As posted at the City Projects webpage on 15 October 2025:
I popped in at Register of Deeds this morning.
For Vick Cemetery, the Wilson County GIS website shows a “-” for Plat Reference, as it always has.
A search of recent filings by the City of Wilson confirms that no plat map has yet been recorded.
Rather than the dialogue we have begged for, in September 2025 the City announced its choice to communicate about Vick via the passive, uni-directional, highly controlled medium of its website. Judging by its lax updating of info about prized projects like the baseball stadium — “what’s next? The buildings in the stadium footprint will be demolished soon.” — we knew where this was going. The City of Wilson is nothing if not predictable, and here we are.
One week and a day later, and silence still from the City of Wilson concerning what happened at Vick and Odd Fellows Cemeteries. No information, no explanation, no apology. From where I sit, the silence is an ineloquent “f**k you” to the cemeteries’ descendant communities and to anyone else who cares about what happens to these sacred spaces.
I’m finally in Wilson, and here’s what I saw yesterday afternoon.
Learn more about the Tate family plot here. Also, review this video from February 2020. From about 1:10-1:15, I’m walking past the high point of Odd Fellows at the Dawson and Tate plots. You can see a bit of one end of the exposed Tate wall at 1:12, then a section of the missing fourth side abutting the other end a couple of seconds later. That section is gone, scooped up and hauled away, I guess, and dumped wherever they dumped everything else they scraped away.
Here’s Vick Cemetery, post “flattening,” as Rebecca Agner put it.
And here, video from July 2023, when I walked the full front edge of Vick. The little orange-painted stobs I refer to above are visible in the first 3:30 minutes. You can see how far into the top surface of Vick the excavator cut to flatten the ditch bank.
And finally, is it another broken-up grave marker? Rip-rap? The City isn’t talking.
Videos by Lisa Y. Henderson, December 2025.
Thirty years ago, the City of Wilson, via its council, city manager, and public works department, designed, approved, and implemented a plan to remove all standing headstones in Vick Cemetery and grade its surface. Those headstones were stored temporarily, then destroyed.
Here’s the law:
The City got away with this brazen and unlawful act and, recently, its representatives have deflected criticisms of the desecration of Vick with talk of good intentions, alleged community support for the plan, and let-bygones-be-bygones.
Last week, the City implemented another plan — whose details have not been made public — to address severe erosion of the drainage ditch that borders Vick. Contractors used excavators to “flatten” the top edge of the ditch bank. Though this area is in the modern public right of way, descendant testimony, limited ground-penetrating radar, and common sense attest that burials took place up to the edge of what was then an unpaved lane. Nonetheless, heavy machines cut into the surface of both Vick and Odd Fellows Cemeteries, exposing and damaging grave markers.
Let there be no ambiguity this time. Don’t let them — 30 years from now — shrug and say nobody said anything about the violence done to our dead. As descendants and kinfolk of men, women, and children buried in Vick and Odd Fellows Cemeteries, we decry the renewed abuse of these sacred spaces. We demand transparency and accountability concerning the decisions that led to this grievous error. We demand empathy, care and compassion. And, again, we demand a ground-penetrating radar survey of the public right of way at Vick Cemetery.
Imagine you were a city council member in a certain mid-size eastern North Carolina city. Imagine learning one morning that in your district, a quarter-mile from your own front door, city-contracted excavators had scraped the ditch alongside two historic cemeteries, exposing and damaging headstones and concrete kerbing.
What would your public response be?
Tell me you would have one.
The city placed cones around the damaged marker late Friday morning. But look left. Is that another?
No? Neither you nor any of the other six council members, nor the city manager, nor the assistant city manager put in charge of the project?
No.
Photo courtesy of C. Facey.
I submitted this public records request to the city clerk and city attorney today.
I’ll let you know.
As of this morning, this is the scene of the latest desecration of graves at Vick Cemetery. The site lies uncovered, exposed to the elements.
