Signal Boost: NCDNCR’s preservation workshop!
historic preservation
A tribute to Ammie McRae Jenkins.
The March 2026 issue of Our State magazine introduced me to Ammie McRae Jenkins, a community historian after my own heart. Mrs. Jenkins founded Sandhills Family Heritage Association in 2001 when she was 60 years old, creating a multi-pronged legacy in preservation. She passed unexpectedly last fall, and I join those who lift her name and memory in praise.
Read the Our State magazine story here.
[N.B.: Many black Wilson County families have roots in the Sandhills, arriving from Cumberland, Robeson, and other counties in the 1920s and ’30s. (If you’re a Mc- or Mac- anything, this might be you.)]
Community archiving guidebook.
Picked up this handy guide and several tip sheets at Rocky Mount’s Braswell Memorial Library. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about how to preserve my personal collections.
Pratt students put in work in Wilson.
Shout out to Monica T. Davis, R.O.C.K. East Wilson, and the students of Pratt Institute’s Historic Preservation program!
Monica T. Davis: shaping memory and possibility.
I’m in awe of Monica T. Davis‘ work in East Wilson and am so glad that national lights are shining on her.
Read the full madamearchitect.com interview here, and marinate on this:
Lane Street Project: welcome!
If you’re new to the work of Lane Street Project and its allies, cleanups are only part of what we do. Here’s a summary of our accomplishments since December 2019.
At Odd Fellows Cemetery:
- found the graves of Samuel H. Vick and his family
- cleared the Ben Mincey family plot and restored the hydrant marking his grave
- cleared 50 years’ worth of trash and dumped debris
- removed several tons of fallen limbs, tree trunks, vines, and other overgrowth
- cleared the tree canopy of invasive wisteria
- preserved historic yucca and daffodil plantings
- discovered dozens of fallen or otherwise hidden gravestones
- cleaned and reset damaged gravestones
- honored veterans buried in Odd Fellows Cemetery
- registered Odd Fellows (as well as Vick and Rountree Cemeteries) with the North Carolina State Office of Archaeology
- corrected inaccurate labeling of cemeteries as “Rountree-Vick Cemetery”
- marked all three cemeteries and Lane Street Project on Google Maps
- created database of extant grave markers in Odd Fellows and Rountree Cemeteries
- created database of known and probable burials in Odd Fellows, Vick, and Rountree Cemeteries
- raised public awareness of these cemeteries as historic sacred spaces
- educated the public about the histories of these cemeteries
- engaged with other organizations in North Carolina and Virginia to learn best practices and pro tips for the care of historic African-American cemeteries
- engaged multiethnic, multigenerational corps of volunteers from area churches, schools, Masonic lodges, veterans groups, fraternities and sororities during annual cemetery cleanup seasons running January to May
At Vick Cemetery specifically:
- caused Wilson City Council to publicly acknowledge ownership of Vick Cemetery
- after such acknowledgment, the City deeded Vick Cemetery to Wilson Cemetery Commission, whose grounds staff are now responsible for its regular upkeep and maintenance
- WCC staff removed dead trees and shrubs from the central monument (a task begun by LSP volunteers), limbed up overgrown hollies, and regularly cleans the monument’s brick platform, and contractors recently repaired and reset bricks
- increased awareness of Vick Cemetery as a sacred space, which has drastically reduced dumping and other vandalism at the site
- successfully pushed for ground-penetrating radar of Vick Cemetery, which revealed 4,224+ graves within the surveyed boundaries
- forced the City of Wilson to release the GPR report and make it readily available to the public
- held a public meeting to discuss the findings of the GPR report and field questions from the public
- reconsecrated Vick Cemetery in a multi-denominational ceremony that centered the descendant community
- indirectly secured a $50,000 state allocation for capital improvements to Vick Cemetery
- raised questions, to date unanswered about the removal, storage, and loss of headstones removed from Vick Cemetery 1995-1996
- raised questions, to date unanswered, about the installation of 90-foot power poles in Vick and Rountree Cemeteries in 1997
- filed public records requests pursuant to an investigation of the headstone removal, the power poles, and other matters concerning the abuse and neglect of Vick Cemetery
- demanded communication with the descendant community and public input and feedback in decisions concerning Vick Cemetery
- demanded a full survey of Vick Cemetery with a plat map showing surface features to be filed with Wilson County Register of Deeds
- demanded additional ground-penetrating radar to confirm presence of graves in public right of way
- sounded the alarm regarding severe erosion of the ditch bank adjacent to Vick Cemetery
- demanded explanations and an action plan when contractors unearthed and damaged grave markers and plot boundary walls while excavating the ditch
Photo by Lisa Y. Henderson, December 2025.
Signal Boost: grant funding opportunity to preserve black churches.
Calling all pastors, elders, deacons, trustees, members, and community preservationists:
“The National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is now accepting applications for grant funding for historically Black Churches in your community through the Preserving Black Churches grant program.
“As the oldest institutions created and controlled by African Americans, these spaces are a living testament to the achievements and resiliency of generations of American families and communities. To preserve and uplift these historic places and the neighborhoods they serve, the Preserving Black Churches grant program provides funding ranging from $50,000 to $500,000.
“In 2025, 30 historically Black Churches across the United States received a collective $8.5 million in funding to support critical preservation work, from structural restoration work to enhancing stewardship planning.
“No church is too small. No town is too remote. If you or someone you know cares for a historically Black church, it may be eligible!
Grant applications are due September 12.”
Learn more: https://ow.ly/8Anz50WznNj
[Note: the announcement sets a September 12 due date. So does the website. The flyer says September 16. Don’t slip — assume the earlier date!]
Signal Boost: How Descendant Groups are Preserving African American History
Whitesboro Historic Preservation Project.
Signal Boost: Interior Design Camp at Sallie B. Howard School.
The Sallie B. Howard School Art Dept is excited to offer a unique Interior Design Summer Camp in partnership with UNC-Greensboro and designer/historic preservationist Monica Davis!