Research to Preserve African American Stories and Traditions

Take a moment and remember our veterans this weekend. Today, we placed flags at the graves of veterans in Baptist Hill Cemetery. I am always in awe of those veterans from the Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War who fought for the idea of freedom and for a country where they were not truly free. It takes humility, faith, and a sense of hope.

John Moss
George Hart
Charles Humphries
Samuel Harris
Charles Miller

Please take a moment today to consider the deep, enduring impacts of racial terror violence in our county that unjustly took the lives of these 5 Black men. No due process was followed by the criminal justice system, we have no evidence that law enforcement intervened to serve and protect these men or their families, and no one was held accountable for the lynchings that violently ended their lives.

We are carrying the words of Ida B. Wells with us today as we keep working to shine that light of truth far and wide. You can help us:

📖 Our education committee needs your help to create a new youth-focused learning, research, and engagement model to equip young leaders to be truth-tellers.

🔎 Our research committee needs your help to track down more details surrounding racially motivated killings & violence in our county.

🗓 Our events committee needs your help to plan community events to help us stay informed and connected.

🏦 Our fundraising committee needs your help to sustain our work for the long-term.

Reach out today to help us carry the light: [email protected]

Learn more at www.leecountyremembrance.org

A BIG thank you to all who came out to help Jackson Moseley work on his Eagle project at Oak Alley Cemetery today (Scouts, Auburn University, Woodland Park community members, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). He was able to get the fence up and it looks great. There are only a few minor details left and then we will be on to planning the next phase of the preservation project.

Please join us for our 2nd day clean-up of Oak Alley Cemetery on Oct. 25th at 9am at 4139 Surrey Lane in Auburn.

Last week's clean-up was a big success. We were able to clear around the burial area and install the four corner posts for the fence. This Saturday will focus on completing the fence and continuing to clear the lot. Jackson Moseley's Eagle Project is one of the first steps in preserving the Oak Alley Church, School, and Cemetery.

Oak Alley cemetery is an enslaved and post emancipation burial ground with about 40 interments marked only with depressions and field stones. The only two known interments are for Henry and Ellen Wimberly who were formerly enslaved. Following the Civil War during reconstruction, several small, one-room church schools were dedicated to be religious and education centers. Oak Alley is one of those church schools. Often these structures were associated with burial grounds.

Please join us for a cemetery clean up at Oak Alley Cemetery this Saturday, October 18 from 9am-3pm at 4139 Surrey Lane in Auburn.

Jackson Moseley is working on his Eagle Scout Award and is leading a clean up and improvement of Oak Alley Cemetery. He is working with the local HOA to clear the small cemetery and the old church/school foundation stones. Oak Alley cemetery is an enslaved and post emancipation burial ground with about 40 interments marked only with depressions and field stones. The only two known interments are for Henry and Ellen Wimberly who were formerly enslaved. Following the Civil War during reconstruction, several small, one-room church schools were dedicated to be religious and education centers. Oak Alley is one of those church schools. Often these structures were associated with burial grounds.

A big thank you to the City of Auburn for coming out, patching, and fixing two broken vaults at Baptist Hill Cemetery. One of the vaults is for an unknown person. The repaired vault is for John Slaughter, Sr. Both look excellent!

Many Black/African American burial grounds are at risk of being built over because of urban sprawl. It is crucial to document these sacred sites with county and city authorities to prevent disturbance. Recently, in collaboration with the Lee County Cemetery Preservation Commission, we filed an affidavit for a burial ground in a development zone off HWY 280 in Lee County. Oral histories link it to an old African American church that no longer exists, with an estimated 100 burials. After a 12-hour search across 5,000 acres, we located the site, recorded GPS coordinates, and took photos for documentation. The findings were submitted to Lee County Probate Records, and the affidavit was attached to the property deed. With this documentation, the burial ground should be recognized before any land sale or development.

May you have a safe Memorial Day and remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice toward our quest for equity, equality, and freedom.

Paul Grant voluntarily enlisted in the Army in August 1950 not because of what the constitution provided, but because of what it promised. Assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division, 7th Infantry Regiment, B Company, PVT. Grant saw some of the most brutal winter fighting. Pushed back to Chungjang-ni near Seoul, his company engaged with communist forces on Valentine’s Day. After exhausting his M20 munitions, PVT. Grant fell back to a defensive position where he held his ground with his M1 carbine. Expending all munitions, he then engaged in hand-to-hand combat earning the Bronze Star for valor. When the train pulled into the Auburn Depot, the entire Black community dressed in their Sunday finest, accompanied his body to the segregated Baptist Hill Cemetery where he was interred at the summit. PVT. Paul Grant sacrificed himself for the idea of freedom, in a country in which he was not truly free. In protest, his grieving mother had the religious symbol removed from her 17-year-old son’s military headstone application.

A reminder that students from Auburn Junior High and High School will present their research on local Black history tonight at 6pm at Ebenezer Baptist Church (541 Pitts Street). We hope to see you there!

Amazing morning today! The junior high and high school students came out to clean the headstones and burial plots of the people they are researching. I am always amazed at how much care they put into the work. A few even brought flowers to place on the grave. I look forward to their presentations on Tuesday at Ebenezer Baptist Church from 6 to 8pm. The highlights today included fixing one of the benches that toppled, cleaning up branches and fallen limbs and uncovering the graves of Annie Pitts and Ethel Ragland and her mother Fannie Lou White. Special thanks to Ebenezer Baptist Church for providing drinks and the City of Auburn Parks and Recreation for supplying a truck to haul away debris. Also, to Long's Lawncare who is owned and operated by one of the junior high school students. He brought his equipment today and worked to clean up the east side of the cemetery. We don't usually solicit for businesses, but when it is owned by one of our young researchers... if you need lawn services: 937-623-3887.

We look forward to this years Evening in Baptist Hill History. The Auburn Junior High and High School students have worked hard this past year to research and document the lives of 56 people interred in Baptist Hill Cemetery. Last night, a few of the students practiced at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art during their Common Grounds event. The students did a fantastic job and we can't wait until they present on April 23rd from 6-8pm at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Auburn.