Do you hear something?
That’s the deafening silence from the City in the wake of this avoidable outrage. Beyond communication director Rebecca Agner’s terse comment to the Times, there has been no public statement of explanation, of apology, of anything. The absence of any public communication from the City, the failure to acknowledge the distress this incident has caused — all heighten the harm done. We demand acknowledgment, transparency, accountability, a plan for repair, and a clear explanation of what will be done to prevent additional damage to Vick Cemetery.
Photos courtesy of T. Speight. Thank you!
Yesterday morning, city contractors scraping the ditch bank alongside Vick Cemetery uncovered — and broke — a marble grave marker.
This terrible development is shocking, but hardly surprising. We’ve been screaming to anyone who will listen that there are graves in the public right-of-way.
First, the Wilson Times‘ coverage (which includes my inarticulate comments — I was so wound up). Then my less temperate thoughts about what is happening.
——
Tuesday afternoon, I got a text:
Was the City working on the drainage issue? Last I heard, they were just exploring a plan. Nobody seemed to know.
Then yesterday morning, I got a call from Mayor Carlton Stevens — thank you! — who explained what had happened and assured me that work had stopped until further guidance from New South Associates. I asked for photos of the broken stone, and he obliged by returning to the site to show me via FaceTime.
Let me back up for a moment.
On 2 September 2025, I sent a letter to mayor, city manager, and council that requested, among other things:
On 25 September 2025, I posted the City’s newly revealed plans for spending the $50,000 allotted by the General Assembly for capital expenditures at Vick Cemetery. The City’s bullet point is in blue. My response (which largely tracks my communication to mayor and council) is in red. In black, further commentary.
In summary: (1) please don’t — yet again — rely solely on tools from the public works box to address the erosion problems and (2) WE NEED TO SURVEY THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY.
I have no idea what the plan was when work started on Bishop L.N. Forbes Street Tuesday. But I know what it was not — either of the above. Apparently, contractors were “flattening the surface … in advance of stormwater work,” i.e. scraping the ditch bank not only alongside Vick Cemetery, but Odd Fellows as well. The discovery of a marble slab tilting out of the soil stopped the work, but what about this?
This is the ditch alongside Odd Fellows, and that is the broken end of the low concrete wall that once enclosed the Tate and Dawson family plots. It was exposed by the “flattening” that someone decided was a great way to stop the encroachment into and undercutting of the edge of these cemeteries by open drainage ditches.
Here, in 2025, the City of Wilson’s hubris is leading it to make the same mistakes that resulted in the removal of headstones and grading and resurfacing of Vick Cemetery circa 1995; the paving over of graves to create a parking pad in the late 1990s; the installation of power poles in Vick and Rountree Cemeteries in 1997; the destruction of headstones in City storage in the early 2000s; and the alleged damage to graves in Odd Fellows by heavy equipment while repairing a high-voltage line, also in the early 2000s (I haven’t even talked about that.)
Where does it stop? When will they listen?
There’s a City Council meeting tonight, folks. The three new council members will be installed and a mayor pro tem will be elected. After the reports, there will be a call for audience comments. I can’t be there, but I hope you can. Ask them what fresh hell they are putting our ancestors through. Tell them how you feel about the continued rough handling of our people’s graves. If these are not your people, speak out anyway. Practice radical empathy. Express your outrage. Demand better.
There’s a lot going on in and around Vick Cemetery this week. Some of it’s breaking news, and as badly as I want to come in hot, I’m going to hold off on that a bit.
The other, though: Remember when I complained about the City’s chosen method of communication about its plans for Vick? I happened to check the City Projects page today at wilsonnc.org, and lo and behold:
UPDATE 10/15/2025
Click the bid link and here’s what you find, in pertinent part:
Keene Memorials, based in Four Oaks, was awarded the bid on 8 December 2025.
Erosion at Vick Cemetery, October 2025.
