19.2 - Evergreen Cemetery NR SBR Draft Redacted — original pdf

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NPS Form 10-900 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form OMB No. 1024-0018 1. Name of Property Historic Name: Evergreen Cemetery Other name/site number: NA Name of related multiple property listing: NA 2. Location Street & number: 3304 E. 12th Street City or town: Austin Not for publication:  State: Texas Vicinity:  3. State/Federal Agency Certification County: Travis As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this ( nomination  request for determination of eligibility) meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property ( meets  does not meet) the National Register criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following levels of significance:  national  statewide  local Applicable National Register Criteria:  A  B  C  D Signature of certifying official / Title State Historic Preservation Officer __________________________ Date Texas Historical Commission State or Federal agency / bureau or Tribal Government In my opinion, the property  meets  does not meet the National Register criteria. _______________________________________________________________________ ___________________________ Signature of commenting or other official Date ____________________________________________________________ State or Federal agency / bureau or Tribal Government 4. National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that the property is: ___ entered in the National Register ___ determined eligible for the National Register ___ determined not eligible for the National Register. ___ removed from the National Register ___ other, explain: _____________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Signature of the Keeper Date of Action SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas 5. Classification Ownership of Property X Private Public - Local Public - State Public - Federal Category of Property X building(s) district site structure object Number of Resources within Property Contributing Noncontributing 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 buildings sites structures objects total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register: NA 6. Function or Use Historic Functions: FUNERARY/cemetery Current Functions: FUNERARY/cemetery 7. Description Architectural Classification: NA Principal Exterior Materials: STONE, CONCRETE Narrative Description (see continuation sheets xx) Page 2 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas 8. Statement of Significance Applicable National Register Criteria X A Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. B Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. C Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction. D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield information important in prehistory or history. Criteria Considerations: D (Cemeteries) Areas of Significance: A: ETHNIC HERITAGE/Black, Community Planning and Development Period of Significance: 1926-1972 Significant Dates: 1926, 1955 Significant Person (only if criterion b is marked): NA Cultural Affiliation (only if criterion d is marked): NA Architect/Builder: NA Narrative Statement of Significance (see continuation sheets 8-xx through 8-xx) 9. Major Bibliographic References Bibliography (see continuation sheet 9-xx) Previous documentation on file (NPS): _ preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been requested. _ previously listed in the National Register _ previously determined eligible by the National Register _ designated a National Historic Landmark _ recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey # _ recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # Primary location of additional data: x State historic preservation office (Texas Historical Commission, Austin) _ Other state agency _ Federal agency _ Local government _ University _ Other -- Specify Repository: Austin History Center Historic Resources Survey Number (if assigned): NA Page 3 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas 10. Geographical Data Acreage of Property: 14.5 acres Coordinates Latitude/Longitude Coordinates Datum if other than WGS84: NA 1. Latitude: 30.164741 2. Latitude: 30.164824 3. Latitude: 30.163767 4. Latitude: 30.163688 5. Latitude: 30.163865 Longitude: -97.420388 Longitude: -97.415725 Longitude: -97.415502 Longitude: -97.420070 Longitude: -97.421097 Verbal Boundary Description: The nominated site is roughly bounded by 12th Street, Airport Road, Tillery Street, and the driveway in Evergreen Cemetery known as East Main Street. It encompasses cemetery sections A through E as originally platted in 1926. Boundary Justification: The nominated site includes the entire original boundary of Evergreen Cemetery, as platted in 1926, less ground lost to the widening of 12th Street and the construction of a sidewalk along Airport Road between 12th and Tillery Streets. 11. Form Prepared By Name/title: Steph McDougal and Christina Osborn Organization: McDoux Preservation LLC Street & number: 2219 Brae Lane City or Town: League City State: TX Email: Telephone: 281-755-2144 Date: February 15, 2026 Zip Code: 77573 Additional Documentation Maps (see continuation sheets) Additional items (see continuation sheets) Photographs (see continuation sheets) Page 4 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Photograph Log Evergreen Cemetery Austin, Travis County, Texas Photographed by Steph McDougal, McDoux Preservation LLC, November 2024 All photos reflect the appearance of the building at the time of the nomination’s submission to NPS. Photo 1 Primary entrance to Evergreen Cemetery View from 12th Street Camera facing north Photo 2 Flagpole with planting bed, trash receptacle, and information kiosk West side of Main Street near primary entrance Camera facing north Photo 3 View of Main Street Camera facing north Photo 4 Avenue A View toward 1955 addition Camera facing east Photo 5 Tears family graves Immediately inside the primary entrance, east side of Main Street Camera facing east Photo 6 Campbell family graves Located along Main Street near the primary entrance Camera facing west Photo 7 Fuller and Mercer family graves Located along Main Street near the primary entrance Camera facing west Photo 8 Kirk family graves Located along Main Street Camera facing west Photo 9 Samuel and Ruth Alexander grave marker Example of ceramic photograph Camera facing west Photo 10 Beula Mae (Roberts) Fennell grave marker Modern version of photograph on marker Camera facing west Photo 11 Lott family graves Examples of concrete slab coverings over grave sites Camera facing east Photo 12 Martin family plot Unusual example of an above-ground crypt/box tomb and plot curbing Camera facing west Photo 13 Representative view of Section A Sections J and K visible in the background Camera facing east Photo 14 Representative view of Section BB1 Camera facing northeast Photo 15 Representative view of Section CB1 View toward Tillery Street Camera facing west Photo 16 Representative view of Sections CB4 and CB5 View from Avenue B Camera facing north Page 5 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Photo 17 Representative view of Section CB5 View toward Tillery Street Camera facing west Photo 18 Representative photo of Section DB1 Camera facing south Photo 19 Representative view of Section DB2 Camera facing west Photo 20 Representative view of Section DB3 View toward Tillery Street Camera facing northwest Photo 21 Representative view of Section 3 View from Avenue A Camera facing northeast Photo 22 View of Section E from Main Street Camera facing east Photo 23 Undeveloped area north of Sections B and E Camera facing northeast Photo 24 Historic white concrete block restroom building in Section D, no longer in use Camera facing southwest Photo 25 Representative view of flush/surface markers in Section H (not within nominated site) Camera facing south Photo 26 Representative view of Section J (not in nominated site) Camera facing north Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C.460 et seq.). Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 100 hours per response including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Office of Planning and Performance Management. U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 1849 C. Street, NW, Washington, DC. Page 6 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Narrative Description Evergreen Cemetery, established in 1926 in the historically African American Martin Luther King neighborhood in East Austin, is nominated as a single site, rather than a district. The portion of Evergreen Cemetery documented in this nomination contains the original 15-acre tract, consisting of five sections: A, B, C, D, and E (Site Plan, Map 4). It is now slightly smaller (14.5 acres) due to the construction and widening of adjacent streets and the installation of sidewalks. The tract was largely platted between 1926-1972 and contains all but three of the oldest graves, as well as the highest concentration of handmade grave markers. The eastern 16-acre section added in 1955 is excluded from this nomination, as it was not established for burials until the late 1970s The cemetery continues to be owned by the City of Austin and is maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department. The original Evergreen Cemetery site retains integrity; with its continued association with the African American population of East Austin, many handmade grave markers, grid organization of the burials, cemetery drives lined with allées of trees, and overall character of simple headstones in an open lawn with scattered shade trees. Established in 1926 as a municipal cemetery for Austin’s African American community, Evergreen Cemetery is located within East Austin’s Martin Luther King neighborhood, at the intersection of East 12th Street and Airport Boulevard, about 2.5 miles from the city center of Austin, Texas. The approximately rectangular cemetery is oriented approximately north-south and is aligned with the adjacent city grid. It is generally bounded by East 12th Street to the south, Airport Boulevard and Tillery Street to the west, and residential areas to the east and north. St. James Missionary Baptist Church is also located to the north of the cemetery. Originally consisting of about 15 acres, the cemetery was expanded in 1955 to include an adjoining 16-acre tract, part of which had been operated as Highland Park Cemetery from 1891-1923.1 Only a few graves from that period are extant in the platted 1955 addition and adjacent woods. The entire cemetery was designated a Historic Texas Cemetery by the Texas Historical Commission in 2019.2 Internally, the cemetery is organized in a grid. A paved central drive, Main Street, bisects the original 15-acre section. It connects to the main entrance along East 12th Street, with secondary east-west drives forming the edges of the cemetery sections. Recent concrete borders, with allées of crape myrtle and ligustrum, line the drives within this part of the cemetery, while a few oaks, arborvitae, and other small and medium trees shade the burial sections. Graves are laid out in orderly rows within the cemetery sections, with mostly granite and marble markers in designs ranging from headstones on bases, tablets, block markers, slant-faced markers, and surface or flush markers. More elaborate marker types, such as obelisks, crosses, and memorial benches, are present but much less common. The cemetery also contains many handmade concrete markers with a variety of styles and embellishments. The more recently platted portion of the cemetery is divided from the rest of the site by another north-to-south cemetery drive, known as East Main Street, with secondary drives creating burial sections. The newer portion of the cemetery is visually distinct from the original site due to the dense platting of burials with mostly larger grave markers of contemporary design. Crape myrtle line only two of the secondary drives in this part of the cemetery, while the burial sections are shaded by a variety of oaks, cedars, arborvitae, small native trees, and other vegetation. Section H, on the eastern side of the cemetery, was originally reserved for infants and children, and the grave markers in this section are very small. The wooded northern portion of this half of the cemetery slopes to a deep ravine and remains undeveloped, although it contains several 1 Bradford M. Jones and Mason Miller, “Final Reconnaissance Survey of the Proposed Evergreen Cemetery Expansion, Travis County, Texas,” July 2010. 2 “Evergreen Cemetery,” Historic Texas Cemetery marker application, Texas Historical Commission, Atlas number 7453006405, https://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/. Page 7 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas marked graves associated with the former Highland Park Cemetery. The entire site is bounded by a non-historic 6-foot- tall black chain-link fence.3 Geographical Setting The East Austin neighborhood surrounding Evergreen Cemetery continues to be largely residential as it was in 1925. The cemetery is located at the eastern edge of what is now the Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) neighborhood, which has been home to many of the city’s prominent African American residents. At the time of its establishment, there were residential neighborhoods to the south across East 12th Street and to the west across Tillery Street. Woodlands surrounded the cemetery to the north and east; the former Highland Park Cemetery tract was wooded and overgrown. The construction of Airport Boulevard in the early 1950s introduced a major city thoroughfare along the southwest corner of the site, somewhat disconnecting Evergreen from the residential neighborhood to the west. By the mid- 1960s, residential areas were developed near the northwest corner of the cemetery, while the area south of the cemetery across East 12th Street became slightly more commercial. Land uses surrounding the cemetery today are residential, public use, commercial, and religious. A community center faces the cemetery across Tillery Street. Residential buildings abut the woodland to the north and east sides of the cemetery. At the time of its establishment in 1926, Evergreen Cemetery consisted of a 15-acre rectangular tract outside the Austin city limits, at the intersection of East 12th Street and Tillery Street. Following the annexation of the cemetery and surrounding lands into the City of Austin in 1946, Evergreen Cemetery was expanded to the east by an additional 16 acres, incorporating a tract of land formerly operated as Highland Park Cemetery. The construction of Airport Boulevard in the 1950s clipped off a small portion of the southwest corner of the cemetery, which did not contain any burials (Maps 3, 4). Additional cemetery land was consumed by the widening of 12th Street and the installation of sidewalks along 12th Street and Airport Boulevard. The original parcel now measures approximately 14.5 acres. Today, the boundaries of the expanded 31-acre, approximately square cemetery are formed by East 12th Street to the south, Airport Boulevard and Tillery Street to the west, and woodland vegetation and residential neighborhoods to the east and north. A chain link fence surrounds the entire cemetery. The original tract in the western half of the cemetery is the focus of this nomination; the eastern 16-acre portion site is excluded, as it was not established for burials until the late 1970s, outside the period of significance. Topography Austin is located in central Texas, on the east bank of the Colorado River. The city straddles the boundary between the Northern Blacklands Prairie and Balcones Canyonlands ecoregions and contains isolated instances of the Southern Post Oak Savannah ecoregion. Evergreen Cemetery stands in the portion of the city within the Northern Blacklands Prairie. This ecoregion extends more than 300 miles in a southwesterly direction from near the Texas and Oklahoma border north of Dallas to the area around San Antonio. It is characterized by gently rolling terrain that was historically covered by tallgrass prairie and heavy blackland soils. Ranching and farming activities in the late 1800s and early 1900s reduced the cover of tallgrass prairie and caused a high rate of soil loss. The high point of Evergreen Cemetery stands about 565 feet above mean sea level (AMSL) near the midpoint of the western property line, at the southwest corner of Section C (also the northwest corner of Section D). In the western portion of the cemetery, which is the focus of this nomination, the land slopes gently to the north, east, and south from this point (generally varying between 1-8 percent). A broad ridge extends to the northeast through Sections C and E, forming low points of about 550 feet AMSL along the north edge of Section C and 548 feet along the east edges of 3 City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department, City of Austin Historic Cemeteries Master Plan, August 2015. Page 8 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Sections B and E. A narrow ridge curves southeast through Sections D and A and into the eastern part of the cemetery forming low points of about 542 feet along the edge of Section A and 540 feet at the southwest corner of the cemetery at the intersection of East 12th Street and Airport Boulevard. In the eastern portion of the cemetery, the narrow ridge curves to the northeast. In the northeast portion of the site, the topography falls sharply to Tannehill Branch, a small waterway that passes through the corner of the larger cemetery property. This portion of the site is heavily wooded. Along East 12th Street, the cemetery sits slightly above the level of the street. A sloped concrete edge holds up the small slope between the cemetery fence and the public sidewalk along the roadway. Layout of Graves Within both the originally platted western section of Evergreen and the