Laurel Wilson
  • Heritage Preservation, Public History
  • Class of 2017
  • Decatur, GA

Heritage Preservation Student Laurel Wilson Works With Community to Preserve & Record History of a Lesser-Known Part of the Decatur Cemetery

2017 Mar 28

Laurel Wilson, of Decatur, a student in Georgia State University's Heritage Preservation program, is working with the Decatur community to help preserve and record the history of African-Americans buried in a lesser-known section of the city's historic cemetery called Section 6.

Wilson's work deals with the Decatur Cemetery, a city cemetery located on the north side of town near Commerce Drive and Church Street. As part of her master's program, she is putting together a multigenerational documentary about the people who were laid to rest there, and whose descendants are sharing their family stories - oral history - with her.

Just as segregation separated Decatur citizens while alive, in death, Decaturites were buried separately in the cemetery's Section 6. Throughout the 20th century, Section 6 has suffered from neglect, vandalism, and the elements. Headstones and other cemetery markers have been knocked over or removed and burial records can be few and far between.

Today, the volunteer organization Friends of Decatur Cemetery works tirelessly to maintain, beautify and preserve the historic cemetery, but their resources are limited.

Wilson's work is assisting in filling in the historical gap by putting together the histories of the people buried in Section 6 through the oral histories of the people whose ancestors were buried there, as well as piecing together the records that do exist, including newspaper accounts, census records, and death certificates.

"I think it's important to ensure that history is inclusive of everyone," Wilson said. "I see a lot of heroes who are underrepresented. It's finding a story of not just survival, but thriving, while facing roadblocks."

Her documentary will look at Sally Durham, a prominent businesswoman in Decatur who was a strong figure in the community, and her descendants, who became prominent figures in Atlanta's Old Fourth Ward district.

Wilson is also working with members of the community to record the stories of the Beacon community in Decatur, which was displaced due to redevelopment during the mid-20th Century. "There's not just the story of struggle; there was also so much accomplishment," she said.