A community center, a pool and a park now cover parts of what was once one of Jacksonville’s first Black cemeteries. And for the families and historians still searching for loved ones buried there, Mount Herman Cemetery is far from forgotten.

A historic cemetery in Durkeeville holds far more of Jacksonville’s dead than anyone previously knew. Researchers working with the city have confirmed that 1,200 people are buried beneath what is now a park and community center — more than double earlier estimates.

A Jacksonville park and community center may be sitting on top of as many as 600 unmarked graves, and there is no proof the bodies were ever moved before the land was developed. Now, state funding is on the way to find them.

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.

When you hear the word Durkeeville, you might immediately think of JP Small Stadium, where Hank Aaron played baseball and The New Stanton, but it’s also a community investing in its history and growing future generations.

When you meet Dana Michelle, she’ll introduce herself as your “neighbor.” That’s because she is on a mission to advocate and fight for Durkeeville, one of Jacksonville’s historic Black neighborhoods.