Slave Cemetery May Be Located On Charlotte-Douglas International Airport Land

Go behind the old Steele Creek Presbyterian Church, past the Vast Cemetery in west Charlotte, and you'll find woods so thick you can barely walk through them. And it's there historians are confident a slave cemetery lies.

Dr. Vernon Herron's ancestors are buried in the cemetery; he's been researching his family's history for 20 years.

"Trying to preserve and for historical value and rescuing them from obliteration. You see, they've come alive again,” he said.

Herron is part of a group that focuses on African-American genealogy. He said he’s worried construction at the airport could destroy the cemetery. The cemetery is believed to be right next to where a new runway is being built, and other airport developments are also under construction in the area.

Because of those projects, the airport hired an archeologist from the Shiele museum to help find the cemetery's exact location.

Aviation director Jerry Orr said the airport wants to be a good neighbor, but there are a lot of questions.

"It is very difficult and this is a cemetery that's 150 years old and at most, it's word of mouth, a few references and some deeds. But 150 years ago this was way, way out in the country with a lot of big farms," he said.

The area is about a half mile by a half-mile wide, but is very overgrown. The Rev. Jeff Pinkson said the church is helping by providing what documents it has from the mid-1800s.

"We want to help preserve it for the whole community and we know it would mean so much to ancestors of the African-American community,” he said.