Jan. 10, 2026, 10:00 a.m. ET
Construction has begun on a memorial for unmarked slave graves at a Tallahassee, Florida, golf course.The city sold nearly 180 acres of the land to the Capital City Country Club for $1.225 million.The sale has drawn criticism due to the site’s history as a former plantation and whites-only facility.Advocates are calling for further action, including marking the graves and removing a golf cart path from the cemetery area.
Construction is underway at Capital City Country Club in Tallahassee, Florida, as the city follows through on creating a memorial honoring the multiple unmarked graves of slaves under what is now a golf course.
As a result of a vote that split along usual lines at their December meeting, Tallahassee city commissioners decided to sell nearly 180 acres of land to the Country Club, which has been leasing it from the city for its 18-hole golf course since the 1950s.
The sale went through for $1.225 million, which will go into the city’s reserve funds, although a portion of $100,000 was set aside for the memorial. A request for comment is pending with a city spokesperson.
The deal struck a nerve with many, sparking comments about race, seeing as the course property to the country club was once a whites-only facility and also includes former Houstoun Plantation land with an unmarked cemetery for Black slaves.
Of the many who have spoken out, Delaitre Hollinger, president of the National Association for the Preservation of African-American History and Culture, Inc., has been at the forefront – continuously urging city leaders to do right by those buried at the site.
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He said that he had swung by the country club and was able to see the ongoing work but that there is room for more: “I’m glad the city is following through (on) its promise to (build) the memorial. Certainly, I still have concerns as it relates to certain things that we haven’t done.”
Since the sale, Hollinger said that he has received several calls and messages from residents: “They are concerned that we essentially have sold the bodies of 200 formerly enslaved persons to a private property owner and they’re concerned because there has not really been a broader discussion had with the community.”
“Yes the property has been transferred but that doesn’t mean that this is over. There’s still a lot of things that need to be done here,” he continued. “No. 1, none of those graves are marked. No. 2, there’s still a golf cart path that is built over the cemetery that people continue to drive over on a daily basis … there’s still a tee that’s built over the cemetery.”
Hollinger already has ideas on what can be done and that includes testing. Prior to the sale a certain portion of the course could not be tested due to the woods being too dense, but cadaver dogs gave off many hits when they were sent in. Now, the very spot that was once considered too dense has been cleared out to make space for the memorial and Hollinger is hoping this could make way for further testing.
Arianna Otero is the trending and breaking news reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com and follow her on X: @ari_v_otero.
