The Clearwater African American Memorial Committee and Pinellas County Historic Preservation Board dedicated a Florida Historical Marker in North Greenwood on Dec. 3.
It’s the latest effort to maintain the historically Black neighborhood’s identity and recognize its history.
The dedication featured a recitation of North Greenwood’s history by Lois Bell, Brenda Dixon Buie, Bilal Habeebullah, and Patriva Mack, descendants of people buried at the North Greenwood African American Memorial Cemetery. Pinellas County Historic Preservation Board Vice Chair John Barie and Barbara J. Sorey-Love, chair of the Clearwater African American Memorial Committee, also spoke at the event.
“The historical marker dedicated at the North Greenwood African American Memorial Cemetery today is an excellent example of why the Pinellas County Historic Preservation Board partners with our municipalities and community organizations to recognize important historic sites and places in the county,” said Tom Scofield, principal planner, and historic preservation specialist. “The placement of this marker helps to reestablish the cemetery as a place of reverence and historical importance for this neighborhood, the City of Clearwater, and Pinellas County. It was a moving experience to hear the meaningful and heartfelt words and songs from the descendants of those buried in this sacred place.”
North Greenwood is a Clearwater neighborhood located north of downtown. Since early in the city’s history, North Greenwood has been a primarily Black neighborhood. In 1940, the Clearwater City Commission adopted a resolution establishing a new cemetery on 1.5 acres in the North Greenwood neighborhood. In 1954, the city relocated the estimated 375 graves in the cemetery to the Parklawn Cemetery. In February 2021, archaeological excavations verified the presence of numerous intact burials along with a variety of personal objects associated with African American burials. The 1.5-acre city cemetery continues to be a sacred ground for African Americans in Clearwater.
The historic marker reads as follows:
“North Greenwood African American Memorial Cemetery — Acknowledging the needs of Clearwater’s growing Black community, the city commission created North Greenwood Cemetery, also known as the ‘Clearwater Colored Cemetery.” On January 2, 1940, the city adopted a resolution that established a 1.5-acre segregated cemetery on city land. It stated that ‘…no burials of Negroes shall be permitted in Clearwater other than on the described property.’ That action ended the use of the private cemetery at St. Matthew Baptist Church, established in 1909 in the Clearwater Heights neighborhood to the south of this location, as the primary African American burial ground. In 1947, the Pinellas County Superintendent of Schools reported that segregated school buildings in Clearwater were obsolete and a fire hazard, and undertook a search for a new school site. The city also sought a location for a ‘permanent Negro recreation area’ that would include a pool, gymnasium, and ball field. By 1954, the city and school board joined efforts to construct Pinellas High School and a recreation area on a 30-acre tract of city land. The arrangement included a land swap whereby the North Greenwood cemetery plot would be given to the school board in exchange for land to construct the pool. As part of the deal with the school board, the city commission agreed to relocate the graves. They approved a work order to move ‘no more than 375 bodies’ from the city cemetery to a new location east of Dunedin, today known as Parklawn Memorial Cemetery. In 1962-62, Palmetto Elementary School was built on the North Greenwood Cemetery site. In 2019, it was discovered that only the marked graves were relocated, leaving several unmarked and displaced graves behind. This was revealed after extensive media coverage, input from the community, and help from the Clearwater/Upper Pinellas County Branch of the NAACP, Clearwater Historical Society, Florida Public Archaeology Network, the Cultural Resource Division of Cardno, Pinellas County Schools, and the City of Clearwater. This site remains a cemetery and reflects the history of the African American community with burial customs that can be traced back to the time of enslavement. Over the years, loved ones left items on graves like coins, glass flower vases, and conch shells as acts of remembrance. Though no longer visible, these artifacts and the many graves where they were placed remain here in areas on both sides of Holt Avenue.” Read more here.
