Minutes of the Friends of the Geer Cemetery 02/14/2005

In attendance were: Mr. R.K Bryant, Jr. (Chairman), Mrs. Carrie McNair (Research Chair); Mrs. Chantae Bohannon-Mangum (Research Committee member and Cemetery Stakeholder); Mr. William Lucas (Research Committee member and Cemetery Stakeholder); Mr. Jimmy Hicks (Retired; Duke Park Neighborhood resident on Camden St., and interested citizen) Mr. Emmitt Strudwick (Whose grandfather signed deed for Robert L. Poole’s Burial Plot in Cemetery) Mrs. Jessica Eustice (Secretary.) Mr. Jay Reinstein (Assistant City Manager)

5:00 This February meeting in the Auditorium at the Durham County Library was called to order by Chairman Bryant.

The Minutes of the January meeting were read by Mr. R.K. Bryant, Jr.

• The Law of Adverse Possession was mentioned. There is a shed on the Cemetery property: There is a need to assess ownership. Chairman Bryant’s information states that the Cemetery Property line from the Verizon Parking lot at the Corner of McGill Street to Colonial Street it 380 Ft. Chairman Bryant brings up the question of how we will determine the property line on the Camden side.
• Mrs. McNair wanted to know if there was a record we could refer to.
• Odd Fellows Mason (marker?) on McGill St. side was mentioned.
• Chairman Bryant presented his research on black Odd Fellows existing in NC; he has procured a program from 1918 on the Odd Fellows.

Discussion of TROSA Clean up and contract with the City of Durham:

Mr. Jay Reinstein Reported that the City of Durham had paid some $17,000.00 to TROSA, and that they were supposed to provide one major clean-up and four quarterly clean-ups from March ’04-March ’05. The main clearing was completed. One quarterly cleaning was done. The City is due for three or more clearings per the contract agreement. Additionally, the dates on the contract are not recognized: the contract states June while the initial clearing really started in July.

The City has opted to extend the contract for 9 months in order to receive the additional clean-ups. TROSA owes the city 3 clean-ups. Mr. Reinstein also announced that the City of Durham is likely to take over the Cemetery by conducting one annual maintenance and working with the FOGC and it’s volunteers to perform other preservation and maintenance duties. He stated that the City will put together a list of options for the Cemetery.

Needs were listed:

• Raking or blowing leaves (Mr. Lucas stated that they were blowing leaves in January)
• Frank Hyman and Jay Reinstein need to contact TROSA about spraying “Round-Up” at the end….about April. (It was suggested we ask TROSA to contact Home Depot or Lowes about a donation of “Round-Up.”)
  

Old Business:

• Sandra Harper Sandra Harper (connected with the City of Durham Real Estate Department) contacted Johnell Bright of the Cemetery Division and General Services to work with FOGC in getting a budget and maintenance information like the requirements for operating Maplewood and Beechwood Cemeteries. This will help us put together a budget of GC.
• Frank Hyman, a former city councilman, is to contact the persons he knows on the present Council to look into the possibilities of the city taking over the Geer Cemetery as a city property for maintenance and upkeep. The TROSA contract is being or has been transferred from General Services to the Cemetery Division.
• Mr. Jay Reinstein announced that Johnell Bright, the new City Cemetery Director will take over for Sandra Harper and Guillo Rodriguez. Mr. Reinstein also announced that he has received a promotion in City Government, and that he will soon be moving to the Solid Waste Department as it’s Assistant Director. When the transfer is official, Johnell Bright will replace Jay on our committee as our contact with the City of Durham. In the interim, Mr. Reinstein will remain on our committee and serve as our liaison with the City.

Other old business:

• The option of a controlled burn (to eliminate weeds) was raised at a prior meeting. Contacts were suggested to be made with the State Forestry Reserves (919-733-2162) or the Durham Fire Marshall. A contact was made with the latter, and the Durham Fire Marshall (560-4323) reports to us that a controlled burn is out of the question in this urban setting.

Other Issues of Historical or Technical Interest :

The Research Committee has outlined a project to create a database of the causes of death of those buried in the Geer Cemetery.

• Death Certificates prior to 1908 may be found. Contact for that is at 919-733-3526.
• Also Health and Human Resources (919-733-3000).
• Note also Emmit Strudwick attended this meeting of the FOGC. Emmitt Strudwick said that Robert Strudwick was his grandfather.
  
  We will contact him for more information on his grandfather.
  
  Thomas Strudwick was one of the signers of the deed to Chairman Bryant’s grandfather’s (Robert L. Poole’s) Burial plot in the Geer Cemetery (Mason Cemetery). Copies of this deed were made by Chantae Bohannon-Mangum for interested parties (particularly Emmit Strudwick).

New Business:

• Grant Fund Contacts:
  Mr. R.K.. Bryant Jr. has contacted the Durham Merchant’s Association for their grant guidelines.
  The Secretary contacted the Bin foundation. She also gathered contact information on eleven other foundations who have demonstrated an interest in historic and cultural preservation and educational issues such as closing the education gap between minority and non-minority students. She has delivered this list of contacts to Chairman Bryant.
  
• Chairman Bryant stated that there is a need for a budget and timeline of projects to be accomplished in the Cemetery.
  
• Mapping of the Cemetery: Chairman Bryant has obtained a GIS map of the Cemetery. He informed the group that we need to create a grid in order to map the landmarks; burials; etc. in the Cemetery. He produced a sample of the grid (see attachment) we need to create. Mr. R.K. Bryant informed the group also that stakes and flags need to be obtained so that we may begin to make the grid. Chantae Bohannon-Mangum offered to donate a box of stakes used for surveying.
  
• On the issue of making Head Stone Rubbings (an art form involving charcoal crayons and rice paper to create a relief picture of the faces of headstones) Chairman Bryant states that this project may be completed by volunteers after the grid map of the Cemetery is made. We will need Volunteers to carry this out. We will look to the Committee on Volunteers to carry this out.
  
• On the Issue of writing a play based on the story of the Geer Cemetery:
  Chairman Bryant pointed out that any play would not need to be fictional in nature, since the true stories involved in the Geer Cemetery are prestigious and fascinating enough without any fictional embellishment. He suggested setting up a few sessions to talk with some of the elders of the community such as himself, Emmit Strudwick, Carrie McNair, etc., in order to gather more oral history of the Geer Cemetery on which a non-fictional script and production might be based.
  
• Chairman Bryant presented a letter he has received from a group working to clear and stabilize the Unity Cemetery in Rocky Mount, NC, where some of his father’s people are buried . The FOGC acknowledged thanks and gratitude for our role in encouraging other groups to begin efforts to reclaim their heritage through Cemetery reclamation.
  
• Long term Durham resident and Geer Cemetery Neighbor Jimmy Hicks stated that although he has been coping with issues of ill health in the past few months, he is very interested in the metal work involved in a gate found within the Cemetery. (He may know some artisans who do such work. Jimmy Hicks used to do metal work himself.) The various pedestals on McGill Street which were connected by chains and the lovely decorative fence and gate found in the R.D. Jones plot. Jessica promised to get a photo of same to Mr. Hicks.

Next Meeting Date and Time:

5:00 pm in the Durham County Library Auditorium on March 14th, 2005. Time, date, and place have been confirmed thanks to Lynn Richardson of the Durham County Library.

The Meeting was closed at approximately 6:30 by Kelly Bryant.

Minutes recorded by Chantae-Bohannon Mangum and Mrs. Jessica T. Eustice;
humbly typed and submitted by Mrs. Jessica T. Eustice