volunteerism
Lane Street Project: MLK Day of Service 2026 was amazing!
Lane Street Project continues to reinforce connections and build bridges across all kinds of gaps, one armload of sticks at a time. Despite yesterday’s cold, both new and veteran volunteers showed up to chip away at this year’s mound of tasks, mixing fresh energy and seasoned experience.
Said Derrick Ruffin of his interaction with Castonoble Hooks, Briggs Sherwood, and Dr. Judy Wellington Rashid, “I was given life twice today, and I’m so thankful to have been a part of this community event.”
Cass Hooks: “Today was historic, poetic, prophetic on so many levels! You had to be there to fully understand scope and depth of today’s meeting. Dr. Rashid is truly a blessing of insight and a wealth of knowledge that she so humbly shares to the benefit of all who listen. Honored to be a part of her team in this important work. We all made discovery through conversations that revealed connections that are truly remarkable! We all came to realization that our coming together is no accident! I am sure we will write our individual narratives; my belief is God showed us today we are in the right place at the right time! Dr. Rashid lead us into powerful prayer that was both inspiring and direct! God is with us! Our theme, “We care!,” on the fence in bold letters thanks to Jen Kehrer. We continue to fight the good fight! Our ancestors matter, we are the proof. Just begun to fight and that’s the truth! My name is Castonoble — the skinny, nappy-head kid from Ashe Street! The boy who never quit. Stopped school early, but never stopped learning. Armed with truths, lies now burning. Save our cemeteries!”
Our next clean-up days are during Black History Month, February 7 and 21. We’ll be focusing on clearing the floor of the woods as much as possible, chopping everything except daffodils and yucca. There’s a large section of tall, rough, dry weeds in the center of the cemetery that needs to be hacked down, as well as the area behind the Vick plot. Please consider joining us. All are welcome!
Lane Street Project: MLK service day, January 19.
Lane Street Project: S6 D1 is in the books!
An enthusiastic thank you to the crew that opened Season 6 of Lane Street Project’s cemetery cleanups yesterday! Workday 1 is in the books!
On a warm, overcast morning, volunteers focused on cutting and clearing wisteria sprouts that sprang up inside the tree line in the off-season. This is critical to prepare for future work at Odd Fellows. Special thanks to newly elected District 6 council member Eduardo Herrera-Picasso, who looked, listened, and learned — and got to work with a string trimmer!
The next volunteer opportunity comes on Martin Luther King Jr. holiday — Monday, January 19! There’s work for everyone, of every ability, and we welcome all!
WE CARE!
Installation by Jen Kehrer. Photo courtesy of Olivia Neeley.
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.
Lane Street Project: Season 6, Workday 1 — January 10!
Lane Street Project’s Season 6 opening cleanup is Saturday, January 10. We hope to see you, your family, your friends, your coworkers, your church members, your club members, your students, your faculty, your lodge brothers and sisters, your sorors, your frats, your neighbors, your council members, your city manager, your mayor … the whole Wilson out here!
Lane Street Project: Season 6 starts in two weeks!!
Lane Street Project’s Cleanup Season 6 starts in two weeks. It’s more important than ever that the community shows how much it cares about its historic cemeteries — help us make this the best season ever!
As always, workdays are 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M., weather permitting. We’ll be focusing on clearing the ground of weeds, young vines, and small saplings as we prepare to intensify our search for graves and grave markers. All are welcome!
Lane Street Project: Homeschoolers Honoring Ancestors return!
We met the amazing Homeschoolers Honoring Ancestors in March when they volunteered to clean headstones at Odd Fellows Cemetery. Their genuine interest, attentive listening, and careful work impressed us all, and I was delighted when the Beam family reached out again about another H.H.A. visit. This time, the students wanted to start their service day by conducting an oral history interview of Senior Force member Castonoble Hooks!
With their work day so close to Veterans Day, I asked if the students would be interested in planning something to honor Odd Fellows’ vets, and the Beams readily agreed. They sent a list of the interview questions in advance, and I supplied a short roster of the soldiers we know are buried in Odd Fellows, including Spanish-American War veteran Willie Gay.
On the morning of November 14, Cass Hooks and Briggs Sherwood met the homeschoolers at Odd Fellows under a clear, but chilly, sky. Vicki Cowan, great-granddaughter of Samuel and Annie M. Vick, came to bear witness, as did Chris Facey, the photographer who has captured so many of our impactful moments. Drew Wilson of the Wilson Times also came.
The children set out a chair for Mr. Hooks, then fanned several chairs across from him.
Here’s what Cass Hooks had to say: “Yesterday was one of most memorable days of my life! These wonderful young people requested an interview to learn about me and my life and work! They are a homeschooled group of very intelligent and socially conscious young people. They came last year with knowledge and enthusiasm to our cleanup. They showed such maturity then, brought me to tears the concern they displayed. But this time they were going to honor our Spanish-American War veteran Willie Gay. I was humbled when they requested to interview me. They were interested in me, my life, my work, my upbringing. There is no greater honor than to be of interest to the young for an old man. For a young person to think you have something to say that they would come on a cold morning to a cemetery to hear. Makes me proud of the path my ancestors placed me on so many years ago. Another generation touched by my love of community and heritage! This day was special on so many levels. The Lane Street Project has always been supported by the Senior Force. Now we have the Children of the Lane Street Project. They are the future!”
The Senior Force and Homeschoolers Honoring Ancestors, partners in preservation.
“It was fun! Taking notes, reading the poem. It was a fun experience,” said Eve Beam.
Placing a flag at Corp. Willie Gay’s headstone.
A student read A.E. Housman’s poem “Here dead we lie” at Corp. Willie Gay’s grave.
This is community, folks. And we love to see it.
In two months, Lane Street Project will begin its sixth cleanup season. If you and your friends or colleagues have come out before, we welcome you back. If you’ve never been, we beckon you to come forward. Our most enduring partnerships have been with young people — these homeschoolers, the students of Greenfield School, the undergraduates of Barton College. They are eager to learn about the history of their community and to contribute in any way they can to preserve that history. Won’t you join them?
Photos courtesy of Chris Facey.
Lane Street Project: thanks once again, Barton College!
Today, about a dozen Barton College students (including three from abroad) demonstrated their commitment to community, spending their Day of Service at Odd Fellows with Lane Street Project’s Senior Force. This is the third year we’ve hosted Barton students, and we are grateful both for their help and for the opportunity to share some Wilson history. Thank you, Professor Lydia Walker, for making and keeping this connection!
Lane Street Project: Community cooperation – we love it!
Yesterday, the community came together for the first of two scheduled clean-ups at Hamilton Burial Garden. I was surprised and touched to learn that Donta Chestnut also took some time to bring lawn maintenance professional Quell to Odd Fellows. Speaking live on Facebook, Chestnut showed Quell and others around while relaying the story of Samuel H. Vick, the histories of both Odd Fellows and Vick Cemeteries, and Lane Street Project.
So much work to do here and at Hamilton, and it’s going to take the whole village’s commitment. This, y’all, is how we honor our past and our present! Thank you!