Lane Street Project Restores Neglected African-American Cemeteries in Wilson, North Carolina
The Lane Street Project, a community-driven conservation collective in Wilson, North Carolina, is dedicated to the recovery, documentation, and restoration of three historic, neglected African-American cemeteries: Odd Fellows Cemetery (established circa 1900), Rountree Cemetery (established circa 1906), and Vick Cemetery (established 1913). Founded in 2020 by local historian Lisa Y. Henderson, the initiative has transformed these long-abandoned spaces into recognized historic sites. The project organizes multi-generational volunteers for physical restoration, including clearing overgrown brush and trash, and for historical mapping, formally registering the cemeteries with the North Carolina State Office of Archaeology. They also compile public databases of burials from death certificates and grave markers, preserving records dating back to the 1760s. In October 2026, the project successfully advocated for comprehensive interpretive signage and permanent granite boundary markers at Vick Cemetery.
