GREEN COVE SPRINGS – The project started during Christmas break and was supposed to take a month or two to complete. But the deeper Scoutmaster Richard Knoff and Troop 577 dug into Pleasant Point Cemetery, the more desperate their mission became.

The cemetery had been overgrown with time and indifference for generations, so a group of volunteers dedicated themselves to restoring the historic grounds.

“We thought we’d be done by now,” Knoff said, “but there’s so much work that has to be done.”

One of the historic markers at Pleasant Point Cemetery.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF RICHARD KNOFF

Troop 577, Webelos Pack 482 and the First Presbyterian Church of Green Cove Springs Men’s Group have spent the last six months cutting down trees, clearing brush and vines and returning the respect of those who’ve been interred there – some since the Civil War era.

The work is being done off Haven Avenue, a mile behind the St. Johns Landing Apartments. The cemetery is one of the few known Black burial grounds in the South, according to Steve Griffith, president of the Clay Historical Society.

U.S. Navy Veteran George Elias Forrester, along with some of his family members, is buried at the 1.4-acre cemetery. He served with the Union in the Civil War. The son of Cyrus and Dorcas Forrester, his family was the first free Black family in the county. 

Boy Scout Troop 577, Webelos Pack 482, the Clay Historical Society and the First Presbyterian Church of Green Cove Springs Men's Group have participated in removing underbrush and trees from the property.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF RICHARD KNOFF

Elizabeth Lewis-Jenkins, the wife of Thomas H. Jenkins, is buried there. Thomas was one of the trustees and founders of the historic Mount Zion A.M.E. Church in Green Cove Springs. 

Not too far from them also lies Pizel and Mary Ambrose Robinson, who are believed to be the great-grandparents of R&B singer Patti LaBelle.

“We got somebody to do a survey done, so we now know where the corners of the property, so we have some more trees to take out,” Knoff said. “One of the neighbors said they will put up a fence once we get the job done. All we’re trying to do is to get the property cleared out. Some of the gravestones are marked. Some are not, but you can see the intentions in the ground where the graves are. It’s been neglected for probably over 50 years or longer.”

Knoff said the work is expected to take the rest of the summer, if not longer.

“Once we’re done, (Griffith) is talking about having the university come in there with a penetrating radar to identify where all the graves are, kind of like what they did with that cemetery at St. Johns Apartments, which is a Civil War cemetery,” Knoff said.

Volunteers are clearing the old, largely forgotten cemetery.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF RICHARD KNOFF

While there are no official records, and there are so many missing headstones, it is estimated that there are as many as 60 people buried there.

“It was so overgrown, most didn’t even know there was a cemetery back there,” Knoff said. “We keep finding more graves further back in the property. It’s really an amazing place. It’s been a lot of work, and there’s so much more that must be done. There’s so much history we’re finding every day. When it’s done, it will be an incredible place to visit.”