERYONE will join us for this exciting event

Join us on August 23, 2025 in Oglesby Park, 2801 W. Meyer Road, (St. Charles County Parks) in Foristell, from 6pm til Sunset as we Premiere their documentary called BURIED HISTORY, UNCOVERED STORIE…

08/10/2025

Families are what Smith Chapel Cemetery is all about

Did you know that Underground Railroad assistance often spanned multi generations in families? In the Adams family, at least 3 generations assisted freedom seekers.

In 2013, an Ohio State Historical Marker was placed in Freedom Grove Park in Urbana, next to a walking trail and alongside U.S. 68. U.S. Route 68 intersected with numerous domestic trade routes around the area that often-carried goods and enslaved individuals south and west of Ohio.

The marker commemorates a multigenerational story of Underground Railroad involvement by the Adams family. Lewis Adams, his son David, Lewis’ father-in-law Frank Reno and his sons actively participated in aiding freedom seekers escaping north from the Ohio River towards Lake Erie and Canada, along a route identified today as U.S. Route 68 and previously known as the Bullskin Trace trail.

Lewis Adams was manumitted from enslavement in 1813 in Shelby County, Kentucky. He worked predominantly in Urbana, Ohio where his son David was born. David became involved at 14 or 15, and later moved 67 miles north along U.S. 68 to Findlay, Ohio. David aided “about forty” freedom seekers including a family of 16 and a young boy. While the women of the Adams family were not mentioned in the marker, they were heavily involved in the caring and assistance of freedom seekers. Those women were Rachel Reno, Susan Reid Adams, Mary Adams, and Elizabeth Conway Adams.

Image: Lewis Adams Historical Marker.

08/07/2025

SMITH CHAPEL CEMETERY IS IN FORISTELL MO