Garden of Heavenly Rest

Jul 23

Site Brief:

Founded: ca. 1950

Location: Fort Pierce, FL

Additional name(s): Sarah's Memorial Gardens Cemetery

Affiliate group(s): N/A

History:

Garden of Heavenly Rest Cemetery in Fort Pierce, Florida, is one of the community's most important African American burial grounds, and it serves as the final resting place of generations of Black residents who helped build and sustain the city despite the challenges of segregation and racial inequality. Established during an era when African Americans were often excluded from white cemeteries, the cemetery became a sacred space for memorialization, community remembrance, and cultural continuity. Its grounds contain the graves of local families, civic leaders, veterans, educators, and laborers whose lives contributed to the development of Fort Pierce and St. Lucie County.

The cemetery is nationally significant, as it is the burial site of acclaimed author, anthropologist, and Harlem Renaissance figure Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960). After her death, Hurston was buried in an unmarked grave at Garden of Heavenly Rest until author Alice Walker helped bring renewed attention to her legacy in the 1970s and arranged for a commemorative marker. Today, the cemetery is an important site of pilgrimage for scholars, literary enthusiasts, and visitors seeking to honor Hurston's contributions to African American literature and culture. As both a local heritage landmark and a place connected to one of the most influential Black writers in American history, Garden of Heavenly Rest Cemetery preserves and commemorates the enduring legacy of Black life, achievement, and resilience in Florida and beyond.