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:
Oak Ridge Historic Black Cemetery — Fort Myers, Florida
Oak Ridge Historic Black Cemetery — Fort Myers, Florida
FOUNDED: 1943
ADDITIONAL NAMES: Oakridge Cemetery; Oak Ridge Cemetery; Oakridge Section of the City of Fort Myers Cemetery; Oakridge (Colored) Cemetery
AFFILIATION(S):
A Voice in the Wilderness Empowerment Center
HISTORY: Oak Ridge Cemetery is a historic Black burial ground located in Fort Myers, Lee County, Florida. Historical documentation identifies its establishment in 1943, although earlier plat records dating to 1940 warrant further examination. Situated along Henderson Avenue, Oak Ridge and neighboring Woodlawn served generations of Black families during segregation. These burial grounds represent the lives, families, faith, labor, and contributions of African Americans who helped establish and sustain the Fort Myers community. The City of Fort Myers continues to recognize Oakridge and Woodlawn as separately named cemetery sections.
Oak Ridge holds significant historical, cultural, and ancestral importance to Southwest Florida's Black community. Its preservation raises important questions concerning historical cemetery boundaries, burial documentation, unmarked graves, and changes in surrounding land use. Descendant-led research seeks to recover and preserve burial records, identify those interred, protect ancestral resting places, and ensure the cemetery's history is neither forgotten nor erased. Recognizing Oak Ridge independently preserves an essential part of Fort Myers' African American heritage for future generations.
BCN Contact Information:
Ramona D. Miller
Woodlawn Cemetery (Historic African American Section)
Woodlawn Cemetery
FOUNDED: 1915
ADDITIONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S): A Voice in the Wilderness Empowerment Center
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