GROVELAND, Fla. — There were tears, hugs and smiles during the official dedication of the Oak Tree Union Colored Cemetery of Taylorville, after a race against time to save the historic Black cemetery that was inaccessible and neglected for decades.
What You Need To Know
- The Oak Tree Union Colored Cemetery of Taylorville was established around late 1890s and early 1900s
- It reopened 70 years after the last person was buried there
- It is now open to the public from sunrise to sunset
- Previous coverage: Community races to save one of Groveland's Black cemeteries
The Oak Tree Union Colored Cemetery of Taylorville is located in the area now known as Groveland on State Road 19, which is Howey Road. Some of the descendants of the 10 Army veterans buried in the cemetery attended the dedication. Their loved ones never received a formal military funeral until now.
The results of a ground-penetrating radar survey showed there are 229 people believed to be buried in the cemetery, but for decades it was overgrown and inaccessible until Groveland’s Fire Chief Kevin Carroll, who is the project manager for the effort, volunteered to find a way to save it and restore it.
He said there were many volunteers and businesses that stepped up to help on the project, which started in 2021. He also applied for, and was granted, a $499,000 restoration grant for the project.
During the cemetery dedication, Carroll told the crowd: “Suddenly, I wasn’t alone anymore. I had the men and women of the fire department, Groveland Police department. I had an entire city, but a community came together and supported all of us. This happened not because of me, but because the community came together to make this happen.”
The city of Groveland owns the cemetery and will maintain it. It is now officially open from sunrise to sunset.