Coley works to preserve history through cemetery cleanup efforts
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on July 6, 2016 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/JOEY PITCHFORD
Frank Coley clears away brush with a chain saw recently at the Coley Cemetery on Lancaster Road near Pikeville.
Frank Coley is a man determined to see history endure.
The Wayne County native, who now lives in Charlotte, comes back every month to clean up his family cemetery, on Lancaster road near Pikeville. Coley Cemetery is the final resting place not only of his immediate family, but of his extended family running all the way back to the slavery era. Coley, along with some family and others, has spent years cleaning the site, which was once overgrown with plants as high as his waist.
Coley and his cousin, Jake Green, were working at the cemetery last week. Armed with a chain saw, the two cleared brush that had begun to encroach on the older section of the cemetery. As rain began to fall, Coley said his dedication to keeping the cemetery clean was born of simple respect.
"There are slaves buried here, and having come through slavery and segregation years to become truly proud Americans, we owe it back to these people to give respect to their history," he said.
The place also has a more personal connection to Coley and Green. Both men grew up working the fields next to the cemetery, on the site of what was once a white-owned plantation. Maintaining the cemetery was a part of daily life for the two of them, a family activity that involved large groups working together.
The people who once kept the cemetery have now largely passed away. Many of them are buried there, in family plots arranged in a line. Green pointed to a particular row of gravestones near the front of the plot.
"That's my family's plot," he said. "My mom, my stepdad and my grandparents.
"There's enough room left for me and my kids. That's how it was planned out."
Nowadays, Coley's eye is turning towards the future. Both Coley and Green have children who have never been to the cemetery, let alone helped fix it up. Green said he wishes he could get his family to come learn about their heritage, but doesn't blame them for not working on the cemetery.
"It may not mean anything to them, and that's not their fault. Everybody's doing their own thing," he said. "But it means a lot to me. There are a lot of good memories here."
Coley hopes to be able to gather a group of interested people together to sweep through the cemetery and clean the whole place up. He would also be interested in gathering donations to hire someone to keep the grounds there. More than anything, Coley called for his fellow African-Americans to come help him maintain the heritage once laid to rest.
"We have been blessed. I'm retired, but my father, my grandfather never would have been able to see something like what I have now. We have a responsibility to not let our heritage go away."
Coley said that, as hard as it has been for African-Americans to battle through adversity in America, it is vital to remember where they came from while keeping an eye on the future.
"You can't extend the pride all the way forward without looking at the pride going back."