JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A historic cemetery that was converted into a community center, tennis courts, and a park could be getting funding to determine if bodies remain under the properties.
Mount Herman Cemetery has existed since the late 1800s, but after the land was given to the City of Jacksonville, it was converted to community amenities.
There has been a generational belief that the bodies were never removed before new construction.
Few tombstones remain, but one in particular remains in what is now the sidewalk.
In fact, the position of the burial site for Thompson Williams was a part of a widespread cemetery before it was ever a sidewalk.
People walk past the tombstone all the time as if it’s not there.
It’s an odd thought to think of taking a normal journey in a neighborhood, and you pass the site of Williams’ final resting place.
The man’s tombstone in the sidewalk was unbelievable, but it had been there for decades.
I asked the city two years ago if it could confirm whether the other bodies buried there were removed. There has been no record to confirm that the dozens upon dozens of families that were buried here were ever moved to another site.
In fact, aerial photos over the years show the development of the land but not the removal of bodies.
However, the tombstone in the sidewalk remains in good condition.
An inscription describes Thompson Williams, a Black man, who was honored for saving a white woman’s life. These are the exact words on the tombstone.
Ennis Davis, an urban planner, who has been researching historic communities throughout the state says the former Mount Herman cemetery no known as Emmett Reed Park and Community Center is special.
“This park is unique because it is Jacksonville’s largest 19th-century African American cemetery,“ said Davis.
Proof of the cemetery is seen in an 1887 map. The land was originally owned by the Francis Le’Engle family and eventually donated to the City of Jacksonville in the 1940’s.
A cemetery plot for a family with the last name Fagin remains.
Matt Soergel, a reporter with the Florida Times-Union, first heard about Williams in 2015 and wrote a story.
“It’s called the story of the ‘Hero’s Grave,’” Soergel said.
READ | A Hero’s Grave by Matt Soergel
For two years, I have been asking the city what can be done to honor the dead and locate where the other bodies might be on the property.
In a response, a city official told me, “Yes, the city submitted a grant application that scored really well with the state. We should know later this summer if we are awarded the funding.”
The funding would go toward the technology needed to search the entire property for any bodies that were buried.
As time passes, new generations know about the man’s body buried in the sidewalk, but few know this is one of hundreds of bodies once buried on this land.
In Florida, there has been a historical pattern of Black cemeteries being buried over for new developments throughout the state.
Many people who were children when this area was developed believe that the bodies are still there. Ground penetrating radar will provide answers.