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:
Palmetto Cemetery
Palmetto Cemetery
FOUNDED: 1920
ADDITIONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S):
Palmetto Cemetery Association
HISTORY: Palmetto Cemetery is a historically African American vernacular cemetery located along Fairfield Road in Columbia, SC. Although its earliest known burial dates to 1893, the cemetery developed into an important Black burial ground during the early twentieth century (1920), when burial lots were being sold under the direction of African American mortician Willis Craig Johnson. By the Jim Crow era, Palmetto had become a significant burial place for Columbia’s Black community, serving generations of families during a period when racial segregation shaped access to cemeteries and other public and private institutions. The cemetery contains thousands of marked and unmarked graves and reflects distinctive African American funerary traditions and burial practices, family networks, and community stewardship. Palmetto Cemetery is significant to local and Black history because its burial landscape preserves an unusually concentrated record of Columbia’s African American community across more than a century. Those interred include educators, physicians, businesspeople, veterans, religious leaders, civil rights activists, and generations of residents whose lives collectively shaped Black Columbia, including prominent figures such as Dr. Matilda A. Evans, Modjeska Monteith Simkins, James M. Hinton, Celia Dial Saxon, and Nathaniel J. Frederick. Beyond these notable individuals, Palmetto’s greatest significance lies in the broader community represented and the continuing efforts of descendants and community members to maintain, reclaim, document, and protect the cemetery. As such, Palmetto is both a burial ground and an enduring cultural landscape through which the history, social networks, traditions, and community life of Black Columbia can be understood.
BCN Contact Information:
Cory J. France
North Burial Ground
North Burial Ground
FOUNDED: 1700
ADDITIONAL NAMES: The City of Providence North Burial Ground
AFFILIATION(S):
Rhode Island Black Heritage Society
New England Cemetery Association
Rhode Island Cemetery Association
International Cemetery, Cremation, and Funeral Association
HISTORY: North Burial Ground (NBG) is an active historic cemetery located in Providence, Rhode Island, spanning 114 acres and more than 100,000 graves. In June 1700, the city of Providence set aside 45 acres to be used as a public cemetery. Though NBG is not explicitly a historic Black or African American cemetery, it is the final resting place to a significant portion of the Black Providence community. The earliest iterations of the Free Grounds were segregated into “White” and “Colored” Free Grounds through the 1920s. While the Colored Free Grounds were the resting place of individuals from various racial backgrounds, many were African American. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Rhode Island was engaged heavily in the economy built around slavery. After Emancipation, the neighborhood was home to several African American churches, schoolhouses, and community centers, properties and businesses. Today, there are increasing efforts to connect with descendant communities of those buried in the Free Grounds.
NBG is the resting place for people connected to various parts of American history. Within the historic sections are many graves of people of African descent, including Charles Haskell, a Black Revolutionary War soldier. Cape Verde communities began immigrating to Providence in the 1860s and represent a portion of burials. Other notable interments include Patience Borden, “a free woman of color,” who donated $230 to the First Baptist Church “as a fund for relief of the poor of color,” Eve Cushing, a “native of Africa” who purchased her freedom and was “an example of industry and economy worthy to be imitated,” and Union veterans from the 11th US Colored Heavy Artillery and the 14th RI Colored Heavy Artillery.
BCN Contact Information:
Annalisa Heppner
Mount Ararat Cemetery
Mount Ararat Cemetery
FOUNDED: 1869
ADDITIONAL NAMES: Greenwood Cemetery
AFFILIATION(S): 95 Counties TN
HISTORY: Mount Ararat Cemetery, established in 1869, is the oldest organized African American cemetery in Nashville and one of the most historically significant Black burial grounds in Tennessee. Founded by Black civic and religious leaders during Reconstruction, it was created as a burial place for Nashville's newly emancipated African American community after the Civil War. Prior to this, many enslaved and free Black residents were buried in segregated sections of the Nashville City Cemetery or in white-owned family cemeteries. The cemetery became a symbol of self-determination, reflecting the efforts of Black Nashvillians to build and sustain their own institutions in the decades following emancipation. It is the final resting place of thousands of African Americans, including veterans, educators, ministers, business leaders, artists, and community pioneers whose lives helped shape Nashville's history.
