SITE DIRECTORY
To learn more about any of the BCN sites listed below, click “Read more” to view individual site briefs. To search for a specific BCN site, use the search bar below:
Southend Cemetery
Southend Cemetery
FOUNDED: 1919
ADDITIONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S): N/A
HISTORY: Southend Cemetery remains the last historic link to a predominantly Black community in Huntsville, Texas called “The Flat.” Residents of the community were forced to sell their property and relocate in the late 1960s due to the expansion of Sam Houston State University. In 1920, community leaders Will Ezell, Colonel Williams, Byrd Stubblefield and Richard Dillard purchased five acres from Gibbs Brothers & Company to establish a cemetery. There are ~300 known burials at Southend Cemetery, half of these marked. Noted burials include Sgt. Luby l. Smither, founding member of the 1st Black American Legion Post in Huntsville, and Mance Williams, owner of its 1st Black auto mechanic shop. The earliest known and marked burial is Sarah Skelton’s (Unk-Sept. 1920). The area surrounding Southend Cemetery was once wooded and the cemetery could only be accessed by a narrow dirt road. As Huntsville grew, the dirt road became an extension of Montgomery Road when that road was expanded across Highway 75 to Bowers Road. In 1998, a group of descendants and others re-organized the Southend Cemetery Association to care for that historic space. Southend Cemetery remains a testament to residents of The Flat community and preserving Black American heritage in Huntsville, Texas.
BCN Contact Information:
Dr. Marilyn Y. Byrd
Brutontown Society Ground Cemetery
Brutontown Society Ground Cemetery
FOUNDED: 1800s
ADDITIONAL NAMES: Brutontown Cemetery
AFFILIATION(S): N/A
HISTORY: Established in the 1800s, Brutontown Society Ground Cemetery is an African American cemetery in Brutontown, one of Greenville's oldest Black communities. Brutontown was founded in 1874 by Benjamin Bruton, a freedman, and was home to Black tradesmen, sharecroppers, and tenant farmers. Much of the history of Brutontown Society Ground Cemetery is unknown. The only deed to the cemetery was executed in 1818 by Samuel Taylor, a free man of color (GCRA, community poster, n.d.). The cemetery serves as the final resting place for formerly enslaved people, freed men and women, and veterans. Due to damage sustained during recent cleanup efforts, several burial sites have been disturbed, headstones have been broken, and other artifacts have been lost, misplaced, or destroyed.
BCN Contact Information:
Chandra Dillard
Rocks Plantation Cemetery
Rocks Plantation Cemetery
FOUNDED: ca. 1803
ADDITIONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S): N/A
HISTORY: The Rocks Plantation was owned by Captain Peter Gaillard. Captain Peter Gaillard owned hundreds of enslaved people, the majority of whom are ancestors to living descendents, and they were buried at the Rocks Plantation Cemetery . Unfortunately, most of the interred are under Lake Marion because of the program that brought electricity to the rural areas. The Rocks Plantation "Big House" was moved more inland so the floods would not devour it. The White Gaillards, buried in the same cemetery, were moved to Church Island, S.C. - close to Eutawville, but only accessible by boat. The Black Davis/Gaillards either did not get proper notice, or didn't have a place to move and re-inter their deceased loved ones, which was a requirement to have the bodies exhumed. Time ran out and Santee Cooper authorities deemed the gravesites "undisturbed" and many of my ancestors are now submerged under Lake Marion...except for one. The one tombstone left belongs to Jacob Davis, the Great-great-grandfather of living descendents. He was born between 1853 and 1856 and died in 1915. Jacob Davis was a boy when slavery ended. Jacob's father Paul bought land in Eutawville, several hundred acres. Jacob added on to the property and built a school to educated the area children. The "Smith Hill" school predates the Rosenwald Negro Schools. Jacob’s tombstone is the only one left standing. When living descendents learned that their Great-great-grandfather's final resting place was not submerged and that the tombstone was still visible and intact, they visited and took pictures. Myra Davis-Branic was inspired to write a book chronicling their family. The book is called "Cornbread My Soul: The Davis Family of Eutawville, SC".