additional eastern half, the cemetery is organized in a grid (Maps 3, 4). In the original tract where Sections A through E are located, the main north-south cemetery drive, Main Street, bisects the site. Secondary east-west roads branch off Main Street, aligning with the adjacent city grid, while the cemetery sections are organized within the resulting spaces. The cemetery sections are subdivided into plots of varying sizes, with some further subdivided into individual spaces. Generally, the largest lots are located along Main Street. In each section, pedestrian walks are oriented north to south between the rows of plots. Graves are oriented on a more or less east-west axis, with “feet to the east” in the Christian tradition. Burials in the original cemetery tract are representative of the historical demographics of the surrounding neighborhood. Although established exclusively as an African American cemetery, people of Latino descent were also buried in the cemetery. Portions of Section C were set aside for both “Negro Paupers” and “Mexican Paupers.” It is unclear whether other portions of these sections were likewise segregated. In recent years, more Latino people have been buried in the cemetery, primarily in the newer eastern half of the cemetery. In total, Evergreen Cemetery contains more than 15,500 interments and continues to receive burials, although lots available for purchase are few. Burials in the original cemetery tract make up around two-thirds of the total cemetery burials. As of 2021, of the approximately 10,000 interments in the original cemetery, almost 1,800 were located in Section A, about 1,200 in Section B, just over 3,300 in Section C, nearly 2,800 in Section D, and about 900 in Section E.4 Marker Types and Materials Evergreen Cemetery contains mostly granite and marble markers with a variety of forms, including headstones on bases, tablet stones, slant-faced markers, block markers, and surface markers. Less common marker types include obelisks, crosses, body stones or plot coverings, and statuary. A double box tomb located in Section C is the lone example of this marker type. Larger markers and memorials representing prominent Black East Austin families are found along Main Street, with the most desirable lots located closest to the entrance. The Tears, Fuller, Mercer, Campbell, and Kirk families, for example, are all located on the right side of Main Street in this area. The Tears, Fuller, and Mercer families own and operate funeral homes, one of the few professions available to African Americans during the Jim Crow era. Lee Lewis Campbell was the pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in East Austin and also founded an orphanage and a newspaper; L.L. Campbell Elementary School was named in his honor in 1939. Willie Mae Kirk was an educator, civil rights activist, and community leader in East Austin, and the Willie Mae Kirk Library in East Austin was dedicated in her honor. 4 City of Austin Interment Database. Page 9 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Within the original 15-acre tract, 10,051 interments were inventoried through 2021. Of these, 467 (5%) are handmade — mostly historic handmade concrete markers of the type most often found in 20th-century African American cemeteries. The handmade markers vary in terms of both form and craftsmanship and are scattered throughout the five sections of the original cemetery. They tend to be placed in plots within the interior of the section, rather than along the cemetery drives. While many are located individually, they are frequently placed in small clusters with the same family name and design, indicating that the markers had the same fabricator, probably with all the associated graves marked at the same time. Of the nearly 470 handmade markers, the largest concentrations are found in Sections A and C, the two oldest sections of the cemetery. In Section A, 116 of the 1,770 markers (6.6%) are handmade, while in Section C, 202 of the 3,345 (6.0%) are handmade. The other three sections have lower concentrations of handmade markers: 3.6% of the markers in Section B (44 of 1,220 markers), 3.1% of the markers Section D (86 of 2,791 markers), and 2.1% of the markers in Section E (19 of 925 markers). The majority of handmade markers date from the 1930s to the 1970s, with the most handmade markers installed in the 1950s. Since the 1980s, only about 10 handmade markers have been installed. Around 220 of the handmade markers have stamped or hand-carved letters. Nearly half of these (about 22% of the total number of handmade markers) were created by the same maker or workshop. These markers take the form of a square- topped concrete tablet on a base with serifed lettering and flowers carved into the upper corners (Figure 4). These show some slight variation: a few have a double base or a curved top rather than a square top, one is a flush monument, and two include other imagery in addition to the flowers (one with a praying angel, the other an open Bible). These markers mostly are found on graves dating to the 1930s-1960s, with a few dated earlier; may have been marked at a later date; and are found in Sections A, B, and C. Other handmade concrete markers with stamped or carved letters are found in all sections of the cemetery. Some markers can be grouped stylistically and may have been created by the same unknown local maker or created using the same stamp set. Around 100 of the handmade markers feature free-hand lettering made by writing in the wet concrete and are nearly all unique. Some also include additional decoration such as embedded photographs or tiles, and imagery such as crosses, leaves, or stars. They date from the 1930s to the 1980s. At least 15 hand-cast, concrete plot coverings, sometimes paired with a headstone, are found in Sections A, B, C, and D. Many of the homemade concrete markers feature embedded objects, either as decoration or as part of the inscription. Ceramic photos or metal frames to hold photographs are found in all sections of the original cemetery tract, although many photos are missing from the headstone. Other embedded objects include ceramic tiles, glass pieces, fragments of china, etc. used as decoration or to spell out a name. Both concrete and wooden crosses are located within the original tract of Evergreen Cemetery. Wooden crosses are located in Sections A and C; those in Section C have identifying information written in a marker pen. Six handmade concrete crosses are located in the cemetery. At least 20 examples of metal funeral home markers embedded in concrete markers are also found in all sections of the original cemetery tract. There are also a few metal funeral home markers on small metal posts placed next to other types of monuments. Concrete markers with embedded objects seem to date mostly from the 1950s to the 1970s. A few handmade markers use found objects or other unusual materials. Found objects include a pile of bricks and bricks with names written in marker in Section D, concrete blocks in Sections B and E, rough stones in Section B, and paving stones set upright and used as headstones in Sections A and D. A unique marker is a metal heart-shaped surface marker with hand-etched lettering in Section D. Plot Curbing Family plot enclosures are rare at Evergreen Cemetery, with no instances in either Section A or B. The few plot enclosures located in Sections C, D, and E tend to be fairly informal and several may have been placed out of necessity Page 10 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas to protect graves at road intersections. Wooden edging is found around a few family plots in Sections D and E. Two enclosures are located in Section C, one a simple concrete curb at the northeast corner of Block C1, the other a more formal cut stone edge. Individual plot enclosures are more common and are found in all sections of the cemetery. These curbing materials tend to be informal, likely installed by family members. In sections A through E, there are a few instances of poured concrete curbing, although garden edging is more common. Enclosure materials include modular concrete blocks, metal and wooden edging, and plastic fencing. In most instances the enclosure contains plot covering materials such as gravel or mulch. Buildings and Structures A house for a caretaker or sexton once stood within an undeveloped area of what is now Section D in the southwest corner of the cemetery, near the intersection of East 12th Street and Airport Boulevard. The house was apparently constructed in the 1930s, when City Council records indicate a new house was being rebuilt to replace an earlier structure which had burned down.5 The construction date and appearance of the original house is unknown; the fact that the house was being “rebuilt” likely indicates that it was in the same location. A carport associated with the house is present on the 1959 plat of Section D. Aerial photographs indicate that the house was demolished sometime in the early 1980s, while the carport