BY STACIE LETT CAIN
The City of Statesville is moving closer to designating the Green Street Cemetery and Garfield Street area a historic district, according to Mayor Costi Kutteh.
“There have been numerous discussions and emails about historic signs and monuments at the Green Street Cemetery and district over the last year or more,” Kutteh said during Monday’s city council meeting.
Six properties have been identified for the placement of historic markers within that district. The properties are:
♦ Mt. Pleasant Zion Church;
♦ The former Peterson and Mangum Funeral Home:
♦ The former Billingsley Academy:
♦ The former Morningside School; and
♦ The Elm Street wooden bridge.
City staff is in the process of applying for a grant from the State Historic Preservation Office for architectural studies to be done in the area that would qualify it for designation as a National Historic District.
“The deadline to apply for this grant is April 14, 2023, with the grant being awarded in June of 2023,” Kutteh explained.
The city has been working with the Iredell County Public Library and the Statesville Branch NAACP on this effort.
The Library has been awarded a $20,000 grant in order to conduct a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey of the Green Street Cemetery to verify the number of burials. The cemetery is believed to be the oldest cemetery in Statesville and the largest in the county for formerly enslaved peoples.
I cannot understand why her name is being left out, but Dr. Lisa Mozer has been the front runner in this project for over a year. Dr. Mozer saw what some people in Statesville have overlooked — the need to include the Black Community in Statesville’s history. Dr. Mozer has her own way of getting things done, which often times rubs people the wrong way. However, she has brought attention to the overlooked “Black Community.” Maybe the squeaky wheel really does get the oil.
I also commend Joel Reese, Marcia Sigmon, Todd Scott of the Statesville Branch NAACP, Mayor Kutteh and everyone who is working on this project. There are a few people still living, who grew up in the Garfield/Green Street neighborhood that may be able to give some oral history about that area. One lady is 90 years old. The “Baptist Hill Community,” as it was called Statesville, was a beautiful, well-kept neighborhood that housed schoolteachers, doctors, and dentist. I employ you to reach out to these people for more history about the area.
Vivian Williams
You too Vivian . You were an early supporter – nothing done awesome is a one man band!