BCN Contact Information:
Myra Davis-Branic
Female Union Band Society Cemetery
Female Union Band Society Cemetery
FOUNDED: 1842
ADDITIONAL NAMES: FUBS, Mount Zion West
AFFILIATION(S): N/A
HISTORY: The Female Union Band Society Cemetery was established in 1842 by the Female Union Band Society, a benevolent organization led by free Black women in Georgetown, Washington, DC. Decades before emancipation, these women purchased land in the nation’s capital and created a permanent place of burial, remembrance, and community care. The cemetery is a powerful example of free Black women’s leadership, mutual aid, land ownership, and Black self-determination in antebellum America. The cemetery is significant to local, national, and international Black history. Those buried here are connected to Georgetown, Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, the wider United States, and beyond. Their lives reflect histories of slavery and freedom, migration, faith, education, military service, skilled work, property ownership, family networks, and community institution-building. The cemetery was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and, together with Mount Zion Cemetery was designated in 2018 as an UNESCO’s site of memory associated with the Routes of Enslaved Peoples programme.
BCN Contact Information:
Lisa Fager
Mount Zion Cemetery
Mount Zion Cemetery
FOUNDED: 1808
ADDITIONAL NAMES: Old Methodist Burying Ground, Mt Zion Cemetery
AFFILIATION(S): Mount Zion United Methodist Church
HISTORY: Mount Zion Cemetery, historically known as the Old Methodist Burying Ground, was established in 1808 by Montgomery Street Methodist Episcopal Church, a racially mixed Methodist congregation in Georgetown. In 1816, many of the Black members of that church left to form Mount Zion United Methodist Church, Washington, DC’s oldest Black congregations. Over time, the cemetery became a sacred burial ground for generations of Black Georgetown residents, including free and enslaved people, church leaders, laborers, artisans, educators, Civil War veterans, families, and community builders. The cemetery is significant to Black history because it reflects both the interracial origins of early Methodism in Georgetown and the emergence of independent Black religious, family, and community networks in the nineteenth century. Mount Zion Cemetery preserves the memory of Black Georgetown residents who built churches, schools, businesses, mutual aid networks, and freedom-seeking communities across generations. It is also associated with Underground Railroad history through Mount Zion’s burial vault and the broader networks connected to the church. The site was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and, with the adjacent Female Union Band Society Cemetery, designated a UNESCO Slave Route Project Site of Memory in 2018. Today, the cemetery remains an important site of remembrance, research, preservation, and public education.
BCN Contact Information:
Lisa Fager
Narcoossee Arthur Fell Cemetery
Narcoossee Arthur Fell Cemetery
FOUNDED: 1911
ADDITIONAL NAMES: Whitted Historic Community
AFFILIATION(S): St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church (Narcoossee)
HISTORY: The Arthur J. Fell Memorial Cemetery, also known as the Narcoossee Cemetery, is a historic burial ground located in St. Cloud (Narcoossee), FL. Originally platted in 1892, Arthur J. Fell formally deeded the land “for use forever as a public cemetery for and by the people of Narcoossee and vicinity” on October 16, 1911. Since then, the cemetery has served as the final resting place for generations of locals, preserving history of one Osceola County’s oldest communities. The cemetery remains active and maintained the county. The cemetery holds particular significance to Black History in Narcoossee, as it contains the graves of African American pioneers, laborers, church leaders, veterans, and families whose work in the citrus, sugar cane, and turpentine industries helped build the community. Many of these families were associated with the historic St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church (Narcoossee) following migration from North Carolina in the late 1800s. The cemetery serves as an important cultural and historical resource, preserving the stories and legacies of Black families, including members of the Paul, Whitted, and other pioneering families, whose lives are an integral part of Narcoossee’s history and the broader African American heritage of Central Florida.
BCN Contact Information:
Jessica Paul
Woodlawn Cemetery
Woodlawn Cemetery
FOUNDED: 1946
ADDITIONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S): N/A
HISTORY: In 1946, Pastor Garther Roberson Senior purchased a plot of land in Ypsilanti to provide a resting place for Black community members when there were few options due to discrimination and racism. Woodlawn Cemetery, the only documented Black cemetery in the County, has since fallen into disrepair. Initial research indicates that Woodlawn Cemetery has served as the final resting place for over 150 African Americans whose lives were central to the development and history of Ypsilanti and broader Washtenaw County. This Restoration Project includes the necessary steps to preserve and protect the historic cemetery for future generations while maintaining its historical integrity.
