The results are in!

After organizing my data and crunching numbers, the results are finally in! It turns out that the historic African-American cemeteries sampled in my project are in greater disrepair than the historic White cemeteries.

In regards to marker type, White cemeteries were split down the middle, using both upright and flat markers equally. These markers were mostly made of granite, marble and zinc. However, 65% of the total African American graves surveyed were false vaults. For those of you that are unfamiliar with this term, false vaults are a type of burial where the coffin is placed in a shaft below the primary hole in the ground and then a concrete, coffin-like structure is built over it. This practice dates back to the early 1600's and can be found throughout the African continent. Because of this, the African-American cemeteries had a much higher percentage of concrete grave markers. Concrete was a cheap alternative to costly marker materials and was much more readily available to African-Americans in the past due to differing socioeconomic levels between African-American and White communities in the post-bellum south. Unfortunately, concrete has a tendency to deteriorate at a much faster pace than other marker materials and that's why we see such a difference in the conditions of grave markers between historic White and African American cemeteries. 

Although marble markers were evident in all of the African-American cemeteries sampled, they were typically government issued headstones; belonging to veterans and provided at no cost to the family of the deceased. 

Zinc is extremely scarce in African American cemeteries. This study recorded only one instance of zinc usage in an African-American cemetery.  Zinc markers were produced between the mid-1870s and 1912 and were quite expensive due to their anti-corrosive properties as well as the cost associated with their shipment from Connecticut where they were produced. 

Another issue among the African-American cemeteries is the frequent use of temporary aluminum markers in the place of a sturdy, permanent marker. Aluminum markers are known to corrode quickly and can be easily moved. This would then result in an unmarked grave. 

All cemeteries in general are threatened by inevitable, naturally occurring problems such as biological growth, erosion, weathering, and overgrown tree roots. Threats can also be caused by improper maintenance and vandalism. African-American cemeteries showed much more significant threats in place compared to White cemeteries. All four of the White cemeteries saw minor threats, while 75% of the African-American cemeteries saw major threats.

In conclusion, grave markers act as artifacts and tell a clear story of the inequalities African -Americans faced even when it came to marking the grave of a loved one. Many simply could not afford durable materials like zinc and granite, and instead opted for homemade concrete markers which are less durable. My goal is to share this data with the community with hopes that it will encourage them to become more involved in protecting these cemeteries and preserving their history. Protection of a threatened cemetery is not just a human right that the deceased are entitled to, but it is also a way to preserve significant cultural resources. Without proper maintenance, these sites will fall into utter disrepair and irreplaceable knowledge of African-American history will be lost.

Wrapping it Up

This past week, we finished up the data collecting portion of the project. Before anything, I would like to take a moment and thank all of the volunteers for their help with this project. Without them, I probably would not have done half of what we accomplished by now. You guys are awesome! :)

Early in the week, we visited J.S. Stone Memorial Cemetery in Melbourne. This cemetery is home to the graves of Melbourne's earliest African American pioneers. Most of the graves are vaulted and many of them unmarked. A vast majority are in need of some form of maintenance. Many of the graves are extremely worn, damaged, and covered in biological growth. Lawn maintenance is a huge issue in this cemetery, with grass towering over headstones and weeds almost as tall as I am. After almost five hours of data recording over a period of two days, we were able to gather the data needed on all 878 graves.

It seems as though someone attempted to do something about the
overgrown grass but didn't quite finish the job. 

There were over fifty graves hiding in the overgrown grass and weeds.

Another hidden grave

Graves completely encompassed in weeds

Vaulted grave with a weathered granite headstone

A tiny grave being damaged by tree roots

Unique pebble decoration on one of the unmarked vaults

Two extremely weathered upright headstones. The one on the left is made
of marble while the one on the right is concrete.

This headstone is not only damaged and illegible, but it has
been moved from its original location and propped up
against a tree. We will never know who this headstone
belonged to or where its grave is located.  

Beautiful family plot. These are some of the very few graves that are well
maintained in this cemetery.

