Elizabeth Keckley - Later Years and Death

Later Years and Death

Toward the end of her life, Keckley suffered from headaches and crying spells, very much as had her estranged friend Mary Lincoln. She had the First Lady's photograph hung on the wall of her room. Keckley led a quiet and secluded life. She told friends that Mrs. Lincoln had contacted her and they became reconciled some time after her book's publication.

In May 1907, Mrs. Keckley died as a resident of the National Home, located on Euclid St. NW. in Washington, D.C. She was interred at Columbian Harmony Cemetery. Her remains were transferred to National Harmony Memorial Park in Landover, Maryland, in 1960 when Columbian Harmoney closed and the land was sold.

A historic plaque installed across the street from the site of the former home commemorates her life. Jennifer Fleischer wrote:

"Perhaps the most poignant illustration of the different fates of these two women is found in their final resting places. While Mary Lincoln lies buried in Springfield in a vault with her husband and sons, Elizabeth Keckley's remains have disappeared. In the 1960s, a developer paved over the Harmony Cemetery in Washington where Lizzy was buried, and when the graves were moved to a new cemetery, her unclaimed remains were placed in an unmarked grave—like those of her mother, slave father, and son."