Date of Award

Spring 2024

Thesis Type

Open Access

Degree Name

Honors Bachelor of Arts

Department

Anthropology

Sponsor

Zackary Gilmore

Committee Member

Shan-Estelle Brown

Committee Member

Andres Romero

Abstract

Eatonville, Florida is the first all-Black incorporated town in the United States and the hometown of Zora Neale Hurston. This remarkable town is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Eatonville’s historic cemetery, however, is left out. This thesis examines why Eatonville Memorial Gardens was considered ineligible for the National Register and collects data to submit a new nomination. Through ethnographic interviews and archaeological and archival data, this work explores what historic Black cemeteries mean to their communities as well as our shared history. This work also hopes to answer the question of what is lost when a cemetery is lost.

Rights Holder

Caroline Amein

Available for download on Thursday, October 30, 2025

Share

COinS