Mount Ararat Cemetery holds profound significance for both the local community and Black history because it preserves the stories of generations who endured slavery, fought for freedom, built thriving Black neighborhoods, established churches and schools, and laid the foundation for Nashville's African American civic and cultural life. During periods when Black communities were excluded from many public institutions, the cemetery served as a sacred space of remembrance, dignity, and community identity. Restoration efforts helped reclaim its historical importance, ensuring that the legacy of those buried there would not be lost. Mount Ararat stands as both a place of remembrance and an enduring testament to the resilience, leadership, and contributions of African Americans in Nashville and throughout Tennessee.
BCN Contact Information:
Stephanie Johnson
Weems Slave Cemetery
Weems Slave Cemetery
FOUNDED: 1820-1830
ADDITIONAL NAMES: Weems Slave Plantation
AFFILIATION(S): N/A
HISTORY: The Weems Slave Cemetery is a historic burial ground associated with the former Weems Plantation in Henry County, Georgia, dating to the early 1800s. The cemetery is believed to contain between 500 and 1,000 graves, including those of enslaved African Americans and Native Americans who lived and labored on the plantation. Many of the graves remain unmarked, making the site one of the largest known historic burial grounds of its kind in the area. The cemetery stands as a powerful reminder of the generations of men, women, and children whose lives helped shape Henry County’s history. The site’s significance to the local community and Black history is profound. It serves as a sacred resting place for hundreds of ancestors whose stories were largely omitted from historical records. Today, descendants, historians, archaeologists, and community members are working to preserve and protect the cemetery, ensuring that the lives, contributions, and legacies of an estimated 500 to 1,000 African American and Native American ancestors are recognized, honored, and remembered for future generations. The cemetery represents an irreplaceable link to the history of slavery, survival, family, and community in Henry County and the State of Georgia.
BCN Contact Information:
Honor Thy Roots Cemetery Preservation, Inc.
Owensville Cemetery West
Owensville Cemetery West
FOUNDED: Mid-1800s
ADDITIONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S): Owensville Cemetery West Association
HISTORY: West Owensville Cemetery, in Robertson County, TX, is a historic African American burial ground dating back to the mid-1800s. The west section developed as the designated resting place for Black community members during a period of segregation, reflecting the social conditions of the time. In 1952, the Owensville Cemetery West Association was established by S.T. Brown, Dan Richards, and Mack Hodge to preserve and maintain this section, ensuring that the graves and stories of African American residents would not be forgotten. The cemetery continues to be cared for through ongoing community efforts that honor its importance. This section of the cemetery is the final resting place of many individuals who contributed significantly to local and national history. Notable burials include Theodore “TD” Davis, a WWII veteran and pioneering African American employee of Western Union; Reverend Robert Neal and Viola Neal, educators and civil rights advocates; and Willie B. Johnson, a veteran, principal, and longtime cemetery preservation leader. They represent generations of resilience, service, and leadership within the African American community of Robertson County. Today, West Owensville Cemetery stands as a powerful symbol of heritage, perseverance, and remembrance.
BCN Contact Information:
Mary Stevens
Terryville Community Cemetery
Terryville Community Cemetery
FOUNDED: 1845
ADDITIONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S): N/A
HISTORY: At the end of the Civil War, the plantation owners in Gonzales County wanted their former slaves to vacate the plantation lands. The ex-slaves didn’t want to leave because they had nowhere to go, so, the plantation owners got together and gave the now freed slaves a five acre long stretch of land and evicted them from the plantations to this five acre stretch which included the ‘burying ground’, now the Terryville Community Cemetery, for slaves dying on the plantations over the years. Those five acres became the center of what was known as the "Terryville Community". The Terryville Community was a thriving self-contained Black community. The surrounding Black owned farms used the central hub of the community to socialize, express their religious freedom and trade communities among themselves.