was demolished in 2006. This section of the cemetery has since been platted and is now populated with recent burials. The presence of newer grave markers does not detract from the historical appearance of the original cemetery since this area is in a corner of the site. The only structure currently within the site is a small, modular, concrete block restroom building, located near the center of Section D. The building contained both a men’s and a lady’s restroom, and corresponding signs above the open doorways remain. The building appears on the 1959 plat of Section D, although its date of construction is unknown. It is currently out of service, and a temporary portable toilet is present next to the building. Boundary Fence and Entry Gates The first cemetery fence was a simple wire fence along the East 12th Street and Tillery Street sides of the tract. A chain link fence and gates were constructed around Evergreen in 1966, replacing the earlier fence.6 This fence was replaced circa 2015 with a new black vinyl-coated chain link fence and gates. A double gate allows public access to the site at the main entrance to the cemetery along East 12th Street, at the southwest corner of Section A. Several other vehicular gates allow access for city vehicles and are kept locked. Circulation When Evergreen Cemetery was first developed, it was bounded on its south and west boundary by city streets, East 12th Street to the south and Tillery Street to the west. Vehicular circulation within the cemetery developed along with the various cemetery sections. The main cemetery drive, Main Street, connected to East 12th Street and was laid out to run north-south near the center of the original 15-acre tract. Avenue A, a secondary east-west drive was laid out running east-west along the north edge of Section A. At the time of its development, Avenue A terminated at its eastern end in a circular node. Two more secondary east-west drives were added when Section C was platted in 1938. Avenue B and Avenue C both run from just east of Tillery Street to Main Street, Avenue B along the center of the section, and Avenue C along the north boundary of the cemetery property. Each of the east-west drives approximately aligned with the adjacent city grid, although none of the drives intersected with Tillery Street. 5 Minutes, regular meeting of Austin City Council, December 1, 1932. 6 Minutes, regular meeting of Austin City Council, December 22, 1966. Page 11 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas By 1952, Airport Boulevard was constructed, cutting across the southwest corner of the cemetery property. An aerial photograph from that year shows an additional, unnamed north-south track connecting Avenue C and Avenue A, parallel to Tillery Street. The aerial also shows an L-shaped driveway associated with the Sexton’s house and carport, arising from East 12th Street and turning east to connect to Main Street. Main Street appears to be the only street with paving. Soon afterward, Avenue B was extended to the eastern edge of the cemetery to run along the north edge of the newly platted Section B. When Section D was platted in 1959, two additional drives were planned to allow access to the restroom building: one drive running north-south from Avenue A, and one drive running east-west from Main Street. A narrow, unpaved drive running north-south between Avenue A and Avenue B along the east boundary of the cemetery is visible on a 1966 aerial photograph. When Section E was established in 1972, Avenue C was extended about halfway across the north edge of the new section. Today, each of the cemetery drives is paved in asphalt bordered with flat concrete curbs which help to visually define the edges of the roadways. Main Street extends from East 12th Street to the cemetery’s northern boundary and is lined with rows of trees along both sides of the drive. The three named secondary drives extend east to west across the entire tract: Avenue A near the center of the cemetery, Avenue B to the north, and Avenue C along the northern edge of the property. Other secondary drives include the narrow north-south drive along the western boundary between Avenues A and C, and two narrow drives in Section D (one north-south and one east-west) providing access to the restroom building. The unpaved, L-shaped driveway associated with the sexton’s house is no longer present. The unpaved track connecting Avenue A and Avenue B along the east edge of the cemetery was later formalized and improved into East Main Street and extended to run almost across the entire cemetery property. Avenue C was along extended to connect to East Main Street. Pedestrian circulation within the cemetery consists of the narrow grass paths between rows of burials. Outside the cemetery perimeter fence, concrete public sidewalks are located along East 12th Street and Airport Boulevard.7 Vegetation Historical aerial views of the cemetery indicate the cemetery was surrounded to the north and east by heavy woodland, which also covered the area that would become Section E. Several large trees were present in the vicinity of the sexton’s house and carport, screening those buildings from the adjacent roads. An aerial from 1952 shows formal evergreen plantings in relation to family plots visible particularly in Section A, and rows of trees or large shrubs along the south and west sides of the section. An aerial from 1966 shows the formal pattern of evergreens continued in Sections B and C. Today, drives in the original cemetery tract are lined with allées of crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica), ligustrum (Ligustrum lucidum), cedar elm (Ulmus crassifolia), and live oak (Quercus virginiana). The same species are found in the burial area, as are specimens of many other oaks, pines, pecan (Carya illinoensis), and other native Texas trees. Smaller, ornamental plants are associated with many family and individual plots. Several large live oaks standing in Section D near the intersection of East 12th Street and Airport Boulevard are likely the same trees visible on the 1952 aerial photograph. Small-scale Features Little information is available regarding small-scale features historically present within the cemetery. No official Texas Historical Markers or State Antiquities Landmarks are located within Evergreen Cemetery. Most, if not all, of the small-scale features present in the cemetery post-date the period of significance. These include an underground irrigation system and associated steel pipe risers dating to the late 1970s, and site furnishings clustered near the cemetery entrance, including an aluminum flagpole and associated planting bed installed in 1979 on the west side of 7 City of Austin Historic Cemeteries Master Plan. Page 12 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Main Street, a relatively new information kiosk, directional and informational signs, and a litter receptacle. Several wooden bollards are located near the southeast corner of the restroom building to prevent vehicles from driving over burial plots at that intersection. Integrity Evergreen Cemetery retains excellent integrity. Although the overall cemetery’s size was increased with the purchase of the adjacent tract in 1955, the original section of the cemetery is easy to visually distinguish from the newer section. The sextons’ house and carport were demolished during the period of significance, and no buildings or walkways have been added following the end of the period of significance. The configuration of paved drives is nearly the same as it appeared during that time, with the exception of the addition of stone borders to visually mark the edges of the driveways. Location: The cemetery retains its original location within the surrounding East Austin neighborhood. Design: The historic spatial organization of Evergreen Cemetery remains mostly unchanged, with no buildings or major circulation additions (with the exception of East Main Street along the east edge of Section A). The cemetery’s Main Street is still the primary roadway within the site, with graves of influential Black East Austin families located along this driveway, closest to the entrance. The character-defining features of the headstones and other monuments has been largely retained. Grave markers installed since the end of the period of significance are similar in material and only some are slightly larger in scale, compared to the older markers; as a result, newer grave markers do not diminish the character of the cemetery. Setting: Evergreen Cemetery’s setting in East Austin, near the intersection of two major roadways and surrounded by mostly residential properties, remains unchanged. The presence of a deep wooded ravine, which wraps and is part of the northeast corner of the cemetery, preserves the continuity of the site. Residential properties which abut the cemetery are generally small-scale and do not detract from or overshadow this property. Materials: Grave markers (including handmade concrete examples and