About Memorial Cemetery:
Located on the northwest nook of Moncrief Highway and Edgewood Avenue, the 18.5-acre Memorial Cemetery was established in 1909. The most important burial floor inside the Moncrief Cemetery District, it in the end served as the ultimate resting place for greater than 70,000 African-American Jaxsons through the early twentieth century. Amongst these interred right here is Abraham Lincoln Lewis, considered one of Jacksonville’s most outstanding civic and enterprise leaders.
In 1901, Lewis helped manage the Afro-American Industrial Profit Affiliation, which later developed into the Afro-American Life Insurance coverage Firm. That very same yr, he labored alongside Booker T. Washington to ascertain the Nationwide Negro Enterprise League, created to “promote the industrial and monetary growth of the Negro.” Widely known as Florida’s first African-American millionaire, Lewis used his success to spend money on the Black neighborhood. His contributions included growing Nassau County’s American Seaside, founding Jacksonville’s Lincoln Golf and Nation Membership, and generously supporting traditionally Black faculties resembling Edward Waters School, Bethune-Cookman College, Florida Memorial College, and Florida A&M College.
In 1911, possession of Memorial Cemetery transferred to the Memorial Cemetery Affiliation, with Lewis serving as president. As Jacksonville’s inhabitants expanded, so did the necessity for extra burial grounds. The affiliation responded by buying land for Sundown Cemetery in 1913 and platting Pinehurst Cemetery in 1928. After Lewis’s loss of life, his son James H. Lewis assumed management of each the insurance coverage firm and the cemetery operations. In 1936, the Memorial Cemetery Affiliation was dissolved, and the Lewis household retained possession of the burial grounds.
Over time, Memorial and Sundown emerged as “trendy” cemeteries, whereas Pinehurst was considered extra modest. Following desegregation, nonetheless, these cemeteries, together with others within the Moncrief Cemetery District, skilled decline, paralleling the disinvestment seen in lots of city Black communities. As soon as carefully tied to the Afro-American Life Insurance coverage Firm, the cemeteries struggled as the corporate itself confronted challenges in a altering social and financial panorama. Many households finally selected newer cemeteries and even relocated family members to higher maintained grounds.
In 1986, possession was transferred to Memorial Cemetery, Inc. 4 years later, the Afro-American Life Insurance coverage Firm completely closed. At this time, Memorial Cemetery stands as a mirrored image of Jacksonville’s African-American social historical past and spiritual traditions through the first half of the twentieth century. Oral accounts counsel that burial practices rooted in West and Central African customs have been as soon as noticed right here. In recognition of its significance, the Metropolis of Jacksonville designated Memorial Cemetery an area landmark in 1992.
Location:
Memorial Cemetery
Nook of Moncrief Highway and Edgewood Dr.
Jacksonville, Florida 32209
Date & Time:
Saturday, 10/04/2025
9:00am EDT – 11:00am EDT
Value:
Free
For extra info:
https://safe.qgiv.com/for/stjohnsriverkeeperinc/occasion/cemeterytouroctober/