The City of Tallahassee honored the lives of enslaved persons ahead of Emancipation Day.
A commemorative site at the former Houstoun Plantation honors the enslaved men and women who died and were buried on the grounds.
Some descendants of the workers took part in the ceremony to remember their ancestors.
Tallahassee Mayor Pro Tem Curtis Richardson said walking through the memorial was an emotional experience.
"Memorializing those who were, who died and were buried on the Houstoun plantation here in Tallahassee, the city of Tallahassee erected a monument on their behalf to remember the sacrifice that they gave for those of us who are still living today — to be, to be able to better enjoy life," Richardson said.
Richardson hopes the monument will help visitors understand local history. He says it's important for young people to learn about the sacrifices of the enslaved.
"Well, of course, being African American, it was heart-wrenching for me to know that possibly — because my father grew up here in Tallahassee — that possibly one of my ancestors could have been buried out here," Richardson added.
The site was a point of controversy when city commissioners voted to sell the land, and the nearby golf course, to the Capital City Country Club. In that sale, the city promised to protect and preserve the land and create a memorial to honor the enslaved persons buried in the ground.
The city says suburban residents who built a 9-hole golf course on the site in the early 20th century noticed overgrown graves. They said some were decorated with wooden crosses. Others had lilies or ligustrums nearby. The course was expanded to 18 holes in the 1930s, the city says.
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