Community announcement: Discussion slated on historic African American section f city cemetery

{A single headstone currently marks the African American section of the Lexington City Cemetery. Elisabeth Strillacci, Davidson Local}

Residents are invited to join an open discussion on the memorialization of the historic African American section of the Lexington City Cemetery on Thursday, February 1, at 6 p.m. at St. Stephen United Methodist Church, 100 E 1st St, Lexington, NC 27292.

The referenced section is approximately 3,800 sf and located in the oldest portion of the cemetery. It is a vacant space with a singular marker atop a rough stone pyramid that states that slaves were buried there before the civil war.

On November 27, 2023, the city council received the Geophysical Survey Report of the African American Section of the Lexington City Cemetery from Richard Grubb & Associates, Inc. The survey took place on July 6, 2023, and was made possible by the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office‘s (SHPO) 2022 Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) Grant.

Lexington pursued the grant after community member, Tyrone Terry, advocated for the city to recognize and honor the burial site of former slaves.