found-object examples) have remained intact. Markers display minimal damage of the type typically associated with older headstones in cemeteries maintained with modern lawn equipment. Workmanship: Although some inscriptions and decorative details have deteriorated or are now unreadable on older markers, the quality of workmanship for both fabricated stone and handmade concrete grave markers remains visible. Feeling: With the numerous grave markers, their orderly grid arrangement and orientation, the presence of shade trees over mowed grass, paved cemetery drives lined with allées of trees, and the enclosing fence, the cemetery retains integrity of feeling of a city-operated neighborhood cemetery. Association: Because all grave plots in the original portion of Evergreen Cemetery were platted and most sold within the period of significance, the nominated site retains its association with the Black East Austin community as an African American burial ground. Page 13 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Statement of Significance Established by the City of Austin, Texas, in 1926, Evergreen Cemetery was the first municipal cemetery built and maintained exclusively for the burials of Austin’s African American residents. Since the late 19th century, the City of Austin provided segregated burial grounds at Oakwood Cemetery, but these plots were exhausted by the 1920s. In 1925-1926, city leaders approved the purchase and improvement of 15-acres east of city limits for Evergreen Cemetery. Its development coincided with deliberate and systemic efforst by Austin’s white majority to enforce the segregation of Black residents to East Austin during the mid- to late 1920s. East Austin subsequently emerged as the religious, cultural, commercial, and educational center of Black life, anchored by institutions like Evergreen Cemetery. Individuals buried there include many prominent African American leaders whose lives and work profoundly shaped the city’s history. Evergreen Cemetery is significant under Criterion A in the areas of Ethnic Heritage (Black) and Community Planning and Development. It meets Criteria Consideration D because it is associated with publicly- sanctioned programs of racial segregation and as the burial place of a group of people who made outstanding contributions to Austin’s Black community. Although newer sections of the cemetery contain the burials of a more diverse population, including many Hispanic interments, the original cemetery continues to serve as a predominantly Black burial ground. The period of significance is 1926-1972, from the establishment of the cemetery to the year when the final section (E) was developed. African American Cemeteries in Austin Texas secured its independence from Mexico in 1836, and Austin was established just three years later, part of an effort to expand the Republic of Texas to the west and create a route for trade between Houston and Santa Fe, New Mexico.8 A 640-acre townsite was platted and the capitol of the Republic relocated from Houston to Austin.9 The first City Cemetery, established in 1839 and now known as Oakwood Cemetery, was located just outside the original townsite near its northeast corner. In 1859, Austin’s City Council passed an ordinance designating two portions of Section 4 to be set aside for “strangers and paupers” and African Americans. People of Mexican descent were also buried in this part of the cemetery.10 Between 1859 and 1880, more than 1,200 people were buried in the “colored” section, including prominent citizens, such as clergyman, entrepreneur, and newspaperman Jacob Fontaine, musician “Ernie” Mae Crafton Miller, educator L.C. Anderson, college president Ruben Shannon Lovinggood, and public health pioneer Dr. Connie Yerwood.11 Oakwood Cemetery ran out of plots to sell around 1908, and when the City of Austin developed an adjacent cemetery “annex” in 1914, that burial ground included no spaces available to the Black population.12 Two other Black cemeteries in East Austin served the community in the early 20th century, but both were established in the late 19th century by private associations/families and operated as such through the mid-20th century. They include: • Bethany Cemetery: William M. Tears, William H. Holland, and others established the Bethany Cemetery Company in 1893 to collectively purchase and develop a site which already contained earlier burials, some of whom were likely enslaved individuals . Bethany Cemetery is located on Springdale Road in East Austin. The company continued to maintain this cemetery until the early 1930s. After the Bethany Cemetery Company ceased to employ a sexton in 1930, some families moved their loved ones from Bethany into the new 8 Texas State Historical Association, The Southwestern Historical Quarterly 69, July 1965-April 1966. 9 David C. Humphrey, “Austin, TX, Travis County,” Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Association, tshaonline.org. 10 City of Austin Historic Cemeteries Vision Plan, 87. 11 Karen Riles, letter to Austin City Council in support of Oakwood Cemetery landmark designation, August 29, 2001. 12 City of Austin Historic Cemeteries Vision Plan, 91. Page 14 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Evergreen Cemetery, which offered perpetual care. Bethany Cemetery is now managed by a nonprofit organization. • Plummers Cemetery: Nearby on Springdale Road, Plum (1828-1896) and Alice (1834-1899) Plummer created Mount Calvary Cemetery on a portion of their land in the mid-1890s. The presence of a Catholic burial ground also named Mount Calvary resulted in the Plummers’ cemetery being called “Colored Mount Calvary” by some outside the Black community. Three generations of Plummers, including son Thomas and grandson Sylvester, managed the cemetery for six decades. When the City of Austin purchased the Plummer’s land in 1957 to establish Givens Park, it agreed to also take ownership of and maintain the cemetery. The site was formally renamed Plummers Cemetery at that time, but it continued to appear as Mount Calvary on death certificates into the 1970s. Segregation in Austin After the end of the U.S. Civil War and the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, Black people experienced a brief period (known as Reconstruction) during which they were able to more fully participate in public life.13 White officials in state and local governments in Texas and across the South responded by enacting “Black Codes” designed to discriminate against African Americans and limit their rights to occupy public space.14 After the 1894 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, which allowed for the segregation of public spaces and accommodations as long as “separate but equal” spaces were provided for Black Americans, southern states and cities swiftly enacted laws to formalize discriminatory practices.15 Before the 1920s, Black enclaves existed throughout the city. African Americans lived in at least six neighborhoods; of those, Wheatville, Clarksville, East Austin (including Masontown and Robertson Hill), and South Austin contained the largest numbers of Black residents.16 Other Black people lived outside these neighborhoods, including in the “bottoms” or flood-prone areas along Shoal Creek and Waller Creek. Founded in 1871, Clarksville is the oldest surviving freedman’s settlement west of the Mississippi River and is located on the west side of the original Austin townsite.17 Wheatville was located in what is now the West Campus area of the University of Texas, between 24th and 26th Streets, Shoal Creek, and Rio Grande Street.18 In the early 20th century, in order to clear desirable west-side land for white-owned housing, the City of Austin began to deny services to west-side Black neighborhoods, forcing residents to travel to East Austin to access schools, parks, medical care, etc. The City’s efforts to drive African Americans out of the west side also included dumping trash in Black neighborhoods and instituting building standards (such as minimum lot sizes and maximum lot coverage) designed to discriminate against Black property owners. As a result, many (but not all) Black Austinites began to move to East Austin between 1910-1920.19 The exceptions were domestic workers, who typically lived in the white households where they worked.20 13 Randolph B. Campbell, Grass Roots Reconstruction in Texas: 1865-1880 (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1997), 7-26. 14 Williamjames Hull Hoffer, Plessy v. Ferguson: Race and Inequality in Jim Crow America (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2012), 21-25. 15 Hoffer, 146-147. 16 Jason McDonald, Racial Dynamics in Early 20th-Century Austin, Texas (Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books/Rowman & Littlefield, 2012), 101-103. 17 Nolan Thompson, “Clarksville, TX (Travis County),” Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Association, tshaonline.org. 18 Nolan Thompson, “Wheatville, TX (Travis County),” Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Association, tshaonline.org. 19 Koch and Fowler, A City Plan for Austin, Texas, 1928 (Austin: City of Austin, reprinted February 1957), 57. 