GREEN COVE SPRINGS — More than a year ago, a piece of land hidden behind the woody acres of County Road 209 left a group of volunteers entranced. 

By then, amateur archaeologist and former U.S. History teacher Steve Griffith had done extensive research, unearthing the quiet, overgrown space that had been abandoned for quite some time. But little did he know that it would become a breeding ground for a wealth of county history.

Pleasant Point Cemetery is on its way to becoming what it once was — a burial ground for some of the county's most significant Black figures. U.S. Navy Veteran George Elias Forrester, along with some of his family members, is buried at Pleasant Point. He served with the Union in the Civil War. The son of Cyrus and Dorcas Forrester, his family was the first free Black family in the county. 

Elizabeth Lewis-Jenkins, the wife of Thomas H. Jenkins, is also buried there. Thomas was one of the trustees and founders of Mount Zion A.M.E. Church in Green Cove Springs. 

Not too far from them also lies Pizel and Mary Ambrose Robinson, the great-grandparents of R&B singer Patti LaBelle. Since beginning the restoration process, Griffith said they have discovered 41 individuals buried in the cemetery.

On Dec. 20, local officials and community leaders will gather at the cemetery for a ceremony to honor those laid to rest and to reveal a brand-new sign.

It was a community effort to get the cemetery to its former glory.  In addition to local volunteers, Webelos Pack 482, First Presbyterian Church of Green Cove Springs Men's Group, former Clay County fire chief and Scoutmaster Richard Knoff and his Boy Scouts, Troop 677, helped clear more than 400 trees and vines.

"Every tree that came down was manual labor. Except for the last ten or so," Knoff said.

Standing in the cemetery, Charlie Sohm said it was incredible to see how far the group had come. Sohm's ties go far back. His family has lived next door to the property since the 1960s.

The land was given initially to Thomas Travers as a Spanish land grant in the 1830s. Researchers found that in 1956, the land was given to Clay County native Joseph Johnson, who acted as its caretaker. He was deeded the property from Mercer G. and Martha Conway.

"All my life, this has just been a place in the woods where you can play, and there were cool gravestones around the place. I saw them as a little kid and knew this was a neat place," Sohm said.

It was a place where Sohm would often hang out and tell his friends about the things he would find. 

A couple of decades ago, Sohm said he and his parents purchased the land surrounding their property. They were never 100% sure if the cemetery came with it.

"We bought the land mainly because we wanted to have it and keep it from getting overdeveloped. And that's pretty much how it stayed," he said. 

When Sohm met Griffith and heard what he was trying to do, he knew it was a no-brainer and gave him his blessing. 

"Finally, someone's going to do it," he said. "And so, I'm like 'Good on you. Go for it.'"

Amid some resistance from others in the area, Sohm said he was there to intervene and make sure the group got the job done. 

"I hired a surveyor to mark out the area, so now, inside this area, you can do whatever you need to do," he said. 

Sohm also hired a crew to help with stump grinding and will soon help provide fencing.

"The volunteers around here worked. They did so much valuable work for this project. And all I basically did was finish it up," Sohm said.

Griffith said that next spring, the Florida Public Archaeological Department will begin ground surveying with penetrating radar. He said that will be the last step in officially mapping out the site. That includes marking the graves with official names.

"We'll have a lot better idea of where the markers are. Then it'll be up to somebody else to determine who's buried there," Knoff said. "But you can see some of the indentations in the ground where there is obviously a grave, but no markers are left."