Floyd White, a Camden resident and veteran, has led the restoration of Dempsey Butler Cemetery, a historically Black veterans' graveyard. With the help of local volunteers, the cemetery has been revitalized, with new markers, a replacement monument, and regular ceremonies honoring Black veterans.
Longtime Camden resident, Floyd White has been working to ensure that Black veterans from his community are properly honored and remembered, even after they’re gone. Dempsey Butler Cemetery, a small, historically Black veterans' graveyard was barren and neglected just five years ago.There were no markers and the only feature identifying the grounds was the tombstone of its founder, standing alone in the middle of the site as its lone centerpiece.
A monument that marked the cemetery was even stolen several years ago and likely sold, community members said.The significance of the burial ground was nearly lost until White and other local volunteers stepped in. As a veteran with nearly four decades of military service, White has spearheaded efforts to restore the cemetery and preserve its history. His nonprofit, the Woodland Community Development Corporation have made strides to revitalize the site over the past few years. They added markers on the graves of the eight Black Civil War veterans buried there, replaced the stolen monument with a new one outside the cemetery gates and routinely switch out the American flag overlooking the grounds. White, who is a pastor at a church just a few blocks from the cemetery, also regularly holds ceremonies at the site to honor Black veterans. In 35-degree weather earlier this month, White gave a presentation as a small group of veterans and community members gathered to recognize those who served in World War II. Melvin Payne, President of the Greater Philadelphia Chapter, salutes the flag during a Tuskegee AirmenTuskegee Airman Celebration at Butler Dempsey Cemetery in Camden, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024.Where they were standing is one of Camden’s often-overlooked historical landmarks, White said in his presentation that day. The graveyard, located at Ferry Avenue and Charles Street, was established in the 1800s by businessman and abolitionist Dempsey Daniel Butle
BLACK VETERANS CEMETERY RESTORATION CAMDEN HISTORY WORLD WAR II
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