Boone County Public Library’s Borderlands Archive and History Center will unveil a memorial monument at the historic Florence Cemetery, located at 199 Center Street in Florence on November 2 at 2 p.m.
The monument is designed to honor those buried in the historic African American section of the cemetery, many of whom have unmarked graves. Research revealed the names of over one hundred people whose identities were previously lost to time. Among these are early leaders of Florence’s black community, including veterans who served in World War I and the Civil War — United States Colored Troops — nearly half of the people interred in this section were once enslaved.
“A historical lens is a way of understanding and interpreting the past,” said Dashai Thompson, vice-president of NAACP Boone County. “It is a framework that helps us understand how different factors shape and influence history. This is important to the community because it provides understanding of the challenges and barriers that our ancestors endured. And the sacrifices that have gotten African and Black/African Americans to the point where we are today. And what we can do now, freely.”
The memorial monument was funded through a grant provided by the 400 years of African American History Commission.
This is a free public event; all are welcome.
Boone County Public Library