Meeting Minutes September 3, 2007


Minutes of the Friends of the Geer Cemetery 09/03/2007
At the Home of Jessica and David Eustice
809 Colonial Street, Durham

Members Present: David Eustice, Jessica Eustice, Mr. RK. Bryant Jr., Chantae Bohannon Mangum, Carrie McNair

Evidence that the City has taken Ownership of the Cemetery -
Jessie sent the Research Committee's information to City Council. She received Diane Catotti's acknowledgement, but we do not know what action the city is taking at this time.
Trosa's Steve Hill says the City is maintaining the Cemetery as of now.
The City Cemeteries Department knows nothing about it.
David states that people and equipment from "City Trucks" were witnessed maintaining the cemetery.

The Committee feels it cannot do anything until the city acknowledges ownership. This committee will check with Mike Woodard to find out the status of the Cemetery

-Origin of the city Cemetery -and the different names -progress - The cemetery has been called by many names: City Cemetery, Colored Cemetery, Mason Cemetery, etc.

We know that the deceased African Americans of Durham from 1877 to the opening of the Beechwood Cemetery who were not buried in the Violet Park, Grove Park or the Crest Street Cemetery had to be buried in the Geer Cemetery. It was the only other local "public" cemetery for local African Americans in those segregated times.
We have a newspaper article from 1900 about the bad shape that the Geer Cemetery was in at that time.

We are looking for clearance to proceed with out plans to improve the Cemetery. Once we have clearance we can go forward with our plans.

Our plans are to:
1. Survey the land (priority)
2. Create a grid map of burials
3. Establish lanes
4. Fill in the open and sunken graves, and set stones in place.

Notes: The Geer Cemetery Sign will be an ongoing project,

TROSA may still be willing to donate the bricks for the sign.

Suggestions for Jessie's thesis on the Cemetery: Histories of the families and genealogy of the descendents

Minutes submitted by Jessica Eustice, 9/10/07

 

 

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