20 McDonald, Racial Dynamics, 103. Page 15 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Racism was a pervasive, corroding thread inscribed by many individuals and groups into all facets of policymaking, culture, capitalism, the landscape, etc. Restrictive covenants (language in deeds of sale that prohibited property owners from selling or renting to non-white people) were the primary tool used to accomplish this prior to the 1920s. During that decade, city planners across the state engaged in a coordinated campaign to formally separate white and Black residents, restricting African Americans to only certain parts of each city. The City of Austin adopted a city manager form of government in 1924, led by “Business Progressives” who subsequently took control of the City Council and established an Austin City Plan Commission to develop a formal plan to drive the development of the city. That commission, along with the Austin Chamber of Commerce, successfully lobbied the Texas State Legislature in 1927 to pass a bill that would allow individual cities to codify segregation on the basis of race. However, such attempts in Dallas and elsewhere were found to be unconstitutional. Austin’s solution, codified in the 1928 City Plan by Dallas engineers Koch and Fowler, was to provide “facilities and conveniences” only in East Austin, “as an incentive to drive the negro population to this area.”21 The 1928 Plan also recommended widening East Avenue (now IH-35) to create a physical barrier between downtown Austin and East Austin. By 1930, about 80% of African Americans in Austin resided on the city’s East Side.22 In this context, the cemetery’s earlier establishment contributed to a pattern of land use that the plan characterized as evidence of an existing African American presence in the area. As a result, the cemetery’s historical placement became part of the broader spatial framework that influenced the City’s decision to direct municipal services and public investment to a designated district in East Austin. Overview of East Austin The City Plan of 1928 formally established the segregation of African Americans to the East side of the city, where an existing concentration of Black people already lived. The City Plan noted that “the race segregation problem … cannot be resolved legally under any zoning law known to us at present,”23 previous attempts having been declared unconstitutional.24 Eventually, many Black people were forced to abandon their homes in freedom settlements on the West side of the city, and move to the “negro district,” where the City provided “amenities like schools, parks, swimming pools, and sewer systems.” Redlining further segregated the city.25 In East Austin, despite segregation, a lack of zoning enabled businesses to proliferate within and next to residences. The neighborhood now known as “MLK” became an ethnic enclave with churches, two colleges, professional offices, and social and fraternal organizations creating a culturally vibrant neighborhood.26 Some of the most respected members of the original segregated Old East Austin community were buried at Evergreen Cemetery. Their contributions pre-dated the turn of the 20th century and continued on through recent years. According to civic leader Saundra Kirk, “Each one is buried in Evergreen Cemetery as both testament to their love for East Austin and as documentation of Austin’s segregation. They rest as tributes to the heights of power, pride and independence of Old East Austin. Among those of us who survive them and know of the generous works they accomplished, there is 21 Koch and Fowler, A City Plan for Austin, Texas, 1928. 22 McDonald, Racial Dynamics, 104-113. Victoria Davis, “Leaving Home: Austin’s Declining African American Population,” Life & Letters, University of Texas at Austin, November 21, 2016, https://lifeandletters.la.utexas.edu/2016/11/leaving-home-austins- declining-african-american-population. 23 Koch & Fowler, A City Plan for Austin, Texas, 1928. 24 Koch & Fowler, A City Plan for Austin, Texas, 1928. 25 Steph McDougal, Equity for the Ancestors: African American Cemeteries in Southern Urban Spaces and the National Register of Historic Places, dissertation, Middle Tennessee State University, 2023. 26 Sharon Hill, “The Empty Stairs: The Lost History of East Austin,” Intersections: New Perspectives on Texas Public History 1, no. 1 (Spring 2012): 13–16. Page 16 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas widespread consensus that these were indeed our prominent citizens.”27 A list of notable burials, generated by the Old East Austin community, was included in the City of Austin Historic Cemeteries Vision Plan (2015) and contained the names of educators, doctors, civil rights leaders, religious leaders, law enforcement officers, business leaders, musicians, and sports figures. Three other groundbreaking individuals included Oscar L. Thompson (1907–1962), the first African American graduate of the University of Texas at Austin (master’s degree in genetics); Virgil Lott (1924– 1968), an attorney and the first African American graduate of the University of Texas School of Law; and Willie Ray Davis (1924–2006), one of first African Americans to join the Austin Fire Department (1952), and the first African American firefighter officer in the state of Texas (1966). Outmigration from Black neighborhoods became common after 1964, when the Civil Rights Act overturned segregation laws across the United States and Black people had the ability to live where they wanted. By 2010, the Black population in Austin was still concentrated in the MLK neighborhood of East Austin, but East Austin overall had become primarily populated by Hispanic people.28 The newer sections of Evergreen Cemetery reflect these demographic shifts, with many Hispanic burials in Sections F-J. Evergreen Cemetery One of the facilities created for Black people on the East side was a city-owned and -operated burial ground—the City of Austin’s first effort to establish and maintain a municipal cemetery for African American burials. Most of the plots in the “colored section” of Oakwood Cemetery had been sold, and the newer Oakwood Annex was limited to white people. In December 1925, at special meeting of Austin’s City Council, councilmember and superintendent of public improvements (including cemeteries) George P. Searight addressed the need for “a cemetery to be used exclusively for colored persons.”29 A 15-acre tract was purchased from D. V. Pickle with funds appropriated from the Cemetery Purchase Fund, and an African American sexton, Wiley Jones, was appointed as of January 1, 1926. The city created a new fund, the Evergreen Colored Cemetery Fund, from which to make future appropriations.30 The first section to be platted in the new cemetery was Section A in October 1926, just east of the primary road, Main Street, which arose from East 12th Street and bisected the cemetery tract.31 The northern boundary of the section was formed by a cross street named Avenue A, which extended across the entirety of the cemetery tract and featured a 50- foot diameter turnaround on the eastern end. Section A was laid out in 420 lots, which ranged in both size and price depending on their location and desirability. The largest lots measured 14 feet by 20 feet while smaller lots measured 9 feet by 17 feet, with prices ranging from $15 to $60. Pedestrian walkways were established around the border of the section, with four additional walkways running north to south between the rows of lots. Many members of East Austin’s leading African American families are buried in the larger lots closest to Main Street. In 1930, several lots in the northeast portion of the section were subdivided to be sold as single plots. Section C was the second section to platted in Evergreen Cemetery. Although it was laid out in 1938, the lots were not offered for sale until 1947. Section C is located in the northwest corner of the original 15-acre tract and was subdivided into five blocks, totaling 630 lots. Lots in blocks 1, 2, and 3 were subdivided into eight spaces, while blocks 4 and 5 were platted in full blocks. Lot prices varied by location and number of spaces purchased. By 1938, Tillery Street had been constructed along the west side of the cemetery property boundary, and two additional cross streets, Avenues B 27 City of Austin Historic Cemeteries Master Plan, 279-284. 28 Demographic overview of the Austin population, City of Austin, services.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=157978. 29 Minutes, special meeting of Austin City Council, December 1st, 1925. The land purchased for $5,500.00 from D.V. Pickle was described as “the West one-half of Outlot 25, in Division ‘B’ of the Outlots of the Government Tract adjoining the City of Austin.” 30 Minutes, special meeting of Austin City Council, January 29, 1926. 