BCN Contact Information:
James Kirkwood
Coming Street Cemetery
Coming Street Cemetery
FOUNDED: 1794
ADDITIONAL NAMES: Strangers & Negroes Public Burying Ground, 106 Coming Street Cemetery
AFFILIATION(S): Preservation Society of Charleston, Protect and Respect the Bodies Coalition
HISTORY: Between 1794 and 1807, the City of Charleston operated a public burial ground on Calhoun Street between Coming and St. Philip Streets, where many of the city’s most vulnerable residents were laid to rest. Those interred included poor adults, children, and enslaved individuals who could not afford or access other cemeteries, including captured Africans who did not survive the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The burial ground was in use for just thirteen years before reaching capacity, a reflection of the immense mortality associated with the final decades of the transatlantic trade into Charleston. It represents the lives—and deaths—of individuals who were systematically excluded from traditional memorialization and whose stories have often gone unrecorded. For descendants and the broader community, the site serves as a powerful physical link to ancestry and resilience, underscoring ongoing efforts to acknowledge burial grounds–especially Black burial grounds as essential components of the historic landscape.
BCN Contact Information:
Madison Lee
Hurricane of 1928 African American Mass Burial Site (Pauper's Cemetery)
Hurricane of 1928 African American Mass Burial Site (Pauper's Cemetery)
FOUNDED: 1913
ADDITIONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S): Storm of ’28 Memorial Park Coalition Inc.
HISTORY: Located in the northeast corner of Pauper’s Cemetery, the 1928 Hurricane African American Mass Burial Site is the final resting place for about 674 Black victims of the 1928 hurricane. Although unofficial burials began at Pauper’s Cemetery around 1913, this mass grave honors the migrant workers who lost their lives in one of America’s worst natural disasters. Documented in Zora Neale Hurston’s, Their Eyes Were Watching God, these victims were denied proper burials and dumped in an unmarked trench, while 60 white victims of the same storm were buried in coffins at Woodlawn Cemetery. The site was later neglected for decades as a garbage dump and industrial area. It is now a place of memory, healing, and honoring Black migrant workers, with efforts by organizations like the Storm of '28 Memorial Park Coalition. They work to preserve the burial site, promote healing, and educate the public on the victims' contributions. After lobbying the city to purchase the mass grave site, the site was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2002 and received a state historical marker in 2003.
BCN Contact Information:
Dorothy and Robert Hazard
Milwaukee County Grounds Cemetery 2
Milwaukee County Grounds Cemetery 2
FOUNDED: 1882
ADDITIONAL NAMES: County Farm Cemetery
AFFILIATION(S): N/A
HISTORY: Milwaukee County Grounds Cemetery 2, historically referred to as the County Farm Cemetery, served as a public burial ground from 1882 to 1925 for individuals who died in Milwaukee County and had no means for private burial. More than 7,200 men, women, and children were interred, including approximately 150 African Americans—many among Milwaukee’s earliest Black families. Although African Americans comprised less than one-half of one percent of Milwaukee’s population, they accounted for more than 2.5 percent of burials at this site, with approximately one in six Black residents buried here compared to one in forty European Americans. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, burial markers were removed as the County redeveloped the land. In 1932, construction took place directly over the cemetery, destroying more than half of the graves and redistributing human remains across the landscape. Human remains continue to be uncovered.
To date, the Descendant Community of Milwaukee County Grounds Cemeteries, Inc. has identified approximately 60 death certificates for the estimated 150 African Americans buried at Cemetery 2, and continues to discover more. This work supports ongoing efforts to reconnect living descendants and include them in decisions regarding their ancestors.