BCN Contact Information:
Dr. Debby Covington
Cemetery for the Enslaved at The Hermitage
Cemetery for the Enslaved at The Hermitage
FOUNDED: 1804
ADDITIONAL NAMES: Andrew Jackson's Hermitage
AFFILIATION(S): N/A
HISTORY: The cemetery for the enslaved at The Hermitage—the plantation home of Andrew Jackson—was established during the early 19th century, when enslaved laborers lived and worked on the property. Jackson enslaved nine people by 1804; by the time of his death in 1845, that number had increased to 161, with more than 300 individuals enslaved at The Hermitage over time. Evidence long indicated the presence of a burial ground, but its location was not confirmed until 2024, when archaeological surveys identified at least 28 graves in a wooded area roughly 325 yards from the main house. The burials are largely unmarked, consistent with common practices in enslaved communities during this period. The cemetery provides material evidence of the lives and deaths of enslaved individuals at The Hermitage, a site historically interpreted primarily through the life of Jackson. The site offers a documented space directly tied to enslaved populations whose identities were often excluded from written records. Its identification also serves as a focal point for descendant engagement and public history initiatives that address the scale of enslavement in Middle Tennessee during the Early Republic period.
BCN Contact Information:
Cody Youngblood
Hollywood Cemetery Memphis
Hollywood Cemetery Memphis
FOUNDED: 1909
ADDITIONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S): N/A
HISTORY: Hollywood Cemetery in Memphis Tennessee is the resting place of two well known Blues musicians, Furry Lewis and Frank Stokes. It is also the resting place many Memphis Sanitation Workers who were on strike when Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968. This cemetery has great historical significance.
BCN Contact Information:
Diane Green
Bradwell Family Cemetery
Bradwell Family Cemetery
FOUNDED: Early 1900s
ADDITIONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S): N/A
HISTORY: The Bradwell slaves were transported to Wetumpka Florida in the early 1850s after their purchase by Isaac Bradwell. 19 slaves were purchased and moved to Florida. Formerly they were slaves of John Inabinette of St. Helena, South Carolina, an area known as Geechee Country. The Bradwell Family cemetery originally was the final resting place for the Bradwell family’s enslaved ancestors. The cemetery is located in Wetumpka, Florida, a small African American Community outside of Quincy, Florida.
The first bodies laid to rest are unknown, however Mingo Bradwell (born 1838 in St. Helena, South Carolina) died in 1910 and was the first to be buried in this section of the Bradwell Plantation. All the children listed on the attached plaque are buried in this cemetery. All 18 of Mingo and Sarah Bradwell's children are buried in this hallowed soil.
BCN Contact Information:
Octavius Clark
Historic Litchfield Plantation Cemetery
Historic Litchfield Plantation Cemetery
FOUNDED: Early 1700s
ADDITIONAL NAMES: Litchfield Cemetery
AFFILIATION(S): N/A
HISTORY: Litchfield Plantation traces its formation to three land grants of 500, 500 and 420 acres (1.7 km2) from King George III to Thomas Hepworth, in 1710, 1712 and 1711. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Litchfield Plantation is the existence of a cemetery utilized by slaves of the plantation and their descendants. Little is recorded of the history of slavery at Litchfield Plantation. According to an archaeological investigation performed in 1989 the cemetery holds approximately 150 possible graves. Only 5 of these graves are marked, and only 2 are legible with dates in 1888 and 1920. The estate inventory of John Hyrne Tucker, taken in July of 1859, recorded the names of 155 slaves on Litchfield Plantation.
BCN Contact Information:
Robert B. Morrison
Woodlawn Cemetery (Historic African American Section)
Anson Street African Burial Ground
FOUNDED: 1915
ADDITIONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S): Anson Street African Burial Ground project
HISTORY: Woodlawn Cemetery in Fort Myers, Florida is a historic burial ground that holds the remains of African American families from across Southwest Florida, including residents of Immokalee who were denied burial access in Collier County during the era of segregation. Because Black residents were barred from many white cemeteries, families were forced to bury their loved ones in Fort Myers. Woodlawn therefore became a regional resting place for Black agricultural workers, families, and children whose lives were tied to the farming communities of Immokalee and the surrounding areas. The cemetery contains both marked and unmarked graves and stands as physical evidence of the racial restrictions that shaped burial practices in Southwest Florida.
