For years, the gravemarker of St. Augustine Record columnist Artemesia Holloway Jones was crumbling, and in recent years, we could barely make out her name.
The African American writer is buried at the Pinehurst and San Sebastian Cemeteries, two of the oldest African American Cemeteries in Florida.
I first learned about Artemesia Holloway Jones when writing a piece about a cemetery cleanup, but her grave inspired me to join the efforts at the cemeteries.
As a writer, Artemesia's crumbling gravemarker made a special impression when I helped clean up at the cemeteries. She used her gift for writing to connect her community, yet here she was buried and forgotten in the cemeteries, and once the marker was gone, no one would be able to find her grave.
These black cemeteries were abandoned until the West Augustine Improvement Association, a small volunteer-run community organization founded by Nellie Meade in 1956 (Artemesia's sister), took over ownership a few years ago.
Inspired to honor those buried at the cemeteries, the WAIA volunteers set up a fundraising campaign - Help Save Lost Graves at St Augustine Cemeteries.
A year later, the first 8 granite gravestones have replaced crumbling and lost gravemarkers, and Artemesia Holloway Jones now has her name written in granite.
It is only the beginning.
If you want to learn more about the cemeteries or help support the efforts to maintain the cemeteries and save some of the lost graves, visit www.westaugustineimprovementassociation.org or their GoFundMe page.
#blackcemetery
#blackhistory
#blackwriters #saveagrave
#staugustine #staugustineflorida
28 июн 2024
