Pone’s Aiding Society Cemetery link to Albany’s past

ALBANY — It started with a white picket fence.

Albany contractor and amateur historian Michael Harper remembered riding by the weed-covered, solitary lot off Highland Avenue, which bisects the property of Union Baptist Church and the lower campus of Albany State University, and seeing the fence along an incline.

A chance drive along Highland, and the memory of that fence, got the better of Harper, so he stopped to do a little investigating. What he found was an all-but-forgotten part of Albany’s history, an African-American cemetery sitting atop a tree-shaded incline that overlooks Union Baptist and ASU.

Now Harper has declared himself the “unofficial sexton” of the cemetery, leading efforts to clean the property and working with local and state officials to have Pone’s Aiding Society Cemetery declared a historic site.

“When I remembered seeing that white picket fence, I figured that property had some significance,” Harper said. “Later, when I stopped to take a look, I stepped on a piece of metal that turned out to be a sign designating the property as the Pone’s Aiding Society Cemetery. The weeds were high and the lot was overgrown, but I started finding all these old graves and markers.

“I’m someone who loves history, and I was immediately fascinated.”

So Harper started doing a little research. What he found was that the Pone’s Aiding Society was a group formed by Archie Pone and four other African-American men from the nearby Hazard Community who used their resources to help African-American families living in the area. The society helped poor blacks get food and clothing, and they founded the cemetery in 1915 as a place where black families could purchase a final resting place.

“It must have been something spiritual that brought me out here,” Harper said. “I remember thinking it’s a damned shame this historic place had been pretty much forgotten. With the death of the last member of the board of the Pone’s Aiding Society, the property reverted to Union Baptist Church. But I don’t believe the church ever conducted a funeral there.”

Harper said his research showed that the earliest burial in the cemetery was conducted in 1927, when Will Powell was laid to rest on the peaceful little hill. Callie Ellis, who was born in 1882, was the last person buried at Pone’s Cemetery, in 1983.

Walking among the 80 or so graves and grave markers uncovered by Harper and volunteers during cleanup sessions at the cemetery is like venturing into Albany’s past. Some graves and monuments are crudely made, with names and dates inscribed by hand into concrete that had not yet set. The oldest date of birth recorded among the graves is 1854, and four graves identify the interred as veterans. There’s even a Purple heart recipient, Robert Lee Barnes, who served in the Vietnam War.

Harper said he’s contacted officials with the state Department of Natural Resources, which regulates cemeteries, and the local Thronateeska Heritage Center to start the process of finding restoration funding and recognition for the cemetery. Thronateeska Executive Director Tommy Gregors said the cemetery has historic significance.

“We plan to work with the group to help them find possible funding sources,” Gregors said. “I think this cemetery absolutely warrants our attention and needs to be preserved. We owe it to the community, and preserving our region’s history is why we’re here.”

Thronateeska Curator Shay Meredith said he’s in the initial stages of researching the Pone’s Aiding Society Cemetery, but he’s planning to work with Harper, Union Baptist, the local African-American Historical Society and the iLOGIC community group that are working jointly on the restoration and recognition of the cemetery.

“The Flint River has long been the historical dividing line between blacks and whites in Albany,” Meredith said. “And (the cemetery) is a significant part of the history of the local African-American community that most people did not know was even there. That’s pretty amazing.

“I don’t believe the cemetery’s condition deteriorated because of purposeful neglect by (Union Baptist). I believe it just got lost in the shuffle along the way. People have walked past that cemetery for decades not even realizing it was there.”

Indeed, Jessie and Vonteresa Green, heading from downtown Albany to the Albany State campus during the university’s homecoming celebration, stopped by when they say people standing in the cemetery.

“I’m really pretty amazed to know this cemetery is here,” Jessie Green said. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been by here and didn’t even see it or have any idea that this even existed.”

Added Vonteresa Green: “Oh, my goodness, there’s a lot of history, a lot of heritage right here in this cemetery.”

Cliff Porter, the executive assistant to Albany State President Art Dunning, came to the cemetery on a recent Saturday morning to help with cleanup efforts. He said he was aware of its existence from his days as an ASU student, but he’d like to see it receive recognition for its historical significance.

“Before the end of this semester, I plan to go to the Student Government Association and have them add (restoration work on the cemetery) to their service projects,” Porter said. “This is a pretty significant part of our community’s history right here at our campus.”

Harper, who refers to himself as a “foot soldier” who is more comfortable letting others do the required paperwork while he does the “grunt work,” said he’ll keep working to bring a sense of dignity to the 80 or so souls who were laid to rest in the Pone’s Aiding Society Cemetery.

“I have a philosophy: ‘Each one teach one,’” Harper said. “What I hope we’re able to do is properly recognize this cemetery for its historical significance in the African-American community. And I hope we’re able to get enough folks involved to restore its condition. The people who are buried here, the families they represent, they deserve the dignity of having their final resting place restored.”

Harper said he has work days planned at the Pone’s Aiding Society Cemetery on Nov. 14 and 28 and Dec. 5 and 12. For information, contact him at (229) 854-1371.