BCN Contact Information:
Ramona D. Miller
Snow Hill Primitive Baptist Cemetery
SNOW HILL PRIMITIVE BAPTIST CEMETERY
FOUNDED: 1929
ADDITONAL NAMES: None
AFFILIATION(S): Previously affiliated with Snow Hill Baptist Church
HISTORY: Snow Hill Cemetery, located in Mebane North Carolina, has been burial ground to many in the now Miles Chapel area formerly known as Unity in Alamance County. Families from the Moore, Hightower, Miles, Lea and others were buried there. This cemetery is a burial ground for early teacher Eliza Lea, who taught at Pleasant Grove Union, and Turner Moore, who helped found what’s now known as Miles Chapel church.
BCN Contact Information:
Melissa Enoch
msmelissae45@gmail.com
Plot N of Rosemary Cemetery
PLOT N OF ROSEMARY CEMETERY
FOUNDED: 1931
ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S): N/A
HISTORY:
In the early 1920s, Mr. Creighton donated a parcel of land to Collier County for the establishment of the county's second cemetery, named Rosemary Cemetery. Reflecting the social norms of the time, segregation extended even to burial grounds. African Americans were interred along the railroad tracks at what is now the intersection of Pine Ridge Road and Goodlette-Frank Road.
Today, there are no headstones or markers to remind the community of their presence—just a few pillars and overgrown weeds. While it is possible that wooden structures, such as crosses, were once placed to mark the graves, they have since deteriorated. It is estimated that there are eight bodies buried there, likely seven adults and one child.
Efforts are being made to honor this plot of land by establishing plans to install headstones, a botanical garden-style fence, and a historical marker. On January 28, 2025, as part of an Eagle Project, Jonathan Rodriguez presented to the Board of Collier Commissioners, requesting that they recognize the cemetery as historically significant to the community.
BCN Contact Information:
Amanda Townsend & Jonathan Rodriguez
amanda.townsend@colliercountyfl.gov
Hanna African-American Cemetery
HANNA AFRICAN-AMERICAN CEMETERY
FOUNDED: 1896
ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S): N/A
HISTORY:
Hugh Hanna, Sr. enslaved Black people on his properties, which included a plantation and a cattle farm. His 1825 tax return indicated that he owned 2,420 acres of land and enslaved 28 individuals. In 1896, E.S. Brown and M.R. Brown sold 113 acres to Samuel M. Cameron, an African American. This land included the Hannah and Cameron Cemeteries.
Preserving the Hanna African American Cemetery in Lake City, SC, is important for honoring local Black history and preventing the erasure of the lives and stories of those buried there. As a resting place for formerly enslaved individuals and their descendants, the cemetery holds significant cultural, historical, and genealogical value. Restoring the site would help preserve community heritage, support education, and recognize the contributions of African Americans in the region.
BCN Contact Information:
Dr. Terrie Gaskins-Bryant
bryant107@frontier.com
Green Lawn Cemetery
GREEN LAWN CEMETERY
FOUNDED: 1907
ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S): N/A
HISTORY:
Green Lawn Cemetery was founded by a former enslaved person, Lawrence Murray, Sr., in May 1907 to serve the African American community in the City of Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. African Americans were not allowed to be buried within the Chester City limits. The 8.5-acre cemetery houses approximately 2,000 burials, including the graves of at least 300 veterans of the United States Armed Services who served from the Civil War through the 20th century. Green Lawn is a vital cultural and historical resource in the community, where residents can connect and learn about African American history and life, as well as the significant contributions African Americans have made to the Chester area, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the nation.
BCN Contact Information:
Dr. Clarence "AL" Grasty
Queen Esther Household of Ruth Cemetery
QUEEN ESTHER HOUSEHOLD OF RUTH CEMETERY
FOUNDED: around 1917
ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S): N/A
HISTORY:
The Queen Esther Household of Ruth Cemetery was established by Black women in the community of Whitesboro. This town was intentionally created by George Henry White and other dedicated African Americans as a safe haven for Black people seeking to escape the regional racism of the Deep South and the local racism present in Cape May County. Furthermore, the Household of Ruth Cemetery serves as a testament to the ingenuity and resilience of Black women, who were its founders.
