Atlanta International Students Help Buckhead Heritage Society Clean Historic Cemetery
From Patch Staff Reports - www.buckheadpatch.com
A group of 10th graders from the Atlanta International School worked with Buckhead Heritage Society members on May 7 to clean up historic Mount Olive Cemetery.
The 20 students and two of their teachers helped to remove debris from the site, according to the Heritage Society. Society member Elon Osby, whose ancestors are buried in the cemetery, helped to coordinate the work day.
At the start of the day, Erica Danylchak, executive director of the Buckhead Heritage Society, presented a history of the cemetery while Wright Mitchell, the society's president, provided an overview of the legal battle to protect it.
Volunteers then worked through the morning to remove leaf litter, small limbs, and invasive plants from the site. The students and Buckhead Heritage Society volunteers uncovered brickwork and other burial features that had been previously covered by debris.
"The volunteers made great progress in just one morning, filling 120 lawn refuse bags with debris. It was very satisfying to see the transformation of the site as a result of the commitment of Buckhead Heritage members and AIS students," Danylchak said. "It was even more satisfying, however, to see the students' high level of interest in the history and significance of the site, which resulted in careful attention to their work and enthusiasm over their discoveries."
Mount Olive Cemetery is the last remnant of the community of Macedonia Park, initially founded by freed slaves after the Civil War. It developed into a thriving community in the early 20th century. However, in the 1940s, the community and its residents were systematicallyremoved to make way for the present Frankie Allen Park. Located at the park entrance, Mt.Olive is a .22 acre cemetery containing approximately 45 marked and unmarked African-American graves.
Since 2009, Buckhead Heritage has been vigorously advocating for the preservation of Mount Olive Cemetery. In October 2010, the Fulton County Superior Court barred a developer from removing the graves at the site in response to a lawsuit filed against him on behalf of Elon Butts Osby. Osby was represented by Mitchell and his law firm Constangy, Brooks & Smith, LLP on a pro bono basis.
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