[Durham INC] Geer Cemetery Event June 22

[Tom Miller]

Dear Neighbors:

 

The Friends of Geer Cemetery will host a Reclamation Celebration at the Geer
Cemetery, 800 Colonial Avenue, on Saturday, June 22, at 11:00 a.m.  If you
are interested in Durham history or old cemeteries, I think you will really
enjoy this event.  The Geer Cemetery is perhaps the single most important
artifact of Durham's African-American community from the city's earliest
years.

 

Soon after the City of Durham was founded in 1869, officials of the new city
set about creating a publicly maintained burial place for white citizens.
Maplewood Cemetery opened in 1872.  No equivalent cemetery was created for
Durham's African-American residents.  In 1877, African-American leaders in
the community purchased a few acres from the Geer family to serve as a
cemetery for African-Americans.  From 1877 until 1925, when the city finally
created Beechwood Cemetery, the Geer Cemetery served as Durham's primary
burial place for African-Americans.  The cemetery remained open until the
1930s, but fell into disuse and neglect after that.  Trees and dense
undergrowth took over and markers in the cemetery fell or were knocked over.
Beginning in the 1990s, various groups began work to clean up the cemetery
and draw attention to its plight.  The Friends of Geer Cemetery grew out of
these efforts and is now working to preserve the cemetery and rediscover its
history.

 

The Reclamation Celebration will include a libation ceremony of remembrance
and stories of some of the people buried in the cemetery.  Ron Bartholomew
of Durham Marble Works will re-erect a grave stone toppled and buried long
ago.  Volunteers will be on hand to record information and memories about
the cemetery from descendants and the community.  There will be a food truck
and visitors will be encouraged to linger and discover the history,
serenity, and beauty of the Geer Cemetery for themselves.

 

The cemetery is located one block east of Avondale Avenue on the edge of the
Duke Park neighborhood at the corner of Camden and Colonial Avenues.

 

Tom Miller

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