BCN Contact Information:
Rev. Douglas Moore, MDiv, Pastor, First Baptist Church of Whitesboro
rev.dh.moore@gmail.co
Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 Moses Cemetery and Hall
MORNINGSTAR TABERNACLE NO. 88 CEMETERY AND HALL
FOUNDED: 1885
ADDITONAL NAMES: Morningstar Moses Cemetery; Moses Hall Cemetery; No. 10 Cemetery; Gibson Grove
AFFILIATION(S): N/A
HISTORY:
Morningstar Moses Cemetery and Hall, founded in 1885 in Cabin John, Montgomery County, Maryland, is a significant African American historic site established by Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 of the Ancient United Order of Sons & Daughters, Brothers & Sisters of Moses (MT88), Its early extant minutes book is a rare artifact. It shows how MT88 supported education, burial, and aid for its Black community. The 124 documented burials, including Clara Barton’s housekeeper Emma Jones and founding community member Sarah Gibson, date from 1894 to 1977, with 433 potential burials identified by GPR surveys. MT88 built a Moses Hall on the site for its meetings and community events. The site and local Black community were impacted by the construction of the Capital Beltway (I-495) in the 1960s. The Hall’s foundations remain the only remains of the three Moses Halls originally established in the county. Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, it stands as a testament to Black resilience, community, and history.
BCN Contact Information:
Friends of Moses Hall, Inc.
morningstarmosescj@gmail.com
Island Pond Two
ISLAND POND TWO CEMETERY
FOUNDED: UNKNOWN
ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S): N/A
HISTORY:
Property Alt Key: 2582529. The land where this cemetery is located was part of an original land grant from 1884 belonging to Burrell Reese. Burrell and his family were enslaved in the Apopka area before the Civil War. Burrell's land was adjacent to his son-in-law, Jackson Knight's land. Both Burrell and Jackson have cemeteries located in the southwest corners of their original land grants. According to some death certificates, the cemetery on Jackson's land was named Island Pond Cemetery. In 2009 when Margaret Reese-Williams began searching for her family history and located both cemeteries, she registered them on the Florida Master Site File. She heard that Island Pond One was no longer used when it became full. That is when more burials occurred at the other site. Margaret gave the official name of Island Pond 2 to the cemetery on Burrell Reese's land. Property records show that the Island Pond 2 site, which is 5 acres, was owned in the 1940s by the Sorrento Burial Society. Today it is held by a private landowner who has applied for a family lot split so that homes may be built on the two plots. This site has had grave markers removed over the years and heavy equipment was brought on to do clearing as recently as 2023. The current property owner is not cooperating with efforts to preserve and protect the cemetery.
BCN Contact Information:
Katherine de Jongh & Margaret Reese-Williams
ELMWMP@COMCAST.NET
Island Pond One
ISLAND POND ONE CEMETERY
FOUNDED: early 1880s
ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S): N/A
HISTORY:
Island Pond One was formed out of land owned by Jackson Knight, through the Homestead Act. Jack or Jackson Knight, along with a group of former slaves from the William Shelton Delk "plantation" from Apopka, Florida settled in this area after the end of the Civil War. They named this area Island Pond. Property records show two cemeteries and a church, the Island Pond Primitive Baptist Church, existed on adjacent parcels. Over time the lands were sold off piece by piece. These early residents contributed significantly to the creation of and the economy of nearby communities of Mount Dora, Sorrento, and Eustis. In 2009, two women from Fort Pierce came to Lake County, Florida, researching their family history. Their persistence paid off and they registered two cemeteries on the Florida Master Site File, Island Pond One and Island Pond Two. In 2023 a nonprofit was formed to aid in the research, restoration, and preservation of the two cemeteries. In January of 2024, a committee working on behalf of the Division of Historical Resources selected our grant application for funding from the Abandoned African American Cemeteries Grant Program. We are awaiting the legislature's approval for the requested funding for the project.
BCN Contact Information:
Katherine de Jongh
katherine.dejongh@aol.com