On September 26, I submitted a brief statement and set of questions about Vick Cemetery to all eleven candidates for Wilson City Council seats. I emailed the nine candidates for whom I was able to locate email addresses and mailed letters to the other two.
Ninety-foot power pole installed in Vick Cemetery in 1997 by the City of Wilson.
The responses received:
District 3
No response.
District 5
No response.
No response.
First and foremost, thank you for your leadership regarding this issue. Your knowledge, perseverance, and commitment is admirable.
Below are my responses to your questions:
The descendant community should have an equal voice with other stakeholders because they, more than anyone, know and care about the stories, history, and cultural connection of those buried there. Their input ensures the cemetery is cared for with respect, accuracy, and dignity that honors their ancestors and Wilson’s heritage.
I believe the use of additional ground-penetrating radar is a respectful, responsible way to identify all graves, honor those buried, and ensure the cemetery’s history is preserved with dignity. It’s an investment in truth, healing, and our community’s shared heritage.
I share the desire for justice, and I fear an investigation at this junction would not truly deliver it. Instead, I would focus our resources on correcting these wrongs as best we can today, ensuring the cemetery and those laid to rest there receive the dignity they were once denied.
District 6
Dear Ms. Henderson,
Thank you for your unwavering dedication to preserving the history and dignity of East Wilson’s historic cemeteries, and especially for the important work you lead through the Lane Street Project. As a candidate for City Council, I fully support the restoration of Vick Cemetery and believe we must do everything in our power to honor the lives and legacy of those buried there.
While canvassing, my wife had the opportunity to meet Mr. Castonoble [Hooks], and I had the privilege of meeting him personally after I spoke at a recent City Council meeting. During our conversation, he shared with me his concerns and explained that the city has had $50,000 allocated for Vick Cemetery but has not taken any visible action to use those funds. I told him directly that if the city has those $50,000, then they need to be used immediately. There is no excuse for delay. The community has waited long enough, and it’s time for real, visible progress.
This conversation reinforced why I am running for office. We need change in Wilson. We need leadership that listens to the community and acts on its needs. We can no longer ignore the voices of our residents, especially when they are calling for justice, respect, and accountability.
In response to your specific questions:
Proactive engagement with the Vick Cemetery descendant community
Yes, I fully support ongoing and meaningful engagement with the Vick Cemetery descendant community. These families and community members must be involved in every step of the restoration process. Their insights, history, and lived experiences are essential. As a council member, I will advocate for transparency, regular public updates, and inclusive collaboration with all stakeholders.
Additional ground-penetrating radar (GPR)
Yes, I support expanding the GPR survey to include areas not yet studied, including the public right-of-way and any remaining portions of the cemetery. Every grave deserves to be identified and honored. We cannot move forward without fully understanding the scope of what lies beneath this sacred ground.
An independent investigation into the removal of headstones and installation of power poles
Yes, an independent investigation is necessary. The removal of headstones and the installation of power poles in a cemetery is deeply troubling. We need a full, transparent account of what happened and why, and if there are ways to restore what was lost. This is about accountability and respect, and we owe that to the families of those buried at Vick Cemetery.
Again, thank you for your work and advocacy. I stand with the Lane Street Project and with all those who are fighting to preserve and protect Wilson’s history. Together, we can ensure that our city values and honors every part of its past as we build a better future.
No response.
District 7
I would first like to thank you for reaching out to me in the matter concerning Vick Cemetery. I will keep it short as I know that your time is valuable.
No response.
