Honoring Veterans at the Pinehurst and San Sebastian Cemeteries two of the Oldest African-American Cemeteries in Florida

Andrew Ferguson, a World War II veteran,  buried at the Pinehurst Cemetery in St. Augustine, Florida.

This afternoon flags were placed at the graves of veterans at the Pinehurst and San Sebastian Cemeteries, two of the oldest African-American cemeteries in Florida.

Robert Collie Stirrup, a Vietnam War Veteran

Twelve veterans were found at the San Sebastian Cemetery and 22 veterans' graves were found at the Pinehurst Cemetery.

Lisa Lewis from the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints brought a list of names of the veterans buried at the cemeteries based on research from FPAN.

Before heading off to find the graves the participants discussed how to identify a veteran's grave.

Ahmerrius Spikes, 7th grade Murray Middle School student with Webster educator, PTO President and RESET volunteer Lindsay Watters.

Students from the Webster School, Murray Middle School and Flagler College were proud to be able to honor the veterans at the Pinehurst and San Sebastian Cemeteries.

The recent clean-up at the cemeteries made it easier to find the veterans' graves, and some headstones that were previously unidentifiable were now legible.

Every corner of the cemeteries were searched, and two local families discovered the sunken-in gravestone below, which belonged to a veteran.

There are still some sunken-in graves and graves that have lost any identifying markers.

Willie Leon Cooper, Jr and Ramona Fisher placing flags on a grave.

Clearing the cemeteries and placing flags at the graves of veterans for Veterans Day are just a few ways to honor the veterans buried at the Pinehurst and San Sebastian Cemeteries.

Today's honoring of the veterans was a joint effort between The West Augustine Improvement Association, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the West Augustine Nature Society, but it was open to the community.

You can learn more about the Pinehurst and San Sebastian cemeteries here and read  about how you can help with the upkeep of these old African-American cemeteries. 

Follow the West Augustine Improvement Association on Facebook to learn about future clean-ups and events at the Pinehurst and San Sebastian Cemeteries.