My mother and I went to see the Geer Cemetery exhibit at the Museum of Durham History yesterday, then stopped by Geer itself to pay respects. 

The museum is small, but impactful, and offers a great model for Wilson, which, unlike neighboring Wayne and Johnston Counties, has no general history museum.

The Geer Cemetery exhibit offers the history of the cemetery and of efforts to reclaim it and has a number of interactive features, including StoryMaps. 

At Geer Cemetery, I quickly found the iconic flower-shaped grave marker of Rev. Abram B. Joyner, which inspired Friends of Geer Cemetery’s logo. 

Friends of Geer Cemetery has been an inspiration since Lane Street Project’s earliest days, and I congratulate and thank them for all they have done and continue to do at Geer. As with Brooklyn Cemetery in Athens, Georgia, Geer benefits immensely from the proximity of a top-notch major research university. Rountree, Odd Fellows, and Vick Cemeteries don’t have this advantage, but we’re taking notes! 

A special shout-out to Deborah Taylor Gonzalez-Garcia. The Scavenger Hunt exercise? What a fantastic idea!