OLD AGENCY CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1858

ADDITONAL NAMES: Union Agency

AFFILIATION(S):

• Muscogee Creek Indian Freedmen Band

HISTORY:

The cemetery contains the remains of African Creek people who were part of the force removal to Indian Territory in the 1830's and who were enslaved by the Muscogee Creek Nation Tribe. In 1866 these people were freed by the Treaty of 1866 and went on to be prominent citizens of the Muscogee Nation.

BCN Contact Information:

Rhonda Grayson

mcifb@1866creekfreedmen.com

www.1866creekfreedmen.com

OLD ASBURY CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1811

ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A

AFFILIATION(S): N/A

HISTORY:

Nearly abandoned, this cemetery is on the site of the Asbury (Methodist) Chapel, which was discontinued in the 1850s and no longer stands. In early years the congregation was both white and Black. Heading south on Route 13, the sign is on the right on a slight rise above the highway a short distance north of the Boyds Corner intersection. There are no known records of the Asbury Chapel congregation. About 1/4 of the cemetery is cleared. It extends downhill toward a small creek and has no obvious entrance road. The upper section is the original cemetery. 

Around 1928, people associated with Zoar Methodist Church in Odessa formed a board of trustees, bought an additional acre extending down the hill and created Asbury Cemetery Corporation several years later. This became a Black cemetery for the community centered around Zoar and is identified on State Highway maps as "Colored Cemetery." The ownership of the parcel is not clear since the Asbury Cemetery Corporation has disappeared from state corporate records and IRS nonprofit listings.

The cemetery has been virtually unused since 2000. The Friends of Zoar, a nonprofit restoring the ex-church as a culture and history center, has an active interest in the cemetery's future. Zoar ME was donated to the nonprofit Friends of Zoar, Inc., in 2022 when the Conference declared it surplus. Renovation work as a history-cultural-community center has begun.

BCN Contact Information:

Friends of Zoar

friendsofzoar@gmail.com

LANDON ROAD CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1904

ADDITONAL NAMES: Landon Colored Cemetery

AFFILIATION(S): N/A

HISTORY:

Landon Road Cemetery is located on the Bernard Bayou in the Side Camp Community. Records indicate the burial ground was established in the late 1800s with the last confirmed burial being 1967. The cemetery is the final resting place of many African Americans who lived in the unincorporated northwest area of Harrison County.

Many of those interred at Landon Road Cemetery laid the foundation of what the Mississippi Gulf Coast is today. They worked in the lumber, shipping, and railroad industries. The cemetery itself is situated on property which was once owned by the Gulf & Ship Island Railroad and used as a turpentine still where multiple employees labored through extremely harsh working conditions and often died while doing so. Many of these workers and their families purchased plots and were buried at Landon Road Cemetery.

Today, the cemetery is hidden from public view. It lies deep within a wooded area on private property. The landowner is not willing to allow family members to visit or to clear a path to the cemetery for restoration purposes. As a result, the cemetery is in danger of being lost forever. Research shows there are approximately 100 known graves in the cemetery with at least 5 veteran headstones present.

BCN Contact Information:

Mariam May-Clayton

savingmscemeteries@gmail.com

ROSEWOOD CEMETERY

FOUNDED: dates to late 1800s or early 1900s

ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A

AFFILIATION(S): N/A

HISTORY:

———

BCN Contact Information:

Edward Gonzalez-Tennant

edward.gonzaleztennant@utrgv.edu

WORTHINGTON CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1855

ADDITONAL NAMES: Archibald Worthington

AFFILIATION(S): N/A

HISTORY:

Archibald Worthington (1818-1895) was a farmer that owned land in Highland Township, Defiance County Ohio. He migrated to Ohio upon gaining his freedom from slavery in Virginia. He and his wife raised their children on his land in Section 7 of Highland Township. He designated part of his land to be a cemetery that "was built by him, on his land, for 'his' people, no one but colored persons were ever buried there" according to the 1936 WPA Cemetery record for Worthington Cemetery. The cemetery was used until about 1890 when he moved from the area. He moved with his third wife to Wilmington, Ohio where he ran a business until his death in 1895. He is buried in Sugar Grove Cemetery in Wilmington. The land was given to his living children James and Matilda. His oldest son Henry Worthington joined the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment and saw battle, eventually taken as a Prisoner of War. Before he could be freed, he developed typhoid fever and passed away on January 8, 1865. He is buried in Salisbury National Cemetery in Salisbury, North Carolina. James and Matilda sold the land when they moved out of the area. The cemetery was considered abandoned and the land was bought and sold many times. The stones were moved in the early 1900's to make farming the land easier. It is currently owned by Ayersville Water and Sewer Co. who lease it for farming.

