In College Park, Georgia, a shrouded piece of Black history has finally been uncovered. Volunteers are clearing decades of overgrowth from a historic African American cemetery, which longtime residents say has rested behind Mount Calvary Baptist Church for more than 100 years, per CBS News.

One Square Project, Inc. is leading the cleanup efforts, unearthing headstones belonging to College Park’s first African American veterans, educators, morticians, community leaders, and generations of local families.

“We found pioneers in the College Park community,” said Craig Eberhart with the organization. “They deserve the right to have a decent burial place for their final resting place because some of the people who are here were trailblazers in College Park. Jefferson F. Beavers, who the local school is named after his family is buried here.”

Organizers estimate roughly 700 people are buried across the seven-acre site, many of whom were foundational to the community’s development. So far, the group has raised about $6,000, but they estimate full restoration will cost more than $1 million.

Volunteers typically gather on Saturdays to clear brush and reopen pathways, slowly bringing the cemetery back into view after years of neglect. “We need assistance from the city, county, state, and federal officials to make this project possible,” said Eberhart.

Restoring the cemetery is more than just pruning and landscaping; it’s about reclaiming a space where Black life is honored and remembering generations whose contributions shaped the city.

The project also highlights a growing movement to locate, document, and restore abandoned Black cemeteries that were left to decay after segregation and urban development erased them from public view. By bringing this site back, volunteers are ensuring that College Park’s Black ancestors are not forgotten.