31 Minutes, regular meeting of Austin City Council, October 14, 1926. Page 17 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas and C, were added parallel to East 12th Street and Avenue A. Avenue B extended from Tillery Street to Main Street, separating Section C blocks 1, 2, and 3 from blocks 4 and 5. Avenue C ran along the northern border of the property, above blocks 1, 2, and 3. Portions of Section C were set aside for “Mexican Paupers” and “Negro Paupers.”32 Pedestrian walkways were established on the edges of the blocks bordering Main Street, Avenue B, and Avenue A, with seven additional walkways running north to south between the rows of lots. On December 23, 1946, Evergreen Cemetery and adjacent lands were annexed into the City of Austin.33 At this time, a sexton’s house and associated carport, as well as a small restroom building, were present in the unplatted southwest section of the cemetery (later platted as Section D). According to city records, the house had been present since the 1930s.34 An L-shaped driveway connected the carport to both East 12th Street and Main Street within the cemetery. Section B, located to the north of Section A and to the east of blocks 4 and 5 of Section C, was platted in August 1952 and contained just 162 plots. It was laid out in two blocks with three sizes of lots. Block 1 makes up the western half of the Section and contains 30 lots measuring 16 feet by 20 feet and 40 lots measuring 12 feet by 20 feet. Block 2, in the eastern half of Section B, contains 92 lots measuring 9 feet by 17 feet.35 Avenue B was extended to run along the north edge of Section B. Pedestrian walkways were established around the border of the section, with four additional walkways running north to south between the rows of lots. Section D, located south of Section C and west of Section A, was established in 1959 and contained a total of 631 plots measuring 8 feet by 20 feet. The section was subdivided into three blocks of various sizes; Block 1 was laid out closest to the cemetery entrance and contained 203 plots, Block 2 immediately to the north contained 180 plots, and Block 3 to the west of the other two contained 248 plots.36 The southeast portion of the section where the sexton’s house and carport stood was left unplatted. As in other sections, pedestrian walkways were established around the border of the section, with additional walkways running north to south between the rows of lots. Several plots in block 3 were later subdivided into smaller spaces and reserved for infant burials. A fourth block of 40 plots was later added in the narrow space between block 3 and the boundary fence along Tillery Street.37 Two unnamed drives divided the block 2 from the other blocks. The perpendicular drives intersect at their southwest corners and connect Avenue A to Main Street within the cemetery. In 1966, a chain link fence and gates were constructed around the cemetery, replacing a wire fence along Tillery and East 12th Streets.38 The last section of the original cemetery to be developed was Section E in 1972. Each of the 119 lots in this section were subdivided into eight spaces each, like the lots in blocks 1-3 of Section C. The northeast corner of Section E was left undeveloped, due to steep slopes into the adjacent ravine. As in the other sections, pedestrian walkways were established around the border of the section, with addition walkways running north to south between the rows of lots. In 2007, the final remaining ground in the original portion of the cemetery were platted. The sexton’s house standing in Section D had been demolished in the early 1980s, while the carport remained on the site until it was demolished around 2006. This portion of Section D was platted as Block 5 and has since begun to receive burials. 32 Minutes, regular meeting of Austin City Council, January 23, 1947, and Travis County Plat Map, Volume 4, Page 34. 33 City of Austin Ordinance 461223- C, December 23, 1946. 34 Minutes, regular meeting of Austin City Council, December 1, 1932. 35 Travis County Plat Maps, volume 6, page 42. 36 Travis County Plat Maps, volume 9, page 120. 37 Travis County Plat Maps, volume 55, page 71. 38 Minutes, regular meeting of Austin City Council, December 22, 1966. Page 18 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Cemetery Expansion and Highland Park/Stiles Cemetery In 1956, the City purchased an additional 16 acres of land, encompassing an area that had previously been set aside as Highland Park Cemetery. It is not clear why the City decided to expand Evergreen at that time; Section B was not platted until 1952, with Section D following in 1959. It is possible that the City simply anticipated a future need for additional space. However, the former Highland Park/Stiles Cemetery was not developed until the 1970s, and that property is not included in the boundaries of this National Register nomination. Highland Park/Stiles Cemetery was chartered in 1891, and its charter was abandoned in 1941. Records of burials in that cemetery indicate that most of the people interred there between 1891-1893 were “paupers,” and some were Black. About half of the property had been platted for burials, and records obtained between 1972-1974 showed that city employees prepared 161 graves at Highland Park between 1891-1893; the last recorded burial was in 1923. Unfortunately, no record of the burial locations, other than a small number of grave markers, were found.39 Internal correspondence between Austin city officials indicates that the City knew at in 1956 and the 1970s that the property contained both marked and unmarked graves. The City’s legal department subsequently wrote: So far as I can determine, nothing would prevent you from replatting the cemetery, contracting for the sale of lots and spaces by recorded deed and removing identified remains, as well as any occupant of an unknown grave, when found, to another appropriate area. … When an unknown, unexpected body is discovered the remains will have to be substantial, either as to the condition of the casket or of the body without a casket, before their removal is a disinterment. … A disinterment and reinterment within the confines of the same cemetery need not be based on an application for either a burial transit or disinterment permit. Apparently, in this latter situation, the participation of a licensed funeral director is not required…Where the cemetery itself is a proponent of the removal, no statutory application of any sort is necessary so long as the removal is to another plot within the same cemetery, but, to perform our common law duties to the heirs, we should make a substantial effort to find the closest heir and coordinate with him.40 On Jul 29, 1975, the City of Austin Planning Commission approved vacating the Highland Park Cemetery plat in deed, freeing the property to be developed as the expansion of Evergreen Cemetery.41 Whether or where remains were discovered or relocated is not known. Only two grave markers pre-dating the 1926 establishment of Evergreen are present: a single carved granite marker for Samuel Fowler (1870-1908) and Lettie Fowler (1870-1907) in section J, and a single handmade concrete marker for George Penn (-1904) and Martha Penn (-1913) in section A. Lettie Fowler’s death notice indicates that she was buried at “Stiles’ cemetery” (Highland Park), and Samuel Fowler was identified as one of the decedents whose family the City of Austin attempted to contact in 1975.42 George and Martha Penn were originally buried at Bethany Cemetery and their remains relocated to Evergreen at some later date.43 39 “Evergreen Cemetery Expansion,” Memo from S. Reuben Rountree, Jr., Director of Public Works, to Dan Davidson, City Manager, June 24, 1974, Austin History Center archives. 40 “Memo,” City of Austin legal department to Reuben Rountree, Jr., April 8, 1975, Austin History Center archives. 41 “Highland Park Cemetery” vertical file, Austin History Center archives. 42 “Funeral Notice,” Austin American Statesman, July 1, 1907, 3. 43 “City News,” Austin American Statesman, March 29, 1904, 3. Martha Penn death certificate, Travis County, Texas, filed July 13, 1916. Page 19 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Conclusion Evergreen Cemetery was the principle final resting place for African American residents of East Austin who died in the mid-20th century, during the Jim Crow era of legal segregation. Evergreen Cemetery is significant under Criterion A for Ethnic Heritage (Black) and under Criteria Consideration D for its association with the formal segregation of African Americans to the east side of Austin, Texas, at a relatively late date in the Jim Crow South. The period of significance is 1926-1972, from the establishment of the cemetery to the year when the final section (E) was developed. The nominated site does not include the expanded eastern half of the current cemetery, which did not start being developed until the mid-1970s. Page 20 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Bibliography Campbell, Randolph B. Grass Roots Reconstruction in Texas: 1865-1880. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1997. Davis, Victoria. “Leaving Home: Austin’s Declining African American Population.” Life & Letters, University of Texas at Austin, November 21, 2016. https://lifeandletters.la.utexas.edu/2016/11/leaving-home-austins-declining- african-american-population. “Funeral Notice.” Austin American Statesman, July 1, 1907, 3. “City News.” Austin American Statesman, March 29, 1904, 3. Hoffer, Williamjames Hull. Plessy v. Ferguson: Race and Inequality in Jim Crow America. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2012. David C. Humphrey, “Austin, TX, Travis County,” Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Association, tshaonline.org. Jones, Bradford M. and Mason Miller. “Final Reconnaissance Survey of the Proposed Evergreen Cemetery Expansion, Travis County, Texas,” July 2010. McDonald, Jason. Racial Dynamics in Early 20th-Century Austin, Texas. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books/Rowman & Littlefield, 2012. McDougal, Steph. Equity for the Ancestors: African American Cemeteries in Southern Urban Spaces and the National Register of Historic Places, dissertation. Middle Tennessee State University, 2023. Hill, Sharon. “The Empty Stairs: The Lost History of East Austin.” Intersections: New Perspectives on Texas Public History 1, no. 1 (Spring 2012): 13–16. Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly 69, July 1965-April 1966. Humphrey, David C. “Austin, TX, Travis County.” Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Association, tshaonline.org. Thompson, Nolan. “Clarksville, TX (Travis County).” Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Association, tshaonline.org. Thompson, Nolan. “Wheatsville, TX (Travis County).” Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Association, tshaonline.org. Government Documents City of Austin Interment Database. City of Austin Historic Cemeteries Master Plan. City of Austin, 2015. City of Austin Legal Department. Memo to Reuben Rountree, Jr., April 8, 1975, Austin History Center archives. City of Austin Ordinance 461223- C, December 23, 1946. City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department, City of Austin Historic Cemeteries Vision Plan, August 2015. “Demographic overview of the Austin population.” City of Austin. Services.austintexas.gov/edims/document.cfm?id=157978. Page 21 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas “Evergreen Cemetery.” Historic Texas Cemetery marker application, Atlas number 7453006405, Texas Historical Commission, https://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/. Koch and Fowler, Consulting Engineers. A City Plan for Austin, Texas, 1928. Austin: City of Austin, reprinted February 1957. Martha Penn death certificate. Travis County, Texas, filed July 13, 1916. Minutes, special meeting of Austin City Council, December 1st, 1925. “Highland Park Cemetery” vertical file, Austin History Center archives. Minutes, special meeting of Austin City Council, January 29, 1926. Minutes, regular meeting of Austin City Council, October 14, 1926. Minutes, regular meeting of Austin City Council, December 1, 1932. Minutes, regular meeting of Austin City Council, January 23, 1947. Minutes, regular meeting of Austin City Council, December 22, 1966. Riles, Karen. Letter to Austin City Council in support of Oakwood Cemetery landmark designation, August 29, 2001. Rountree, S. Reuben Jr. “Evergreen Cemetery Expansion,” memo from Director of Public Works to Dan Davidson, City Manager, June 24, 1974, Austin History Center archives. Travis County Plat Map, volume 4, page 34. Travis County Plat Maps, volume 6, page 42. Travis County Plat Maps, volume 9, page 120. Travis County Plat Maps, volume 55, page 71. Page 22 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Site Plan (Google Earth Pro) Page 23 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Maps Map 1. Location of Evergreen Cemetery within Austin, Texas (Google Maps) Map 2. Topographical map of Evergreen Cemetery, showing location of sections (John Milner & Associates, Austin Historic Cemeteries Vision Plan) Page 24 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Map 3. Original 1926 plat map of Evergreen Cemetery (City of Austin archives, Austin History Center) Page 25 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Map 4. Complete west-side plat map of Evergreen Cemetery, undated, showing clipped southwest corner due to construction of Airport Boulevard and location of caretaker cottage (City of Austin archives, Austin History Center) Page 26 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Map 5. Satellite view of Evergreen Cemetery with streets labeled (Google Earth Pro, annotated by author) Page 27 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Figures Figure 1. Aerial photograph of Evergreen Cemetery, 1952; note allée of trees along the cemetery’s Main Street and along 12th Street west of Main Street, as well as the caretaker’s cottage and restroom in the southwest corner near the L-shaped driveway (City of Austin) Page 28 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Figure 3. Photo of graves and vegetation in Evergreen Cemetery, 1934; mounded dirt covers graves in right side of frame (Austin History Center) Figure 4. Handmade grave marker, example of the “evening primrose” style, located in section A (Kelly Little, December 2020) Page 29 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Photographs All photographs by Steph McDougal, November 30, 2024 Photo 1. Primary entrance to Evergreen Cemetery from 12th Street, camera facing north. Page 30 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Photo 2. Flagpole with planting bed, trash receptacle, and information kiosk on west side of Main Street near primary entrance, camera facing north. Page 31 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Photo 3. View of Main Street, camera facing north. Photo 4. View of Avenue A, camera facing east. Page 32 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Photo 5. Tears family graves immediately inside the primary entrance, east side of Main Street, camera facing east. Photo 6. Campbell family graves, located along Main Street near the primary entrance, camera facing west. Page 33 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Photo 7. Fuller and Mercer family graves are located along Main Street near the primary entrance, camera facing west. Photo 8. Kirk family graves are located along Main Street, camera facing west. Page 34 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Photo 9. Samuel and Ruth Alexander grave marker, example of ceramic photograph, camera facing west. Photo 10. Beula Mae (Roberts) Fennell grave marker, modern version of photograph on marker, camera facing west. Only her birth date currently appears on this marker; Mrs. Fennell died in 2011. Page 35 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Photo 11. Lott family graves, examples of concrete slab coverings over grave sites, camera facing east. Photo 12. Martin family plot, unusual example of an above-ground crypt/box tomb and plot curbing in this cemetery, camera facing west. Page 36 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Photo 13. Representative view of Section A, camera facing east; Sections J and K are visible in the background. Photo 14. Representative view of Section BB1, camera facing northeast. Page 37 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Photo 15. Representative view of Section CB1, camera facing west toward Tillery Street. Photo 16. Representative view of Sections CB4 and CB5, from Avenue B, camera facing north,. Page 38 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Photo 17. Representative view of Section CB5, camera facing west toward Tillery Street. Photo 18. Representative photo of Section DB1, camera facing south. Page 39 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Photo 19. Representative view of Section DB2, camera facing west. Photo 20. Representative view of Section DB3, camera facing northwest toward Tillery Street. Page 40 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Photo 21. Representative view of Section 3 from Avenue A, camera facing northeast. Photo 22. View of Section E from Main Street, camera facing east. Page 41 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Photo 23. Undeveloped area north of Sections B and E, camera facing northeast. Photo 24. Historic white concrete block restroom building in Section D, no longer in use, camera facing southwest. Page 42 SBR Draft United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places REGISTRATION FORM NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Evergreen Cemetery, Austin, Travis, Texas Photo 25. Representative view of flush/surface markers in Section H (not within nominated site), camera facing south. Photo 26. Representative view of Section J (not in nominated site), camera facing north. — end — Page 43 SBR Draft