BCN Contact Information:
Judy Houston - Descendant Community of Milwaukee County Grounds Cemeteries, Inc
Evergreen Cemetery
Evergreen Cemetery
FOUNDED: 1913
ADDITIONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S): Evergreen Community Committee, Community Planning Collaborative
HISTORY: On October 23, 1913, a group of African Americans bought nine acres of land to create a cemetery—the first Black-owned cemetery in Florida. The cemetery received its non-profit charter in 1916 and is the final resting place for many local leaders, including the city’s first Black doctor and early teachers. Evergreen Cemetery served the Black community during segregation, offering a place of dignity and respect. In 1981, the city recognized its historical importance, and in 1987, West Palm Beach made it a historic site and took over its care. Today, Evergreen Cemetery stands as a reminder of the community’s history and strength.
BCN Contact Information:
Consider the Culture - Alisha R. Winn
Anson Street African Burial Ground
Anson Street African Burial Ground
FOUNDED: 1849
ADDITIONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S): Anson Street African Burial Ground project
HISTORY: The African Burial Ground on Anson Street in Charleston, SC, was rediscovered in 2013 during construction activities. Archaeological investigation revealed the graves of thirty-six children, women, and men of African descent who were buried there between the 1760s and 1790s; the ancestors were laid to rest with care by their loved ones, some dressed in clothing, some wrapped in shrouds, and some interred with personal belongings. Isotopic analysis indicates that at least six individuals were born in West and West Central Africa, survived the Middle Passage, and spent their final years in Charleston. The site is significant to both the local community and Black history as a rare and sacred testament to African presence, resilience, and cultural continuity in one of the principal ports of the transatlantic slave trade. In 2017, Charleston Mayor invited the grassroots Gullah Society, led by Dr. Ade Ofunniyin, to guide the memorialization and reburial process. During a Yoruba Naming Ceremony on April 27, 2019, the ancestors were given honorary African and Gullah Geechee names, restoring identity and dignity. They were reinterred in 2019, in the sacred ground where they were originally laid to rest. In 2025, a permanent memorial was dedicated to honor their lives and the countless African ancestors buried in Charleston’s soil.
BCN Contact Information:
Joanna Gilmore
St. Peter’s Cemetery
ST. PETER’S CEMETERY
FOUNDED: 1851
ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S):
Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition
HISTORY:
The two main demographic groups buried at the cemetery are African Americans and Irish, with numerous other immigrant groups, which makes it unique. The two main churches that are buried at the cemetery are designated as a Historic Landmark. St. Peter Claver Catholic Church, located in Baltimore's Sandtown community, is a historic landmark that was founded in 1888 by the Josephite Fathers to serve Black Catholics and is the first parish in the world dedicated to St. Peter Claver, the "Apostle of the Slaves". The other main church that is buried at the cemetery and is also a Historic Landmark Designation is St. Peter the Apostle Church. St Peter the Apostle was a Roman Catholic church located within the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Maryland. Constructed at the northwest corner of Hollins and South Poppleton Streets (848 Hollins) and (11-13 South Poppleton), it was often referred to as "The Mother Church of West Baltimore" and served as a pillar of the Irish Community. The church is no longer catholic owned and is now an African American congregation: Carter Memorial Church of God in Christ.
BCN Contact Information:
Jennifer Johnson
Speedwell Cemetery
SPEEDWELL CEMETERY
FOUNDED: Unknown; 1942 Reinternment
ADDITONAL NAMES: Park Cemetery/Cemetery B
AFFILIATION(S):
Friends of the Bluegrass Memorial Cemeteries
HISTORY:
Speedwell Cemetery, located on Speedwell Road, is an approximately 7.5-acre site explicitly designated as the segregated final resting place for the African American community whose homes and ancestral burial grounds were seized by the Army in order to make the Blue Grass Army Depot in 1942. This site powerfully embodies the deep-seated racial hierarchies of the era, extending even to the treatment of the deceased, as they were segregated with white individuals buried in the Bluegrass Memorial Cemetery. Speedwell Cemetery received a substantial number of relocated remains, approximately 900. Though the identities of many are tragically lost—a direct consequence compounded by decades of neglect that disproportionately affected this site. At its entrance, a chain-link fence with a gate provides access. Beyond the grave markers themselves, no other structures are present within the cemetery. Among those identified is Private Edward Francis (1830-1897), a U.S. Colored Troops (USCT) veteran of the 114th USCI, born into slavery, who gained freedom through his courageous service in the Civil War. His personal letters home vividly reveal his deep longing for his enslaved wife and three children, his gratitude for health and strength during his service, and his determination to learn to read and write. Francis's story, alongside those of other USCT veterans interred here, such as Edmond D. Collins (1845-1903), Lewis Gilbert (1839-1909), Charles H. Todd (1836-1902), and Smith Todd (1838-1891), powerfully underscores their fight not only for freedom but also for civil rights and a place of equality for their families post-emancipation. The vast majority of Speedwell Cemetery is characterized by severe overgrowth, which has obscured countless graves, further exacerbating the historical erasure of marginalized communities. This overgrowth has also threatened and damaged any remaining grave markers. Many graves are humbly marked with only a fieldstone. While a small percentage of graves are still visible in an open grassy area, many more remain completely hidden beneath dense overgrowth and underbrush, rendering them inaccessible and tragically lost to memory.
