{"id":45199,"date":"2025-11-13T14:46:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T14:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/45199\/"},"modified":"2025-11-13T14:46:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T14:46:10","slug":"lincoln-cemetery-descendants-seek-dignity-amid-city-disputes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/45199\/","title":{"rendered":"Lincoln Cemetery Descendants Seek Dignity Amid City Disputes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"pictureDescendants of Lincoln Cemetery cleaned up their family\u2019s grave markers on Oct. 25.
Photo by Sierra Clark<\/p>\n

Sierra Clark spent her birthday weekend at Lincoln Cemetery, searching for her grandparents. Again.<\/p>\n

The cemetery\u2019s uneven ground and missing markers tell a story of neglect.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhite people have photos of their grandmothers and great grandparents on walls,\u201d Clark said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have pictures of great grandma and great granddads. We weren\u2019t allowed to remember them the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"aElnora and Hugh Burgess are buried somewhere in Lincoln Cemetery, but their granddaughter cannot find them.
Photo by Sierra Clark<\/p>\n

Lincoln Cemetery holds thousands of Black residents from St. Petersburg and Gulfport. Many were veterans, midwives, and church elders.<\/p>\n

Several graves lack headstones. Others disappeared when developers relocated remains from earlier Black cemeteries. This included Evergreen, Oaklawn, and Moffet cemeteries, which were located where Tropicana Field resides now.<\/p>\n

As a result, Clark and other descendants now fight not only to find their relatives, but also to restore the dignity history denied them.<\/p>\n

\"old<\/a>A 1943 aerial map of the site of Lincoln Cemetery.
Photo courtesy of the University of FloridaA Boundary That Divided Responsibility<\/p>\n

In 1967, St. Petersburg passed Ordinance 138-E. Records obtained from the City of Gulfport say the measure \u201cdetached and excluded from the corporate limits\u201d the land that included Lincoln Cemetery. In October 1967, County officials finalized the change, officially placing the site inside Gulfport\u2019s boundaries<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Since then, both Cities have acknowledged the cemetery\u2019s significance, but disputed who bears responsibility for its care.<\/p>\n

While City officials trade legal explanations, descendants continue to ask a simpler question: who will step up to protect their ancestors\u2019 final resting place?<\/p>\n

As a result, years of government inaction have left the grounds overgrown and unsafe. Families are still waiting for an answer to a question that was asked years ago; who will do the right thing and take responsibility?<\/p>\n

\"photoA volunteer helps clean up gravesites at Lincoln Cemetery.
Photo courtesy of Sierra ClarkLincoln Cemetery Descendants<\/p>\n

Pastor Clarence Williams, who manages the site through Cross & Anvil Human Services<\/a>, said segregation laws created this problem from the start. <\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of Jim Crow, Black [people] could not be buried next to white [people] in the same cemetery,\u201d he said. \u201cSo this Jim Crow necessitated that in many communities, there is a Black cemetery and a white cemetery.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also explained why Black cemeteries often fell into disrepair.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the cemetery is licensed to take bodies, part of what they pay goes into what\u2019s called a perpetual fund,\u201d Williams said. \u201cBut any cemetery that is owned by a church or a school or a military institution does not have to have a perpetual fund. So it\u2019s exempt from that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frequent ownership changes<\/a> made things worse. <\/p>\n

Williams said a former owner dissolved the corporation \u201cwithout conveying the assets,\u201d leaving vital paperwork \u201changing around.\u201d When City officials asked him to take over the property, he reluctantly agreed.<\/p>\n

Even so, Williams has a plan. He hopes to identify the thousands of unmarked graves, build a learning hub for local students<\/a>, and create a memorial wall for veterans. <\/p>\n

\u201cTangible support means money, help, equipment,\u201d he said. \u201cJim Crow\u2019s alive and well. They\u2019re not going to trample on the graves of our forefathers\u2026 My job is to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n

\"aSt. Pete City Council member Corey Given\u2019s grandfather, Eugene Givens, Sr.
Photo courtesy of Corey Givens\"aSt. Pete City Council member Corey Given\u2019s grandmother, Eula Givens.
Photo courtesy of Corey GivensPushes for Action<\/p>\n

As a descendant, St. Petersburg City Council member Corey Givens, Jr. pushes for City involvement. On Sept. 25, his Facebook post reignited debate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNext year, Historic Lincoln Cemetery will celebrate its 100th anniversary. Unfortunately, the future of the cemetery remains unknown,\u201d he wrote. \u201cNone of my fellow Council members thought this agenda item was worth supporting. It died on the dais. It\u2019s a sad day for Black History in St. Pete.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post drew hundreds of reactions and dozens of shares. In addition, residents flooded City officials with comments demanding cooperation between the two Cities. Supporters praised Givens for speaking publicly when others stayed silent.<\/p>\n

Givens\u2019 motion to hold a joint meeting between St. Petersburg and Gulfport Councils failed. Still, he said the issue runs deeper than policy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not talking about property lines,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re talking about people\u2019s grandmothers and grandfathers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"peopleOn Oct. 25, volunteers gathered for the Historic Lincoln Cemetery Clean-Up.
Photo courtesy of Corey GivensCommunity Clean-Up<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the community is not waiting for government approval. On Oct. 25, volunteers gathered for the Historic Lincoln Cemetery Clean-Up. They raked, trimmed, and cleared debris around sunken graves.<\/p>\n

The Home Depot sponsored the event by donating supplies and equipment. For Clark, the timing was personal.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be spending some time there with my grandparents for my birthday weekend,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s where my heart is.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cleanup served as more than maintenance. It became a statement of pride and preservation.<\/p>\n

\"Overgrown<\/a>Many graves in Lincoln Cemetery have not been maintained.
Photo by James SchnurFamilies Keep Searching<\/p>\n

Clark and other descendants visit the cemetery hoping to locate their loved ones.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just want to find them,\u201d she said. \u201cWe just want them remembered.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pastor Williams said he will keep advocating for Lincoln Cemetery until it receives proper funding and recognition.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat the cemetery needs is advocacy and funding,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m going to march to Tallahassee and Washington and do whatever I have to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Lincoln Cemetery approaches its 100th year, descendants, clergy, and council members share a single hope: the community\u2019s ancestors will no longer be hidden beneath legal boundaries and neglect.<\/p>\n

Their message remains clear \u2014 this isn\u2019t about property. It\u2019s about people, and the promise to remember those who built this community\u2019s Black history.<\/p>\n

The Gabber Newspaper? We Go There<\/p>\n

In 1968, our founder, George Brann, started The Gabber Newspaper, then called the Gulfport Gabber, to hold Gulfport City Council<\/a> accountable. Read more of our city council coverage<\/a>, and learn about our policies on reporting, fact-checking, and funding<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Descendants of Lincoln Cemetery cleaned up their family\u2019s grave markers on Oct. 25. Photo by Sierra Clark Sierra…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45200,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[29750,15673,2271,29751,29752,202,204,203,199,201,200,3224],"class_list":["post-45199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-black-history-tampa-bay","tag-florida-history","tag-gulfport-florida","tag-gulfport-florida-history","tag-lincoln-cemetery-in-gulfport-florida","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news","tag-tampa-bay-history"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45199"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45199\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}