Grant sought for historic Black cemeteries

Cobb aims to help restore four historic African American graveyards.

Cobb County applied for a grant in January to help restore and preserve several historic Black cemeteries in the county that have fallen into disrepair over time.

The grant would come from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and would help Cobb’s Historic Preservation Commission identify unmarked graves, create a registry of individuals buried in the cemeteries, and define cemetery boundaries through archaeological surveys.

“We see this as just the beginning of our plan to address the needs and concerns of our historic African American cemeteries in Cobb,” Bev Jackson, chair of the preservation commission, said in a news release.

The four cemeteries the commission identified are Sardis Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery, Old Ebenezer Cemetery, Noonday Extension Cemetery, and Little Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery. The grant, if awarded, would bring in between $50,000 to $75,000 for the restoration work and does not require a county match.

The aim of the grant is to advance “ongoing preservation activities for historic places such as sites, museums, and landscapes that represent African American cultural heritage” according to the website.

Francine Wilkins, who has several family members buried in Old Ebenezer Cemetery in Marietta, has worked for years to try and restore the final resting place of her ancestors.

The cemetery is believed to be the burial ground of formerly enslaved people, including her great-great-grandfather, and their descendants after the Civil War. She said she hopes the county receives the grant and can finally locate where the people are under the trees near Shaw Park.

“The grant will help with locating the graves,” Wilkins said. “That is huge, because we don’t know where the graves are.” Wilkins has worked to identify people who may be buried there by scouring death records. But if they can do archaeological surveys at Old Ebenezer, they may find out just how many there are, she said.

Cobb County relies on volunteers to help restore and maintain cemeteries. To get involved, contact the Cobb County Historic Preservation Planner, Mandy Elliott, at mandy.elliott@cobbcounty.org.

AJC 2023 Many of Francine Wilkins’ relatives, back to her great-great-grandfather, are buried in the Old Ebenezer Cemetery in Marietta. She is working to restore the cemetery, which has been neglected over the years and only has one intact headstone standing.