BCN Contact Information:
Brenda Burton
breburton@gmail.com
Enon Ridge Odd-Fellows Pioneer Cemetery
ENON RIDGE ODD-FELLOWS PIONEER CEMETERY
FOUNDED: 1891
ADDITONAL NAMES: Enon Ridge Cemetery
AFFILIATION(S):
Freshwater Land Trust
HISTORY:
Enon Ridge Pioneer Odd-Fellow Cemetery holds significant historical value in telling the story of Birmingham, Alabama's Black history. Established as early as 1891, it served as a final resting place for African Americans during segregation and limited burial options. Notable interments, such as John Tuggle, husband of the prominent educator Carrie A. Tuggle, and Civil War veteran CPL Anthony Robertson, underscore its importance in the community's collective memory. Despite a 1901 resolution to close the "black cemetery" and subsequent court upholding, burials continued until the late 1950s, suggesting the community's continued need for and connection to this space. The cemetery's history reflects the challenges faced by African Americans in securing and maintaining burial grounds during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Birmingham. The eventual decline of its upkeep, linked to urban development, highlights the vulnerability of such sites. Efforts to document the burials, advocate for its preservation through historical registries, and potential inclusion in the Birmingham Public Library's archives are crucial to recognizing and safeguarding this important piece of local and Black history. The addition of the cemetery to the Alabama Historic Cemetery Register in 2023 and the Alabama Cemetery Preservation Alliance in 2024 further acknowledges its historical significance.
BCN Contact Information:
The Masonton
wilhelminathomas@hotmail.com
https://freshwaterlandtrust.org/
Woodlawn Cemetery
WOODLAWN CEMETERY
FOUNDED: Woodlawn Cemetery
ADDITONAL NAMES: Woodlawn Burial Park, Green Mount Cemetery
AFFILIATION(S):
Friends of Woodlawn (community group)
HISTORY:
Woodlawn Cemetery, originally established in the late 19th century as Greenmount Cemetery and later renamed, is a historically significant African American burial ground in Cumberland, Maryland. Founded during the era of racial segregation, it served as the primary resting place for Black residents who were denied burial in white cemeteries. The site contains the graves of prominent African American community leaders, veterans, and families who contributed to the region’s cultural and social development. Its existence reflects the resilience of Cumberland’s Black community in the face of systemic discrimination, making it a vital landmark for understanding local African American heritage.
Today, Woodlawn Cemetery stands as an important historical and cultural resource, offering insight into the lives of Black Marylanders during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Preservation efforts highlight its role in commemorating overlooked narratives of struggle, perseverance, and community strength. Recognizing and protecting this sacred space ensures that future generations can honor the legacy of those who shaped Cumberland’s Black history despite the challenges of segregation.
