Maps and Data Collection

I must have watched over twenty instructional videos throughout the course of this past week, but I did it! I learned the basics of Photoshop and was able to create maps to attach to the finalized reports for the Florida Master Site File. Basically, these maps provide a topographical image of the cemetery being recorded so that the whereabouts of its location are unmistakable. Here is an example of the map I made for the Melbourne Cemetery:

Aside from creating various maps, I also recorded the final cemetery on my list: Grant Community Cemetery. This cemetery is located in the city of Grant and was established in 1915. It is home to the graves of many of Grant's early white pioneers and is well maintained overall. 

Looking east toward the entrance to Grant Community Cemetery

Looking northeast

An example of grave articles at the cemetery

Beautiful marble obelisk. Note the biological growth on it that
plagues many cemeteries. 

Magnolia tree grave marker

Beautiful marble headstone

Large wooden cross

Bronze marker

Marble marker with deer figurine

Angel statue with various grave articles

Granite marker. I found the seashells and brain coral quite interesting 

Home made concrete marker

Even well kept cemeteries face threats. Note the sinking earth below this grave 

This week, I also began collecting data for my internship project. I started with the Grant Community Cemetery and went grave by grave, taking note of information such as the name on the marker, the type of marker (upright, flat or other), the marker material, and any maintenance issues affecting it. Overall, the cemetery was in good condition, with minor discrepancies such as biological growth, slight weathering to some markers, and a couple of graves threatened by sinking earth. 

Tomorrow, I will be working with a few volunteers to gather data from a cemetery in Melbourne. We will also be gathering data on Tuesday, July 2nd in Merritt Island and July 8-12 in both Merritt Island and Melbourne. If you are interested in helping out, I am always looking for more volunteers. Please contact me at lareyne.ellebracht@knights.ucf.edu for more information.

Until next week,

Lareyne 

Volunteers Wanted

If any of my readers are interested, I am currently looking for volunteers to help with data entry for this project. I will be gathering some on-site data in Melbourne and Merritt Island on July 1-2 and 8-12 for a few hours each day. If you would like to be a part of my project, please e-mail me at lareyne.ellebracht@knights.ucf.edu. Also, please be sure to look out for my next blog posting on Sunday. Thanks! :)

Back to the Drawing Board

The biggest challenge about the Brevard County Historic Cemetery Recording Project is coming across a site that is inaccessible. It happened to me first with Davis Memorial Cemetery, and then again with the two Malabar Cemeteries. This means that the sites have sadly been lost to time. The central purpose of this project is to record these historic cemeteries to the Florida Master Site File, which in turn will help preserve them and avoid these very scenarios. I cannot help but feel a sense of defeat when I cannot access a site due to dense foliage and unsafe or inaccessible roads. However, the show must go on, as there are plenty of sites that have yet to be recorded.

This past week, I had to go back to the drawing board and find some new cemeteries to replace the inaccessible sites from my original list. After some research, I confirmed that all of these sites are easily accessible and they each have under 1,000 graves, which is perfect for my comparative study. The updated list of sites that I will be using for my project is as follows:

Historic African American Cemeteries
J.S. Stone Memorial Cemetery (Melbourne)
White Lily Cemetery (Merritt Island)
J.N. Tucker Memorial Cemetery (Melbourne)
Line Street Cemetery (Melbourne)

Historic Caucasian Cemeteries
Georgiana Cemetery (Merritt Island)
Grant Community Cemtery (Grant)
St. Luke's Episcopal Church Cemetery (Merritt Island)
Indianola Cemetery (Merritt Island)

I spent the week doing some research on these sites, such as addresses, owners, and their history. I am quite curious about the Indianola Cemetery, as there is a rich history to the area and there are quite a few prominent pioneer families interred there. Here is a wonderful article from Senior Scene Magazine that discusses the cemetery and beautifully tells the story of some of those who are buried there.

This past Thursday, I wrapped up my reports for Melbourne Cemetery, J.S. Stone Memorial Cemetery and Oaklawn Memorial Gardens. The only thing left to do is to attach a map of the property to the report using Photoshop. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I have yet to master this popular photo editing software, but I have been watching online tutorials this past weekend in an attempt to better familiarize myself with it. Hopefully, I can get these maps done by Wednesday so that I can then move on to the fun part: data collection!

Sometime in the next two weeks, I will begin the data collecting portion of my project. This means I will be going to the above sites, and recording information pertaining to each individual grave such as the name on the headstone, the type of marker used, the type of material used, and any threats or maintenance issues affecting it. I will need a few volunteers to assist me with this process so that it can be done in a timely fashion. If anyone is interested in helping out, please contact me at lareyne.ellebracht@knights.ucf.edu. This will be a great way to see firsthand the various factors that make historic cemetery preservation necessary. So if you are interested, please let me know. Also, if you know of someone else who may be interested in volunteering, please forward them my e-mail or re-post a link to my blog for others to see. The more, the merrier!