BCN Contact Information:

Defiance Public Library

smarshall@defiancepubliclibrary.org

https://www.defiancelibrary.org/

NORTH GREENWOOD CEMETERY

FOUNDED: Early 1900's and 1940's

ADDITONAL NAMES: None

AFFILIATION(S):

• Clearwater African American Cemeteries Memorial Committee

HISTORY:

North Greenwood Cemetery is located in Clearwater, FL. The City of Clearwater Commission approved annexation allowing Palmetto Elementary School (opened in 1964) to be built over the North Greenwood Cemetery; this annexation comes after the partial relocation of bodies from St. Matthews Baptist Church Cemetery (located under what is now the CRUM parking lot in Clearwater, FL) to the North Greenwood Cemetery site. Current Ground Truthing performed by Cardno reveals not all bodies were moved.

BCN Contact Information:

Barbara Sorey Love

stpetebulletin@gmail.com

ST. MATTHEWS BAPTIST CHURCH CEMETERY

FOUNDED: Early 1900s - 1940s

ADDITONAL NAMES: None

AFFILIATION(S):

• Clearwater African American Cemeteries Memorial Committee

HISTORY:

St. Matthew Baptist Church Cemetery (located under the CRUM parking lot in Clearwater, Florida) was created in Clearwater Heights. The community is no longer viable, however the City of Clearwater Commission approved an annexation allowing construction over the cemetery to make way for Montgomery Wards department store in the early 1960's. All bodies were supposed to have been relocated to the cemetery in North Greenwood; however, as current Cardno ground truthing has proven, many bodies are still buried on the site. The City of Clearwater Commission also approved annexation allowing Palmetto Elementary School (also in Clearwater, FL) to be built over the North Greenwood Cemetery. Palmetto Elementary opened its doors in 1964. Current Ground Truthing performed by Cardno reveals not all bodies were moved.

BCN Contact Information:

Barbara Sorey Love

stpetebulletin@gmail.com

LINCOLN CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1926

ADDITONAL NAMES: None

AFFILIATION(S):

• Lincoln Cemetery Society

HISTORY:

Lincoln Cemetery served as the main burial ground for St. Petersburg's black population from the year it opened in 1926 and throughout the segregation era. Veterans as far back as the U.S. Civil War are buried here, as well as notable civic historical figures. From years of neglect, the cemetery fell into deplorable condition. The Lincoln Cemetery Society Inc. has been established to change that. We hope you feel as compelled as we do to explore and preserve the cemetery's rich history!

BCN Contact Information:

http://www.lincolncemeterysociety.org/

PERSONS OF COLOR CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1816

ADDITONAL NAMES: None

AFFILIATION(S): None

HISTORY:

Established ca. 1816 exclusively for the use of the area’s black population, the Persons of Color Cemetery at Kinderhook is a historically significant resource that illuminates an important and underrepresented aspect of this early Dutch-settled village’s history. The land on which this burial ground was established was willed for this purpose by John Rogers, a native of Ireland who came to Kinderhook ca. 1795. Rogers recognized the need for a place of repose for Kinderhook’s African-Americans and willed the property, one rood of land, to serve as “a cemetery for the people of colour in said Town ok Kinderhook to be used for that purpose and none other.” The Persons of Color Cemetery was in use for burials until ca. 1861, when it was closed due to lack of space for further interments. A 1914 account indicated that it was used until “every available inch was taken up.” Archeological studies estimate that there may be more than 500 sets of remains on the property. The Persons of Color Cemetery is located adjacent to the village park, Rothermel Park, and contains 15 headstones, 11 of which have legible names and dates of birth and/or death. The cemetery is now listed with the National Register of Historic Sites, as well as the New York State Register of Historic Places, and was formally re-consecrated during a ceremony held on May 13, 2017. The restoration and preservation of the cemetery has been a community effort. The property has been fenced with donated sections of 19th-century wrought-iron fencing, interspersed with planters that are maintained by the Kinderhook Garden Club. The park where the cemetery is located is an active gathering place for the community; village ballfields are located here and the Empire State Trail has a trailhead in the park, ensuring that many walkers and bikers pass by the cemetery. Local residents, as well as many visitors, stop by to read the historic site sign as well as the interpretative sign financed by the Pomeroy Foundation. The Village is currently establishing walking tours and brochures featuring the Persons of Color Cemetery. This site is open every day of the year between dawn and dusk.

BCN Contact Information:

Dale Leiser, Mayor of the Village of Kinderhook

okvillagehall@villageofkinderhook.org

ROSE CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1904

LOCATION: Tarpon Springs, FL

AFFILIATION(S):

• The African American Cemetery Alliance of Tampa Bay

HISTORY:

The Rose Hill Cemetery serves as the largest intact segregated African American cemetery in Pinellas County, Florida. Established in the early twentieth-century, the cemetery reflects the trials and triumphs of the Tarpon Springs African American community from the Civil War through current day. Home to nineteenth-century black hook spongers, community leaders, military veterans, and civil rights activists, the cemetery provides teachers and students with a unique opportunity to explore Afro-Caribbean and African American hidden stories and experiences in Florida.

