When Kathy Wright first noticed the marked decline of Evergreen Memorial Gardens Cemetery — overgrown grass, sinking headstones and trash scattered across its nearly 8-acre lot — she organized a group of volunteers to help clean up.
“I can’t imagine leaving the cemetery to turn into a field of emptiness,” said Wright, who over the past year has been traveling back and forth from her home in Georgia to Leesburg to lead cleanups of the cemetery that predates the 1950s.“Being from Leesburg, I know so many of the people out here,” she said. “My family is here — my mom, grandparents and uncle. These people served Leesburg, Lake County and the nation. There are 42 veterans here and we can’t forget their sacrifice and dishonor them in this way.”
In October 2025, Wright formed Project Evergreen, a cadre of volunteers who have been cleaning up the historical Black cemetery because no one else will.
On May 30, humidity, a light rain shower and outdoor pests didn’t deter volunteers, including representatives from the Palestine Lodge No. 30 of The Most Worshipful Union Grand Lodge and the Mary Ellen Robertson chapter the Daughters of the American Revolution, from coming out for the Project Evergreen Cemetery Spring Clean Up — its fifth cleanup.
The coordination had the cemetery buzzing with action as a handful of people used trimmers to outline headstones, shears to trim trees and two lawn mowers to cut grass.
“Since we came together to form Project Evergreen, we have made progress in getting the cemetery to a manageable condition,” Wright said. “We want to make it honorable not only for the people out here, but also for the people who come to visit. There needs to be a decent entryway, more lighting and regular maintenance.”
Wright also researches the history of the cemetery with the help of Allen Foote, cemetery and genealogy researcher with the Kinseekers Genealogical Society.
While Foote cleared overgrown vegetation in the back of the cemetery during the recent cleanup, he also searched for unmarked graves.
“I’ve talked to so many people who say, ‘My family is buried there and I can’t find their name. It’s a shame,” he said. “This is a historic cemetery that’s part of Lake County history, so even if you live in the area, you should know and care about this. The people here need respect and dignity. Without Kathy leading Project Evergreen, the cemetery would be left neglected.”
Foote said he spends at least three days a week at the cemetery, searching for sunken headstones and unmarked graves while mapping the 800 known burial plots.
Fifty-five scattered white signs less than 5 inches tall mark where Foote has identified potential burial vaults in the cemetery he said has over 100 unmarked graves.
“People have likely driven over graves because there are no proper markers for these,” Foote said about the two markers near the driving path at the cemetery.
Bessie Rawls said she’s grateful for Wright’s leadership in maintaining the cemetery and Foote’s research skills.
“(Kathy) does so much planning and she has really kept us all together and supported,” Rawls said. “Keeping this cemetery clean will be an ongoing effort for our community. We are all going to keep coming to clean. The little battles we are fighting are going to add up and it’ll all come together.”
Cory Reed, Yuri Brown and Lenzy Hodge are Palestine Lodge No. 30 members who volunteered for cleanup. Reed said along with the organization being focused on community service, the initiative was personal for him because he has family members buried at the cemetery.
“Days like today show what our community is about,” Brown said. “When things need to be done in our community, we come together to get them done.”
Cathy Lebron, vice regent of the Mary Ellen Robertson Chapter of the DAR, has assisted in at least two cleanups. She was joined by her husband, Steve, who helped her cut overgrown tree vines, rake leaves and dump debris. Cathy also assisted when the chapter placed flags on the graves of veterans this past Memorial Day.
“I thought it was a worthy community initiative,” she said. “My husband and I felt that we needed to be out here helping our fellow citizens.”
Retired Army Lt. Col. Arnold Leeks has twice traveled from Port Orange to participate in Project Evergreen cleanups with his cousin Denise Kinsey, a Leesburg resident. His parents, grandparents and other family members are buried at the cemetery.
“It’s unfortunate this has happened, but it’s great that the community has continued to come together,” Leeks said. “There are a lot of well-known people out here, so I can’t thank the DAR and other organizations enough for coming together.
For more information about Project Evergreen, visit Project Evergreen Cemetery – Leesburg, Fl on Facebook.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
Photos by Brea Jones | Daily Sun. Allen Foote has placed more than 55 white markers identifying where he believes unmarked graves are located throughout the historic cemetery in Leesburg.
Photos by Brea Jones | Daily Sun. Bessie Rawls spent her morning Saturday picking up trash and weeds at Evergreen Memorial Gardens Cemetery during a community organized clean up event.
