LINCOLNTON, N.C. — A few weeks ago, walking to visit her late father at the Providence Baptist Church Cemetery in Lincolnton, Wanda Cates would have to climb over thorn bushes and fallen trees.
What You Need To Know
Providence Baptist Church is a historic Black church in Lincoln County, and the cemetery was one of the few places Black families could be buried during racial segregation
After 1967, the church cemetery was cast aside and became hidden in a growing forest
Two brother Boy Scouts took on the massive job of cleaning up the cemetery and uncovering graves as their Eagle Scout project
Two worn-down cement bricks showed Cates the way to her father's grave.
“It was like a wilderness, nothing but trees, trees on top of trees, you couldn’t see anything, branches all over the ground. You couldn’t walk like we’re walking now because you would stumble and fall," Cates said.
During racially segregated times, Cates said Blacks were not allowed to be buried at Hollybrook Cemetery, the public cemetery run by the city of Lincolnton.
Providence Baptist Church was one of the few places Black families could bury their loved ones.
After 1967, when Blacks were allowed into Hollybrook, Providence Baptist's cemetery was cast aside and taking care of it became a burden for the church.
Over the years, the forest grew over the plots, hiding the graves.
Brothers Kyle and Landon Naylor were working at the car wash nearby when during the winter months, they spotted some graves.
The brothers decided to clean up the cemetery as part of their Eagle Scout project.
“We couldn’t even get in very well because at the front it was just all trees, and a whole wall of thorns and vines, so we had to find a path to get around," said Kyle Naylor, 16.
It was a massive undertaking, more than four months of hard labor. The brothers involved family and neighbors to help cut down the trees.
A donated wood chipper helped ease the work and provided mulch for a new walkway.
Tree limbs were used to build a fence around the graves, and Landon Naylor, 14, began archiving the graves and logging them online for families to find.
“We think there are more here, but we just don’t know where they are," Landon Naylor said.
“They did a fantastic job. We can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done," Cates said.
The community, along with the church and scouts, will continue to oversee the cemetery.