Dennis Sawyer Memorial Park and Cemetery Circa 1956 - Florida Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Dennis Sawyer Memorial Park was established in 1956 when R.V. and Hazel Woods deeded three acres of land for use as an African American cemetery. It was originally managed by Greater Mount Olive AME Church, but years later, the cemetery deteriorated due to neglect and vandalism. Bahamian émigré Dennis Sawyer and his wife Rebecca are buried in the cemetery. The marker for Rebecca, who died in 1960, has deteriorated but remains readable. The grave for Dennis, who died in 1964, is unidentified, although there is a nearby concrete slab marker similar in design to Rebecca's. A survey uncovered six other gravesites. One, marked “MI Bowman,” was for a six-year-old child who died in 1962; only broken pieces of concrete remain for the other five. In 1963, two acres of the cemetery were deeded back to the Woods family, leaving only one acre for the cemetery. A portion of the last acre became property of Brevard County and was transformed into a park. The remaining property, which belonged to Dennis Sawyer Cemetery, was transferred to Brevard County in 1972 when the owner defaulted on unpaid taxes. That property was deeded back to Greater Mount Olive AME Church in 2012.

Marker Number: F-1092 Date: 2020 County: Brevard Marker Type: Roadside Sponsored or placed by: The Brevard County Historical Commission, the Brevard County Tourist Development Council, and the Florida Department of State Website: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   09/07/2023 hart612 visited it