Sacred Ground: The Rise, Fall and Revival of Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery

Sacred Ground… brings to the public eye a selection of documents and objects from the archives and grounds of Lincoln Memorial Park, one of Miami’s most historically relevant, yet neglected cemeteries, for the first time ever. Original funeral home ledgers dating back to 1915, telegrams, photographs, maps, US Military markers, and sculptures, among other valuable artifacts, are exhibited in the Abraham Gallery of the Coral Gables Museum. They are the result of months of investigation and physical restoration in the cemetery, to which the Museum has committed and that will continue to realize with the help of the community after the show.

The exhibition Caretakers, at Gallery 109, is comprised of a photographic essay and documentary video on the project, by renowned Miami Herald photographer Carl Juste and C. W. Griffin. The focus of this show is the role of the different caretakers of the cemetery -from its current owner and caretaker, to the Museum, to the community at large- in preserving this valuable piece of cultural memory.

Altogether, Sacred Ground… will not only help tell the story of an African American community that has many ties to the creation and development of Coral Gables, but it will also relate to many other southern communities in the country when it comes to the way black history and culture is represented and preserved.

A rich schedule of related events will include visual and performance artists’ presentations, academic lectures and educational projects with children.

For more extensive coverage by the Miami Herald on Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery, click here.