Carver Memorial Gardens
George Washington Carver Memorial Gardens is a 70-acre cemetery located at 1020 Minor Parkway (formerly Ensley-Docena Road) in Minor. It was founded in 1956 and is named for Tuskegee Institute botanist and chemist George Washington Carver.
The cemetery was established by a group of local developers led by jeweler Taft Epstein on a 17-acre site. The dedication ceremony was presided over by Erskine Faush with an address by Dr A. Hillary Fisher of Old Ship AME Zion Church in Woodlawn. J. G. Beene was manager of the cemetery and had a house on the property. In its early years the cemetery also maintained a business office at 2021 Avenue E Ensley. From the beginning, the cemetery did not allow raised headstones, favoring flush bronze markers. The first area to open featured a sculpture of Carver displayed on a granite base.
Epstein donated plots for the 13 Black victims of the massive tornado which tore across Jefferson County on April 15, 1956. Seven of those were children under the age of 5.
In September 2013 the cemetery, headed by president and shareholder Louie Reese III and trustee Rocco Leo, closed and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation. At the time the cemetery had approximately 22,000 graves and 1,000 unsold plots. The property also included an undeveloped forested area of 9 acres. State legislators Juandalynn Givan, Rod Scott and Priscilla Dunn took part in a public forum attended by more than 1,000 people concerned about the future of the cemetery.
Judge Tamara Mitchell presided over the case and approved an $18,000 offer from Cedric McMillian, owner of Majestic Memorials in Fairfield, to acquire the assets and obligations of the cemetery in February 2014. McMillian planned to cut timber on the undeveloped portion to restore the cemetery's perpetual care fund and to work with lot owners to protect their investments.
By 2018 media outlets were reporting on multiple complaints and lawsuits regarding management of the cemetery, including at least two claims of reserved plots being found to have been occupied mistakenly. At that time, the newly-created Jefferson County Cemetery Board had not yet met. In 2020 and 2021 more families complained of missing headstones and poor maintenance of the grounds.
Notable Burials
- Henry Blankenship (1926–1994), jazz musician
- Sam Frazier Jr (1942–2021), blues musician
- Virgil Ware (1949–1963), murder victim
- Frank Warren (1959–2002), NFL football player
References
- "Negroes open burial park near Ensley" (March 19, 1956) The Birmingham News, p. 24
- Reed, Jon (October 8, 2013) "Owner of embattled Carver Memorial Gardens cemetery files for bankruptcy." The Birmingham News
- Culpepper, Ben (October 8, 2013) "Owner of G.W. Carver Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Birmingham files for bankruptcy." ABC3340.com
- Faulk, Kent (November 8, 2013) "Carver Memorial Gardens cemetery bankruptcy trustee says four groups have shown interest in operating the cemetery." The Birmingham News
- Reed, John (January 9, 2014) "Court documents show possible buyer found for bankrupt Carver Memorial Gardens cemetery." The Birmingham News
- Faulk, Kent (January 23, 2014) "Bankruptcy judge approves $18,000 sale of George Washington Carver Memorial Gardens." The Birmingham News
- Gould, Cynthia (July 23, 2018) "'Shut him down or make him do right'." Distraught families say cemetery owner needs to go." ABC3340.com
- "George Washington Carver Memorial Gardens Cemetery complaints." (September 17, 2020) WBRC.com
- "Cemetery chaos at George Washington Carver Memorial Gardens in Birmingham." (October 14, 2021) WVTM13.com
External links
- Carver Memorial Gardens at Findagrave.com