Payne's Cemetery

In 1851, a free black man named John Payne opened a cemetery primarily for African-Americans. During the 1800s it thrived (to the extent that a cemetery can thrive), recording 14,000 burials between 1880-1919. Unfortunately, though, it was poorly run, and by 1966 had been closed down and abandoned until ultimately becoming the site of the Fletcher-Johnson School. However, keep going east on this new Blue Line and you’ll see that the story of Payne’s Cemetery didn’t end here.