Until next week,
Lareyne

Out on the Field

     This week, the weather was finally cooperative and I was able to record a few cemeteries. As I previously mentioned, I had been eager to get out and experience this aspect of the recording process, and it most certainly was quite an interesting experience.

     On Tuesday, my crew and I headed out to Oaklawn Memorial Gardens, a Caucasian cemetery in Titusville. 

Looking toward the east.

When we arrived, we were shocked at the sheer size of the place. The website findagrave.com states that it has 3,844 graves! I was pretty disappointed because the cemetery is a little too large to be included in my project, but I was happy to record it nonetheless. In order to complete the Historical Cemetery Form, we had to do some searching. First, we had to locate the oldest grave, and then find any significant markers and threats. We split up and began our hunt. The oldest burial ended up being from 1889. It is the grave of Adger McCrory, one of two original owners of the land. In regards to threats, we didn't find much more than some weathered headstones, a handful of broken headstones and a couple of sinking graves. Overall, the threats were pretty minor. As for distinctive markers, we came across a large statue of a golfer and a beautiful Woodmen of the World marker, among a few other unique ones. 

Golfer marker.

Woodmen of the World headstone.

     Another interesting fact about this cemetery is that there are a couple of significant people buried here. Paula C. White, Faith Hill’s mother, is buried here, as are some members of the Parrish family. The Parish family has a rich history in North Brevard and in the local citrus industry, and they continue to thrive in the area. In fact, the current mayor of Cocoa is Henry Parrish III. Overall, this cemetery was very beautiful and very well maintained.

     After we left Oaklawn, we drove just down the street to its African American counterpart, Davis Memorial Cemetery. Unfortunately, it was tucked behind some overgrown vegetation and completely inaccessible.

     On Saturday, I decided to venture out early in the morning and try to record some cemeteries before the afternoon showers appeared. My first stop was the Malabar Cemetery in Palm Bay. After conducting some extensive research last week, I found that Malabar Road has two cemeteries right across the railroad tracks from one another: one Caucasian and one African American. Sadly, I could not find either. The Caucasian cemetery was inaccessible. There were a couple of “No Trespassing” signs and a row of concrete poles blocking the path. Looking down toward where the cemetery is supposed to be, all I could see were tons of trees and shrubs. The path to the Malabar African American cemetery was a little better, as I was able to get my car in there, but it too led to an abundance of overgrown vegetation. Unfortunately, I was previously unable to find any contact info for the owners of these cemeteries so I am unsure if I will be able to include them in my project, or even record them at all. Although I wish this wasn't the case, Davis Memorial Cemetery and the two Malabar cemeteries are examples of what can happen to historic cemeteries if they are abandoned; they fall through the cracks and disappear.

     I then ventured on to my next stop:  J.S. Stone Memorial Cemetery in Melbourne. This cemetery is home to the graves of the area’s first African American pioneers and founders; many of them former slaves or descendants of slaves, who settled here after the Civil War. I was absolutely heartbroken to see the condition of this site. Many graves were unmarked and damaged. The grass was overgrown and there were weeds almost as tall as I am. Various graves were sinking and others were completely engulfed in overgrown vegetation. There was trash everywhere. Countless chunks of different headstones, curbing and concrete pieces were strewn about, all mixed together. Most grave articles were toppled over and broken and most of the vaults on the site, even one from as recent as 2002, were damaged. 

Unmarked vaults missing their plaques.

One of the many damaged vaults.

Graves that are tilted, cracked and sinking.

Tons of debris and trash covering graves (yes, there are graves under there!)

Weathered vaults covered with overgrown vegetation.

Scattered pieces of rubble and trash. The rubble seems to be composed
of chunks of concrete headstones, curbing and flower pots.

Scattered broken headstones. The one on the bottom
seems to have been incorrectly "repaired" in the past,
as evidenced by the clumping around the cracks.

Broken headstones propped up against a tree.

It truly seems as though this cemetery has been abandoned but surprisingly, it does indeed have an owner. I’m hoping to meet with her sometime next week to discuss the cemetery’s history in detail, as well as the maintenance issues and threats affecting the site.

     My final stop was the Melbourne Cemetery, also known as Melbourne’s Oak Grove Cemetery.
  

View of the main entrance.

View looking north.

