Problems of neglect, ownership confusion linger at historic Lincoln Cemetery
Annie Alloway, who died in January at the age of 76, wanted to be laid to rest with her mother and other members of her family.
When her family and friends huddled together at Lincoln Cemetery to pay their final respects to the woman who had entertained them so often with her jokes and stories, they saw tears, respect and love. They did not see the three large garbage bags of trash that Alloway’s nephew, Autry Bostick, spent hours picking up before her service.
“I didn’t want them to see trash all around like that,” said Bostick, a 57-year-old who once lived in Montgomery but now lives in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Most say conditions at Lincoln Cemetery are actually better today than in past years, but that isn’t saying much. There are worse troubles than litter plaguing Montgomery oldest commercial cemetery for African-Americans.
When human bones are visible because of broken concrete slabs and there is no one tracking who is buried there, litter becomes a minor issue.
Lincoln Cemetery has long been one of Montgomery’s most notorious mysteries. Although privately owned, for years no one has acknowledged owning the cemetery. If the city, family members and volunteer groups did not periodically maintain the property, no one would.
Yet the burials continue.
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Council seeks solutions for neglected cemetery.
A cease-and-desist order will be issued for businesses burying people at Lincoln Cemetery until a lasting solution can be hashed out by a Montgomery City Council standing committee.
The question of who, if anyone, runs the cemetery — and what should be done about it — became more mystifying as city officials and residents tried to achieve a better understanding of what is happening at the oldest commercial African-American cemetery in Montgomery and how it came to be the quagmire it is today.
“We must do something to stop any further activity with that business burying people out there,” said City Councilman Willie Cook during the meeting.
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Annie Alloway, who died in January at the age of 76, wanted to be laid to rest with her mother and other members of her family…..