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:
Fishing Creek Place Cemetery
FISHING CREEK PLACE CEMETERY
FOUNDED: Unknown
ADDITONAL NAMES: N/A
AFFILIATION(S): N/A
HISTORY:
Fishing Creek Place Cemetery was discovered in 2021 after lying undisturbed on private land in York County, South Carolina. Ground penetrating radar has established that there are 144 confirmed graves in this cemetery and numerous likely graves that were not 100% confirmed due to the ground shifting over time. Historical research has allowed us to determine that this cemetery was the enslaved cemetery of the Lowry Plantation which had enslaved individuals from the 1820s until emancipation at which time over 150 enslaved were freed. Local decedents of these individuals have also been found and work in this regard is ongoing. The family that currently owns this property has cleared the cemetery of underbrush, placed markers on each identified graves to prevent future loss, and is in the process of building a fence and gates to delineate this site from the surrounding area.
BCN Contact Information:
Andrew Lazenby
joemess2@gmail.com
Lebanon Cemetery (York, PA)
LEBANON CEMETERY
FOUNDED: 1872
ADDITONAL NAMES: None
AFFILIATION(S):
Pennsylvania Hallowed Grounds
HISTORY:
Founded in 1872, Historic Lebanon Cemetery in York, PA was established when the African American citizens in the area came together to purchase almost 2 acres of land to bury their families with dignity and respect. Segregated burial practices existed at the time (and continued through the 1960s), leaving the only other option for burial the “Potter’s Field”, which was overcrowded and preyed upon by grave robbers. The original 2 acres eventually grew to 5 acres over years. The cemetery reflects the diverse historical development of York; former enslaved have been laid to rest among freedmen and women and the Civil War soldiers who fought for their freedom, and men and women transcend the social barriers of life to coexist in death.
Lebanon Cemetery may be York County’s largest and oldest Black-owned cemetery.
BCN Contact Information:
Samantha L. Dorm
sdorm@friendsoflebanoncemetery.com