BCN Contact Information:
Tiffany Frazier
trfrazier1974@yahoo.com
https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1d6gRTYPiS/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Winterpock African American Cemetery
WINTERPOCK AFRICAN AMERICAN CEMETERY
FOUNDED: 1853
ADDITONAL NAMES: Patterson-Haskins Cemetery
AFFILIATION(S):
Chesterfield Historical Society
HISTORY:
In a thickly-wooded area in Winterpock (Chesterfield County), Virginia lies a burial ground where enslaved and formerly enslaved African Americans were interred from at least as early as 1853 to as late as the 1930s. The land, purchased in 1853 by James Henry Cox (1810-1877), owner of Clover Hill Coal Mines (which relied on enslaved labor), was used as a burying place initially for African Americans enslaved as domestic workers in the Cox household. Documents in the Cox family (dating to the 1850s) make mention of this burial ground. While none of the graves is marked, existing natural stones suggest that stones were once placed at the heads and feet of the graves. Two people have been identified with a high degree of certain as having been buried here in the 1930s, both formerly enslaved in the area: Edward “Ned” Patterson (c. 1835-1937) and his wife of seventy-five years Martha Jane “Jennie” Haskins Patterson (c.1842-1938). Jennie Patterson’s 1937 narrative was collected by the WPA/ Library of Congress Collection. Records suggest that other Patterson family members are buried here, one or more of their sixteen children (seven of whom lived to adulthood) and/or grandchildren. During a 2023 site visit, archaeologist Joanna Green of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) authenticated the burial ground and estimated that it may contain as many as 30 graves. Green listed the cemetery in the VA State database of cemeteries. The land where the cemetery is located presently belongs to Vulcan Materials Corps, based in Birmingham, AL.
BCN Contact Information:
Elizabeth Logan Harris
eloganharris@gmail.com
Handley Hill Historic African American Cemetery
HANDLEY HILL HISTORIC AFRICAN AMERICAN CEMETERY
FOUNDED: 1878
ADDITONAL NAMES: Old Ebenezer
AFFILIATION(S):
Constellation of Living Memorials
HISTORY:
The Handley Hill historic African American cemetery was founded in 1878. The original site of the Ebenezer Missionary Baptist church and Prairie Chapel school is to the west of the burial site. The Church moved in 1944, and the last burial was 1966.
This is the highest point in Tarrant County, Texas, and was the site of the Battle for Village creek on May 24, 1841. The Texas & Pacific railroad followed the Jefferson rd, from Dallas in 1876 arriving in Fort Worth that July. The Northern Texas traction company followed in 1900 with construction of a Powerplant, and a dam which created what we call Lake Arlington Today. The Interurban was the Electric Road that ushered in the modern era of Texas history when she began daily service on July 2,1902. The Interurban operated for 33 years and transported 28 million passengers and left behind what we call the DFW METROPLEX today. This cemetery contains the African American founders and Pioneers of the STOP SIX Community of Southeast Fort Worth. Amanda Davis was the first landowner in 1896 when she purchased an acre of land for 40$. She is buried here as well as the Alonzo Cowan family, the Stalcup Family, the Elgin family, and Howard families. These are the rock upon which the New Stop Six is rising. The Community of southeast Fort Worth is very proud but has been gentrified in an attempt to erase the entire culture of Black wall Street, and the legacy that led the National Juneteenth Museum here, as Dr Opal Lee has shepherded. Last year the Friends of Handley Hill were successful in preventing the development of the surrounding parcels of land East, west, and North into a parking lot, and towing yard. Late last year the city of Arlington purchased the land, and preserving the integrity of the over 600 souls buried here. The families are also Military veterans of the Civil War, Buffalo Soldiers, World War 1, World War 2, Korea and early Viet Nam. This hallowed ground has faced unrelenting destruction for decades.
Today The Friends of Handley Hill can report the Site is secure thanks to Constellation Energy and the citizens of Arlington, Tx. The community discussion has begun on restoration.