Another beautifully maintained grave adorned by grave
articles.

Homemade concrete headstone

Just down the street from J.S. Stone Memorial Cemetery is another historic African American cemetery: Line Street Cemetery. This part of Melbourne used to be known as Crane Creek Heights. Line Street cemetery was established in 1901 and was the second African American cemetery in Melbourne, the first being the cemetery located at the old Macedonia Baptist Church building nearby. Sadly, there is nothing left of that cemetery. Line Street Cemetery is home to thirteen graves, most of which have upright markers that are made of marble. The cemetery is in decent shape, probably because it is surrounded by a 6ft chain link fence that is locked at all times. Thankfully, the City of Melbourne, its current owner, was nice enough to grant me access to the cemetery.

Sign at the cemetery's entrance

View from the street, looking north

View of the cemetery, facing south.

This marble marker was initially upright, but was somehow knocked over
and broken. It is now laying flat and embedded concrete.

Upright marble marker from 1913.

Our last stop was Georgiana Cemetery in Merritt Island. This cemetery is absolutely beautiful and has quite an interesting history. Established in 1878, it is home to many of the area's earliest Caucasian pioneers.

Looking into the cemetery from the entrance

 The oldest grave is that of a man named Edwin Fish, who died in 1878.

Upright marble headstone of Edwin Fish

The most intriguing grave, that is, historically, is that of a young woman named Ethel Allen. Most locals are familiar with the story of her gruesome murder, which took place in the fall of 1934. Her killer was never found and her body was laid to rest in Georgiana Cemetery. For those of you that are curious, here is a great blog entry written by genealogist Michael Boonstra of the Central Brevard Library and Reference Center. It provides a detailed description on the story of Ethel Allen and her mysterious death.

Ethel Allen's grave (flat, homemade concrete marker)

Another sad story is that of the Smith sisters. The three girls, ages six, eight and nine, drowned in the Banana River on June 14, 1916. Here is another great blog entry by genealogist Michael Boonstra which tells the story of the Smith sisters. Sadly, the beautiful marble headstone that they share was damaged and is now broken in half.

Grave of Myrtle, Mary and Martha Smith

Here is another interesting grave marker. It belongs to a woman named Ruth Jane De La Matyr Chester, who died in 1901. Originally from New York, Mrs. Chester moved to Brevard County after losing her husband George in 1936.

Mrs. Chester's unique grave marker, a large boulder

Upright marble marker from 1940

Beautiful zinc marker

No, not THAT Edward Cullen. (upright granite marker)

A great shot of some of the newer markers.

Handmade concrete markers 

This marker is made of slate. It is the only one of its kind that I have seen
in the ten cemeteries I visited.

A tree grew right through this grave. Truly an unbelievable sight!

So that about wraps up the data collecting portion of my project. I had a lot of fun visiting the different cemeteries and viewing firsthand all of the differences between the sites. Next on my to do list: organizing all of my data! This upcoming week, I will be analyzing my data more in depth and breaking down statistics regarding grave markers and the level of maintenance for each cemetery. I hope everyone is as anxious to see the results as I am!

Until next week,

Lareyne

  

Braving the Heat

To say that I had a busy week is most certainly an understatement! My wonderful group of extremely helpful volunteers braved the heat, rain and mosquitoes to help me visit four cemeteries in order to continue with the data collection for my project. 

On Monday, we gathered data at J.N. Tucker Memorial Cemetery in Melbourne, which is also known as Shady Oaks Cemetery. It was founded in 1912 by early African American settlers who came to Brevard County. There are 260 interments at J.N. Tucker Memorial Cemetery, but that does not include the various depressions scattered throughout the cemetery that are clear evidence of unmarked graves. The majority of the graves at J.N. Tucker Memorial Cemetery are vaulted and made of concrete.