RESOURCE LINKS:

• www.rosehillcemeteryproject.com

• https://www.tampabay.com/life-culture/history/2020/11/09/this-teacher-is-adding-black-cemetery-histories-to-the-hillsborough-curriculum/

BCN Contact Information:

Shannon Peck-Bartle

speck@usf.edu

Rose Hill Cemetery Project

WHISPERING SOULS

AFRICAN AMERICAN CEMETERY

(WSAAC)

FOUNDED: 1896

LOCATION: Clearwater, FL

AFFILIATION(S):

• The African American Cemetery Alliance of Tampa Bay

HISTORY:

This 3/4 acre site is located in the middle of a residential subdivision. There are 20 visible markers - the oldest dated 1896 and 3 marking U.S. veterans - but estimates are that there are 130 burials at the site. A 2018 GPR survey has identified at least 90 possible burials and more anomalies. The firm history of the site is that it is on land near Safety Harbor that in the 1800s belonged to the pioneer McMullen family. Subsequent ownership includes the Coachman family in the early 1900s and, eventually, the Ehle family in the 1940s. The Ehles partitioned their acquisition into lots for residential development, but reserved Lot 15 - site of the current cemetery - which they deeded to a Safety Harbor African American fraternal organization in 1951, and the cemetery has been left undeveloped since. We do not know - and may never know - if the original cemetery extends beyond the deed lines of Lot 15, i.e., whether surrounding residences sit atop graves. The site has gone by the names "Safety Harbor Colored Cemetery" and "Helping Hands Cemetery" (for the fraternal organization deeded the site). Over the years, a group of Safety Harbor residents managed informal care for the site and in 2017, a new group of volunteers organized for more comprehensive care of the site. It was this 2017 group that gave the site its current name, "Whispering Souls African American Cemetery," and formed a NPO to formalize care for the site and assure its preservation from development for the African American community.

RESOURCE LINKS:

• New group determined to save Safety Harbor’s African American Cemetery - Safety Harbor Connect, 5/19/17

• Safety Harbor's African-American cemetery getting a facelift - Tampa Bay Times, 6/15/17

• Safety Harbor African American Cemetery Restoration effort quickly making progress - Safety Harbor Connect, 6/29/17

BCN Contact Information:

Jacqueline Hayes, WSAAC Board President

h.jacqueline40@yahoo.com

www.facebook.com/AfricanAmericanCemeteryRestoration

MOFFETT CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1888

ADDITONAL NAMES: St. Petersburg Cemetery

AFFILIATION(S):

• The African American Cemetery Alliance of Tampa Bay

• University of South Florida

HISTORY:

Moffett Cemetery was founded in 1888 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Originally designated for Civil War veterans, Moffett Cemetery was later used for African American burials. Moffett cemetery, as well as neighboring Evergreen and Oaklawn cemeteries, operated until 1926 when all three properties were closed and condemned by order of city officials. Per city ordinance, persons buried at Oaklawn, Evergreen and Moffett cemeteries were to be relocated based on race, with African Americans moved to Lincoln Cemetery and whites moved to Royal Palm Cemetery. The site now sits beneath the interstate which leads in and out of downtown St. Petersburg.

BCN Contact Information:

Antoinette Jackson

atjackson@usf.edu

https://heritagelab.org/

OAKLAWN CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1905

LOCATION: St. Petersburg, FL

AFFILIATION(S):

• The African American Alliance of Tampa Bay

• University of South Florida

HISTORY:

The former site of Oaklawn Cemetery in St. Petersburg, Florida is located on land which now serves as VIP Lot 1 parking lot at Tropicana Field. The site was segregated by section after neighboring Evergreen Cemetery (designated for African American burials) required space to expand. The cemetery operated until 1926 when it was decided by city officials to close and condemn the Oaklawn site, as well as nearby Moffett and Evergreen cemeteries. Per city ordinance, persons buried at Oaklawn were to be relocated based on race, with African Americans moved to Lincoln Cemetery and whites moved to Royal Palm Cemetery.

BCN Contact Information:

Antoinette Jackson

atjackson@usf.edu

https://heritagelab.org/

EVERGREEN CEMETERY

Click here for full site brief

FOUNDED: 1905

LOCATION: St. Petersburg, FL

AFFILIATION(S):

• The African American Cemetery Alliance of Tampa Bay

• University of South Florida

HISTORY:

The former site of Evergreen Cemetery was established in 1905 in St. Petersburg, Florida. As a segregated cemetery, the site was designated specifically for African American burials until such time that expansion into neighboring Oaklawn cemetery (segregated by section) was required. Both Evergreen and Oaklawn sites, as well as Moffett cemetery, operated until 1926 when all three properties were closed and condemned by order of city officials. Per city ordinance, persons buried at Evergreen, Oaklawn, and Moffett cemeteries were to be relocated based on race, with African Americans moved to Lincoln Cemetery and whites moved to Royal Palm Cemetery. The site now sits underneath interstate 175, one of the cities main thoroughfares.

BCN Contact Information:

Antoinette Jackson

atjackson@usf.edu

http://heritagelab.org