North Carolina Construction News staff writer
Efforts to restore Charlotte’s St. Lloyd Presbyterian Church cemeteries in Grier Heights and SouthPark are currently focused on the cemetery in Grier Heights. Backed by a Neighborhood Matching Grant from the city, successfully used ground-penetrating radar to uncover unmarked graves within the 0.85-acre site.
“I learned about the Neighborhood Matching Grant program, really, a few years back. Our community received a Neighborhood Matching Grant to help install some historical signage,” said Dr. Stacey Price Brown, president of the Grier Heights Community Improvement Organization, adding that pursuing the grant seemed “like the natural step to take.”
The St. Lloyd Presbyterian Church Foundation’s future plans include the addition of historical signage and exhibits, which will provide educational insights and highlight the significance of these sites to visitors.
Kim Barnes, from the City of Charlotte’s Neighborhood Engagement Service Team, was the community’s liaison for this project. Barnes was key in connecting the community with the city’s resources, emphasizing the city’s supportive role.
“We capacity build in communities,” she said. “It’s not about us making decisions for them. It’s about them discovering what’s most important to them and then us coming in and supporting it and providing resources and research. So we’ve spent time researching and finding ways for them to get this going and they have become passionate about it.”