Hello. My name is Johnnie E. Chestnut, candidate for Wilson City Council District 7 since 2017-present. I’ve been following this story since 2016 to where we are today. City council meetings, hearings, public opinions, etc., etc. It’s my understanding that the City of Wilson spokeswoman Rebecca Agner and the Wilson Cemetery Commission with the current City Council members I would like to consider if I can talk with them about the concerns and future plans for Vicks Cemetery other than the $50,000 allocated funds. Alongside Mr. Hooks, he’s been and advocating the erosions, utility poles and the removal of headstones. The difference between Maplewood Cemetery is in more stable condition than East Wilson cemeteries. As we seen, August 2025 with law enforcement and some leaders in the community had conducted an investigation that some human and bone fragments were in the side ditch. With that being said I would like to have a more detailed blueprint on the funding for the future of Vicks Cemetery and where would the funding come from other than the stormwater fund. The Commission Board plans along what Mayor Stevens’ opinion on this as I look forward to talking to you on this. Thank you for reaching out on this sensitive matter and my thoughts on what can be done as we move into 2026.
Thank you, Ms. Henderson, for your leadership in preserving and telling the story of East Wilson’s history.
The history of Vick Cemetery is not just about the past, it is about how we as a city choose to honor and respect our community today.
When I am elected to City Council, I would support the following:
I believe the City must actively engage with the families and descendants of those buried at Vick Cemetery before making decisions that affect the site. This includes regular updates, opportunities for public input, and listening sessions to make sure this sacred ground is treated with dignity.
I support additional GPR studies of the right-of-way and unsurveyed areas to fully map where graves are located. We cannot restore what we do not fully understand, and this is a necessary step to protect those resting places from future disturbance.
I believe there should be an independent investigation into the removal and disappearance of headstones, as well as the installation of power poles inside the cemetery boundary. The community deserves transparency and answers about how this happened and what will be done to prevent similar harm in the future.
Vick Cemetery is a cornerstone of Wilson’s African-American history. Any improvements must be done with care, respect, and full participation from the community.
Thank you for this question. I will work to make sure we finish what we started. I too have family who is buried somewhere in Vick Cemetery, this is personal for me.
I will do everything I can to make sure the city follows through with the plan when I am elected for City Council District 7!
[Updated 10/13/2025.] I am very passionate about the preservation of historical sites. Especially, the ones of African American history. I have been part of cleaning up one the cemeteries. I have personally walked the grounds reading the headstones. And I found it very disrespectful and concerning to see headstones broken and overgrown by debris. I have been following the issues of these historical cemeteries in the newspaper over the years. I think it’s disgraceful that the city has treated these historical places of rest, like farm land. I believe the city has a duty to correct this wrong. I believe more radar penetration should be done. Areas of erosion should be fixed. All headstones that can be saved, should be. And any that cannot, should have a memorial or a marker to show. The city should write a letter of apology for this disgraceful wrongdoing to its African American citizens. And to show that it respects all citizens. When I served in the military, I was in charge of Funeral Detail for all fallen soldiers, past and present. I have always believed in showing the utmost respect. So respecting and the preservation of any fallen, should be shown the respect it deserves. And as a Black American, who has seen and experienced personally unfair treatment, I am and will be a supporter of Wilson’s historical places.
In just a week, the grass seed thrown by Public Works into the Vick Cemetery ditch is green and growing. Let’s hope it continues to thrive when its roots hit the sterilized soil below.
Odd Fellows Cemetery after a little Bulldog love. Thanks again!
Another view of the ditch bank at its high point.
Not a moment too soon. Here the bank has caved in.
A reminder of why we need the survey map — and need it recorded. The stake was one of the boundary markers New South Associates set. Predictably, it — and all the other boundary stakes — fell down. The stobs once marked the head or foot of a grave detected via ground-penetrating radar. They’re lying on patch of ground scorched by Pramitol (or something similar) sprayed to try to preserve their locations.
I’ve said it before. This stretch of street is a hot mess. It’s like the backyard basketball court your Cousin Junior poured before he turned the truck in. No apparent sub-base. Thus, both the street and the patch have failed.
A new concrete apron has been poured at the gravel utility access road that runs along Lane Park. Beyond it, no curb, no gutter until you pass Rountree Cemetery.
Interesting. Locate what?