Looking east at the entrance to the cemetery

Memorial plaque near the entrance archway

Flat granite marker, extremely weathered and illegible

                              

A tree growing into an upright marble marker

One of the nicer graves with damaged grave articles

Damaged vaulted grave

Severely damaged marble vaults

Illegible toppled marker

Another example of damaged grave articles

Severely damaged concrete vault

Sinking, tilted graves

This is a concrete vault that has almost been completely swallowed
by the ground

Grave of the original founder of the cemetery, Joseph Newman Tucker

The graves of members of the Tucker family.

Two of the nicer headstones in the cemetery: two upright granite markers

Family plot with a variety of markers 

One of many piles of trash

Scattered grave articles among beer bottles

 Our next stop was White Lily Cemetery in Merritt Island, also known as the Bethel-Greater Mount Olive A.M.E. Church Community Cemetery. It is located on the grounds of one of the first African American churches in Brevard county, the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Several of Merritt Island's first African American pioneers are buried here. This cemetery has 111 interments and is comprised primarily of vaulted graves made of concrete.

The entrance to White Lily Cemetery

Cracked and weathered granite marker

Weathered concrete marker

Sunken marker and broken concrete wall

Damaged concrete vault

Temporary aluminum grave markers are common here. Sadly, many of
these temporary markers have become permanent, as most of them
date from as far back as the early nineties.

A severely damaged vaulted grave

What is left of a severely weathered headstone

Many of the graves in this cemetery are threatened by
flooding. This is a photo of a vault that is cracked in
various places and is being swallowed by the ground

Vaulted grave with an upright granite headstone. Only a
handful of graves at White Lily are in such good
conditions.

On Wednesday, I visited St. Luke's Episcopal Church and Cemetery in Merritt Island. This cemetery is home to many of the Caucasian founding families of the area. St. Luke's is also home to a carpenter Gothic style Episcopal Church which was built in 1888, the year the cemetery was established. This cemetery is beautifully maintained. There are 289 interments on the property, and the most popular headstones of choice are granite and marble.

Sign at the entrance to the cemetery

View looking into St. Luke's Cemetery

Unique home-made coquina marker. For those of you that have
never heard of it, coquina is a type of rock made entirely of
compacted shell fragments. 

Here is a close-up of a marker made of coquina. You can see that this
material doesn't hold up too well, but it is very unique in that that
the shell fragments create a decorative pattern.

Statue on one of the graves

The beautiful historic church on the grounds

Porcher family mausoleum

Beautiful marble marker form 1918

Marble marker from 1901

Another beautiful marble marker, this one from 1902

Last on the list for the week was Indianola Pioneer Cemetery, also known as Williams Cemetery. Indianola Cemetery is home to 259 graves. While researching the cemetery, I found this really interesting article that gives some more background info on the families and people buried there, such as the Kisers who owned the first Greyhound bus station in the area, and the various Italian families who helped the local citrus industry thrive in the 1920s. This was probably my favorite of all the cemeteries I have visited. The abundance of live oaks, weeping willows and fragrant cedar trees were absolutely breathtaking, and there were also many interesting grave articles and unique grave markers.

Looking west into the cemetery

Another view looking toward the west

A beautiful family plot with a variety of different markers.

Slightly weathered granite marker with a bronze plaque

I almost missed this one! Loved ones sometimes do not realize that
the very seedlings they plant near a grave can one day become
invasive and engulf or sometimes damage the marker.

Another example of plants taking over grave sites. This looks very pretty,
but these markers are at risk of being damaged by this overgrowth.

Yet another example of vegetation posing a threat to a marker. Here we
see a tree that was planted near a headstone. It is beginning to wrap
itself around the marker and will eventually end up destroying it.

One of a kind concrete marker decorated with sea shells

Here is an example of biological growth on an upright granite marker

Really neat sundial near a group of graves

Bird bath and a variety of figurines decorating a grave

One of the many beautiful marble headstones

That's about it for this week. Next week, I will be gathering data at J.S. Stone Memorial Cemetery and Georgiana Cemetery. I can't wait to see which other distinctive markers and features I run into.

Until next week,

Lareyne