HIGHWAY PARK CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1947

ADDITONAL NAMES: HPCA

AFFILIATION(S): None

HISTORY:

The Highway Park Cemetery is located in the south end of the unincorporated, predominantly African American community of Highway Park, in Highlands County Florida, about one mile south of the Town of Lake Placid, Florida on U. S. Highway 27. The Highway Park Cemetery Association (HPCA), comprised of a volunteer Board of Directors, manages the affairs of the cemetery.

Documented history of the cemetery's origin is not available, but research is ongoing to uncover this information. The oldest headstone dates back to 1947. However, it is believed that the cemetery was actually established in the 1930's. The Highway Park Cemetery was recently awarded a designation on the National Registry of Historic Places.

BCN Contact Information:

Selvin McGahee

execbro@gmail.com

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

MOUNT CARMEL CEMETERY

FOUNDED: mid-1800's

ADDITONAL NAMES: Mount Carmel A.M.E. Church

AFFILIATION(S):

• No national or local groups, but Pasco County is responsible for several historic cemeteries.

HISTORY:

Mount Carmel African Methodist Episcopal Church and cemetery served the historically black community that worked at the Ehren Pine Company sawmill. The congregation folded sometime after the Great Depression and members joined other local churches.

There are many unmarked graves here and the date of the first burial is unknown. Although it is believed that the cemetery dates back to the mid-1800s, the first marked grave is 1903 and the latest is 1954.

In 2006, the Pasco County Black Caucus, in cooperation with the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners and other concerned individuals, initiated efforts to provide recognition and perpetual care of this site.

BCN Contact Information:

Andrew Baxter

abaxter@pascocountyfl.net

pascocountyfl.net

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/

BETHLEHEM METHODIST EPISCOPAL CEMETERY (AL06910)

FOUNDED: 1873

ADDITONAL NAMES: None

AFFILIATION(S):

• FPAN CRPT Alliance

HISTORY:

Bethlehem Methodist Episcopal Church and Cemetery were established in 1873, when Rev. Major Reddick donated one acre of land to Romeo Reddick, Rinaldo Reddick, Major Reddick, Henry Peterson, Adam Moulton, Richard Doby and Arthur Haynes, trustees. The land was part of a parcel awarded to Reddick through the 1862 Homestead Act. Archer, originally called Deer Hammock, became an economic hub for local plantations, especially after the cross-Florida railroad was built in the 1850s. Sen. David Levy Yulee’s Cottonwood was the most well known of these plantations. At least 25 African Americans who had once been enslaved were interred in the cemetery. Elbert McKinney Sr., born in 1829 in South Carolina, was buried here. McKinney, an enslaved blacksmith at Cottonwood, daily blew a ram’s horn to call the enslaved laborers to work. Ellen Lawrence, born ~1796 and died at the age of 88 in 1884, has the earliest marked grave in the cemetery. James Dansey homesteaded 39.98 acres to the east of Reddick’s donation, but sold the parcel to Rev. Frank Dansey in 1881. Dansey, founder of St. Joseph’s Missionary Baptist Church, began to use 1.28 acres nearest the Reddick donation for burials. Rev. Dansey was buried here in 1911.

BCN Contact Information:

Florida Public Archaeology Network, Central Region

snrudolph@usf.edu

https://bmecro.wordpress.com/

WESTVIEW COMMUNITY CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1940

ADDITONAL NAMES: Pompano Beach Historical Society

AFFILIATION(S): None

HISTORY:

Westview Community Cemetery is located on the south side of West Copans Road, north of NW 22nd Court. The cemetery is situated in an industrial area with the western most boundary adjacent to Pilot Steel, a steel fabrication company, on the eastern boundary there are self-storage warehouses and other construction related businesses. According to Frank Cavaioli, the Christian Pallbearer Society formed Westview Cemetery during the Great Depression. Local resident Paul Hunter donated the land because the social norms in the City of Pompano Beach prevented the African American community from burial in the established city cemeteries. This was a result of defacto and dejure Jim Crow racial segregation that existed in Florida, and Broward County into the early 1970’s. It was the only cemetery African Americans could be laid to rest in Pompano Beach and among the few in Broward County until the 1960’s. As such, many important African American and Bahamian pioneering families and leaders in the early settlement of Pompano Beach are buried in Westview Community Cemetery. Some of the pioneers that settled this are include members of the Ali, Armbrister, Cason, Cooper, Grooms, McBride, Rhone, Rolle and Wooten families.

BCN Contact Information:

Roberto Fernandez, III

robferna@fiu.edu

NORTH WOODLAWN CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1920

ADDITONAL NAMES: None

AFFILIATION(S): None

HISTORY:

Woodlawn Cemetery was established during the 1920s when government officials restricted the African-American community to the northwest quadrant of Fort Lauderdale. It was the result of institutionalized racial segregation in Broward County from 1927 to 1964, and was the only cemetery African-Americans could be buried in until 1962. As such, many important African-American leaders in the early settlement of Fort Lauderdale are buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. It is the only historic African-American cemetery in Fort Lauderdale, and is considered a rare remaining historic resource associated with the African-American community’s early history.

BCN Contact Information:

Roberto Fernandez, III

robferna@fiu.edu

RIDGEWOOD CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1942

LOCATION: Tampa, FL

AFFILIATION(S):

• The African American Cemetery Alliance of Tampa Bay

HISTORY:

Ridgewood Cemetery was established in 1942 and later purchased by the City of Tampa in 1959. The site is located on the grounds of King High School in Tampa, FL. A 2019 GPR assessment of the area revealed 145 unmarked graves on the property, though further evidence suggests there may be as many as 250.

BCN Contact Information:

Shannon Peck-Bartle

speck@usf.edu

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

ZION CEMETERY

FOUNDED: 1901

LOCATION: Tampa, FL

AFFILIATION(S):

• The African American Cemetery Alliance of Tampa Bay

• University of South Florida

HISTORY:

Zion cemetery is the oldest African American cemetery in Tampa. The site currently sits underneath Robles Park Housing Complex which is undergoing archaeological excavation.

BCN Contact Information:

Antoinette Jackson

atjackson@usf.edu

https://heritagelab.org/

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