ADAMS AND ROGERS CEMETERIES

Adams Cemetery, once known as the Fogartyville Colored Cemetery, began in 1896 when William H. and Eliza Atzeroth Forgarty donated four acres of land to the community for use as a public cemetery. The cemetery’s earliest marker is the final resting place of Josephine P. Alston (1883-1901). In 1922, after all the cemetery lots had been sold, its trustees bought an additional four acres of land, of which a portion was set aside for those unable to purchase a burial plot. This area was referred to as the Adams Section, and it is still used occasionally for burials. Rogers Cemetery adjoins the Adams Cemetery, and was used as a burying ground for African American residents of Manatee County beginning in the mid-1800s. The cemetery is named for Garfield and Minnie L. Rogers. Garfield Rogers spearheaded the Civil Rights movement locally and was instrumental in establishing the first school for African American students in Manatee County. Recognizing the need for a final resting place for those who could not afford it, the Rogers family donated or sold burial sites to persons of limited means up to 1967. In 1988, both cemeteries came under the care of Manatee County as abandoned cemeteries.