At abandoned west Charlotte cemetery, families, veterans are no longer ‘lost history’

The names rang out in the misty late May morning.

Private First Class Nathaniel Joseph, U.S. Army, World War II.

Private Harrison Davis, U.S. Army, World War I.

Steward’s Mate First Class Petty Officer Thomas McKnabb Sr., U.S. Navy, World War II.

Twenty names in all were read aloud during a Memorial Day event outside Cedar Grove Cemetery in west Charlotte, each for a member of the armed forces buried at the 1.8-acre cemetery. Cedar Grove is home to an estimated 75 to 150 grave sites, including many prominent early 20th century Charlotte residents.

It might sound like your typical Memorial Day observance, and in many ways it was. A member of the U.S. Marines belted out a rendition of “Taps.” Speeches were made about the importance of honoring the veterans who served our country.

But Monday marked the first time the 20 veterans interred at Cedar Grove were honored for the holiday. It also came at a time when a number of Charlotte families are newly able to pay a proper visit to the final resting place of their loved ones — in some cases, for the first time.

The cemetery, first incorporated in 1915, has been legally abandoned for the past 50 years. Cedar Grove is one of several cemeteries in Charlotte that was exclusively built for African Americans under segregation, according to a research report prepared by UNC Charlotte graduate student Kevin Donaldson.

Its most recent owner, John Shead Davidson, died in 1972 and is buried at the cemetery. Since then, the grave sites have become overgrown and neglected.

Various community members have tried to maintain the cemetery over the years, but the effort has proven too daunting.

That’s changing. A group of volunteers has spent the past two years clearing out trees, debris and garbage that’s claimed the cemetery. Many headstones — some of people who were born in the 1870s — are still being discovered today.

“It’s like uncovering lost history,” said Caleb Quarles, a recent Johnson and Wales University graduate who lives about a block away. Quarles has been coming to the property over the past week or so with his mom to help with cleanup efforts. Last week, he literally stumbled over a headstone for William Taylor, a private who served in World War I.

Quarles said it’s important to see the plot cleaned up not only for the veterans but for the surrounding community.

Cedar Grove is ‘like a museum’

Two years ago, Donaldson, the UNC Charlotte graduate student, came to Cedar Grove with his professor. They were there to conduct chronological research — pinpointing how old the cemetery was and when the first and last burial happened. Donaldson has since graduated with a master’s degree in history from the university.

The cemetery was completely covered in trees. There was garbage. Some people experiencing homelessness were staying on the property, too, he said.

“You couldn’t walk in there. You couldn’t see,” Donaldson said. On some of his first visits, he walked into the woods and “started tripping over gravestones.”

He hasn’t been able to stop coming back since. He began researching the names of those buried there and found names of prominent Charlotte residents, like the Hairstons, who lived in the now-razed neighborhood of Brooklyn. Some members of the family owned a funeral home and a large bricklaying company. There are at least five members of the family buried at Cedar Grove, Donaldson said.

He discovered the original deed to the cemetery included far more than the 1.8 acres — it was actually incorporated for 67 acres, including more wooded property behind the nearby University Park Creative Arts elementary school.

Are there more gravestones behind the school?

Donaldson believes there’s still much to be discovered, even on the 1.8-acre site that continues to be cleaned up. He points to how others across the country have used ground-penetrating radar to discover burial plots that can’t be seen by the human eye.

“To me, this cemetery is like a museum,” Donaldson said.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission is reviewing a 25-page report he compiled to designate Cedar Grove Cemetery as a local landmark.

Cleaning up a family burial site

Carolyn Wright has several family members buried at Cedar Grove. Her mother, Luvenia Withers, died when Wright was 19. Her mom’s uncle, Clarence Aery, and his wife Emma are buried on the same plot, tucked into a corner of the property by Remington Street.

For years, Wright was too ashamed to tell the family, including her son, where her mom was buried. The cemetery used to be kept up, but after the trees started to grow in, it was difficult to get back to visit the grave sites.

It wasn’t until this Mother’s Day that Frank Wright finally learned where his grandmother was buried. When he paid his first visit a couple weeks ago, he burst into tears.

The cleanup at the Aery family plot has continued. On Monday, Frank Wright was busy carrying bags of fresh gravel from his car to the grave site. As his family watched, he used a chainsaw to remove small tree stumps, neatly lay the gravel around the headstones and place fresh mulch around each marker. He gently laid flowers on top of the mulch.

The family installed a new blue bench for future visits. The grave site was finally becoming a place they could gather to take care of.

How to help

Volunteer groups regularly meet up at Cedar Grove Cemetery to continue cleanup efforts. The next meet-up is Friday, June 9 at 9 a.m. The grounds will eventually be leveled off with fresh grass planted around the wooded lot.

The cemetery is located off Beatties Ford Road at 1725 Maribel Ave. If you volunteer, Donaldson suggests to wear a pair of shoes you don’t mind getting dirty, long sleeves and gloves.

To find out more information about the cleanup, including how to donate, you can visit savecedargrove.org. The nonprofit From One to Some has teamed up with the effort to preserve the cemetery.