This is a Caucasian cemetery and it is beautifully maintained. The first White settler of Melbourne, Thomas Mason, is buried here, as is the founder of Melbourne, Cornthwaite John Hector. U.S. Congressman Charles Brand, and Major League Baseball player Andrew Seminick are also buried here. I found very few threats in this cemetery, the most significant being weathering among the older headstones, and only a couple of sunken or damaged headstones.

     So now I that I have filled out Historical Cemetery Forms for these three cemeteries, I can add the details to the reports I have already begun for each one. All that is left is to add some maps of the property to it and voila! I can then submit these cemeteries to the Florida Master Site File for recording and hopefully help preserve these historically significant sites. 

Until next week,

Lareyne

Rain, Rain, Go Away

     This week, I was supposed to begin recording some of the cemeteries on my list. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate, with Tropical Storm Andrea blanketing the state and unleashing an abundance of rain over us. Needless to say, it was back to the research lab for me! Although I was eager to get out in the field and start recording, I was able to catch up on some much needed research instead.

     I began my week by calling a few of the contacts from my list to let them know that I would be visiting their property. I was able to get ahold of two of my contacts and both were extremely cooperative. The Oak Grove Cemetery in Melbourne is owned by the city of Melbourne, which I thought would make it difficult to get ahold of the right person. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the city actually has a cemetery division. They were very cooperative and approved of my visit to the site. I also spoke to the owner of the J.S. Stone Memorial Cemetery who even offered to provide copies of documents and genealogical information related to the cemetery, which was an extremely thoughtful gesture. This information will make a great addition to the data I have already gathered, especially since there is very little information available online for the African American cemeteries that I am analyzing.

     The end of my week consisted of more historical cemetery research as well as compiling reports. For each cemetery recorded to the Florida Master Site File, there must be an accompanying report that provides a detailed description of the site. Included in said report is a brief history of the cemetery along with an analysis of its condition, pictures of the site, a map of the location of the cemetery, and any other significant information. Here is a great link that further explains the role of the FMSF in preserving cemeteries: http://www.flheritage.com/archaeology/cemeteries/index.cfm?page=site_file. On this site, there is also a link to the Florida Master Site File Cemetery Form as well as the Guide to the Historical Cemetery Form. This guide thoroughly explains how to complete the Cemetery Form, as well as what should be included in the attached report, and is an excellent resource.

Until next week,

Lareyne 

Narrowing it Down

     As I near the beginning of my historical cemetery analyses, I have been thinking of the different features I will be comparing between historical African American and historical Caucasian cemeteries. Besides analyzing cemeteries that fall within the same historical time frame, it is important that I examine the same features in both African American and Caucasian cemeteries. Consistency is, after all, the only way to reach an accurate conclusion. With that said, I decided to focus on four features in each cemetery: marker types, marker material, maintenance of the cemetery, and threats.

     There are a variety of marker types that are used in historical cemeteries. I am sure that the traditional upright tombstone is what comes to mind first when thinking of markers, but what about foot stones, which lay flat on the ground? Plaque markers? Vaulted graves? There are many different markers that can be used at a grave site.

Examples of different marker types

     As if that isn't enough of a variety, there is a large assortment of materials from which grave markers are made. There are traditional granite and marble markers and beautiful zinc markers. I have even seen markers made of concrete, slate and coquina, which is a type of rock that is made of shell fragments. These different materials vary in price, so it will be interesting to see how this ties in.

     The level of maintenance is going to be a significant feature, as it is the first thing one usually notices upon entering a cemetery. I will be focusing on the grounds maintenance, which includes things such as proper landscaping, presence of debris or pests, condition of grave offerings and markers, and any safety hazards. I have set my paradigms according to that of CHICORA, a great non-profit heritage preservation organization for the Southeastern United States. They provide many resources for those interested in preserving historical sites. The overall level of maintenance for each cemetery will be gauged as follows:

Excellent: site has no discrepancies and is clean, well maintained and the monuments are in good overall condition

Good: site has minor discrepancies; however, it is clean and well maintained

Fair: site requires repairs or maintenance

Abandoned: site requires extensive preservation efforts

This will be a great way to provide an overall assessment that will help determine the severity of a maintenance issue, if one is present at all.

These photos from CHICORA’s website indicate the hazards and damages caused by improper maintenance. In the top photo, we see a fire ant infestation next to a grave. The lower photos demonstrate how improperly planted trees can damage or impede headstones.

     Finally, I will also be looking at the different threats that the cemeteries may be facing. As I mentioned in a previous blog posting, there are many threats that affect cemeteries, from natural and biological issues to vandalism, abandonment and improper care. The paradigm for the threat level will be similar to that of site maintenance (see above). For more information on CHICORA and their wonderful conservation efforts, please visit http://www.chicora.org/cemetery-preservation.html.

Until next week,

Lareyne