In April 2022, the City applied for the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office‘s (SHPO) 2022 Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) Grant to conduct an Archeological Survey of the African-American section of Lexington City Cemetery. The site is approximately 3,800 sf and located in the oldest portion of the city cemetery. It is a vacant space with a singular marker atop a rough stone pyramid that states that slaves were buried there before the civil war. There are no other records related to that site. 

The City was notified on August 22, 2022, that our application was selected for $6,000 in funding from the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). On October 24, 2022, City Council approved the grant agreement and required match funding amount of $2,500, bringing the project total to $8,500.  

The grant award requires that the City work closely with SHPO throughout the project, including the selection process of an experienced contractor. The selected contractor will utilize ground penetrating technology to conduct the survey and have to follow all guidelines put forth by the North Carolina Office of State Archaeology (OSA). 

In partnership with SHPO, the City began the process of requesting proposals from contractors with a proposal deadline of January 20, 2023. The Request for Proposal was published on the City’s website, listed on SHPO’s email list, and individually sent to a list of firms recommended by SHPO.  

The State Historic Preservation Office anticipates the surveying work to begin by the end of March and conclude by the end of October. 

The City is very excited for this project and understands its importance to our community. City officials hope to include the community as much as the grant requirements and expert advice allow. The City’s top priority for this project is protecting and honoring the descendant community there.  

The City would like to thank the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office for selecting this project for funding.