BCN Contact Information:
The Friends of Handley Hill
Good Hope Cemetery
GOOD HOPE CEMETERY
FOUNDED: 1828
ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S):
Coconut Grove Cemetery Association
HISTORY:
The Good Hope Cemetery is a segregated cemetery located in Dozier, Alabama. In 1997, there were at least 173 known black burials in Good Hope cemetery. Good Hope cemetery is located across the street from the church, of the same name, on County Hwy 63. The Coconut Grove Cemetery Association is continuing to learn about the history of this cemetery.
BCN Contact Information:
Beverly Johnson
Washington Park Cemetery
WASHINGTON PARK CEMETERY
FOUNDED: 1920
ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S): Ancestral Landmark Preservation Council
HISTORY:
Washington Park Cemetery is located in the suburb of Berkeley, Missouri, in St. Louis County founded in 1920 specifically for the final resting place of African Americans. The cemetery is one of the largest Black cemeteries and once most beautiful. Washington Park Cemetery was never just a cemetery, it was a vital part of the African American community. The cemetery sponsored annual events such festivals, food distributions and contained fruit orchards. Like many other Black cemeteries in America Washington Park has suffered from neglect, abuse and mismanagement. Local interstate 70 in the 1950's, invaded the cemetery by plowing through the middle, which separated Washington Park into 2 parts; the loss of acreage due to airport expansion in the 1970's; the intrusion of the local Metro light rail system into the cemetery in 1990, which resulted in the forced (eminent domain) removal of thousands and thousands of our Black ancestor's remains. Some of the staff hired to work on this removal project mishandled, abused, disrespected and stole human remains. The cemetery has been encroached by a cell phone tower and 6 lighted billboards located inside of cemetery in that towered directly above graves. The billboards created a battle in 2017 between the Washington Park Cemetery - Anti-Desecration League (activists), the billboard company and it's advertisers resulting in a lawsuit being filed in April 2019 for the permanent eradication of the billboards. This lawsuit and battle appeared in national and local media. In July 2020, a settlement was reached and the billboards and structures were permanently removed from the cemetery in August of 2020. The fight remains to preserve and restore Washington Park Cemetery to its glorious and rightful place and hold its significance into the future.
BCN Contact Information:
Ancestral Landmarks Preservation Council | Washington Park Cemetery Anti-Desecration League
wpcadlstl@gmail.com
Sunset Memorial Cemetery
SUNSET MEMORIAL CEMETERY
FOUNDED: 1917
ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S):
City of Jacksonville (COJ) Parks and Recreation Department
COJ Public Works Department
HISTORY:
Sunset Memorial Cemetery is an historic African American Cemetery in the northwest part of Duval County, Florida. Sunset Memorial Cemetery is surrounded by commercial uses along Edgewood Avenue West, Memorial Cemetery directly across Moncrief Road and a mixture of commercial, residential and institutional uses to the north. The cemetery was established in 1917 by the Memorial Cemetery Association, although it was never platted and may have been used for burials as early as 1909. The cemetery is affiliated with the Afro American Life Insurance Company, which was instrumental in fulfilling an unmet need of additional burial options for Jacksonville’s black community. The cemetery is a total of 6.25 acres in size and contains 1,125 grave markers, and it was used for burials up until the late 1990s, with the last recorded burial in 1997.
The African-Americans buried at Sunset Memorial were predominantly middle class and working class citizens, although prominent black citizens, including Abraham Lincoln Lewis, founder of the Afro American Life Insurance Company, are also buried here. The most common monuments and markers found at the cemetery include headstones of various styles (499), flat lid and curved vault lids (71), variations of pillows stones (66) and ground tablets (38). Two prominent mausoleums, the Craddock and Langley mausoleums, are situated near the main entrance of the cemetery. Other styles which are found in much less number, include bedstead, bedstead pillow, footstones and funeral plaques. Materials include predominately marble (335), concrete (235) and granite (85). There are 233 military graves including three piles of military headstones never placed. Several additional unmarked graves are also present at the cemetery due to weathering, deterioration, neglect, and vandalism that has taken place over time, although a precise number of these unmarked graves is not known.
BCN Contact Information:
Andrew Mueller
Archives Specialist, Historic Preservation Section
AMueller@coj.net