The Mt. Union Cemetery was founded in 1882 by Nathan Cathey and other men arriving in the Monroe County area in search of a new life after slavery.  Cathey, a Civil War veteran, saved his pension, purchased land and moved his entire family to the Blackton, Arkansas community to settle new land and start a new journey. During the Progressive Era, Cathey and others helped to establish Blackton as a thriving and successful community of great prominence including grocery stores, sawmills, cotton gins and social clubs.

Cathey established the Mt. Union Church of Christ (known today as the Blackton CoC). The church is the oldest independent African American CoC in Arkansas and one of the oldest churches in the United States. Cathey was also Elder for the Pleasant Union CoC, one of the first churches established in this nation. He, along with Jefferson Bennett and Minister Frank Sowell, commissioned several pioneering ministers of the African American CoC during and after slavery.

Cathey taught himself to read and write by studying the Bible fireside at night with other well known ministers including Bill Phillips, Sam Womack, Levi Kennedy and Alexander Campbell. Cathey was also the maternal grandfather of R. N. Hogan the distinguished gospel preacher known around the country as the “boy preacher”. Cathey was not only a teacher, but a Biblical scholar.

In 1911, Cathey formally donated 1/2 acre of land to the church, cementing the establishment and founding of the cemetery. He died in 1918 and both he, his wife, Francis, and others are buried at the cemetery. There are over 100+ burials with many being military, historic and over 100 years old.

MUCPA is partnering with the Arkansas Historic Preservation Association (AHPA) to secure a historic marker highlighting the significance of the location. The association also plans to maintain current historical burials, secure fencing and protect unknown graves. Please help us meet our goal by donating today and saving this beautiful American legacy.