Continuing my self guided historical tour of Lake Worth found me at I.A. Banks Memorial Park, a…read morehistorically black cemetery. The cemetery was originally called the Osborne Municipal Cemetery. It was renamed I. A. Banks Memorial Park in 1983 in honor of Reverend I. A. Banks (1890 - 1975). Reverend Banks was the founder and 35 year pastor of New Hope Baptist Church which is located diagonally across the street from the cemetery. In 1885 Samuel and Fannie James, believed to be former slaves, were among the first people to homestead this area before it became Lake Worth. Fannie petitioned for and operated the first post office in what was then called Jewell. In 1914 other Bahamians and African-Americans settled in between Lake Worth and Lantana which was the only area they were permitted to be in due to segregation. When Lake Worth's first municipal cemetery Pine Crest was created in 1923, it was whites only. Blacks had to be buried in Boynton Beach or West Palm Beach. In 1960, Lake Worth established the 1.5-acre Osborne Municipal Cemetery for black residents. The first cemetery care taker was David U. Millines. Recently the city paid to have the cemetery fenced in for added security. I.A. Banks Memorial Park contains 262 graves including veterans. This cemetery is part of the Florida Historical Marker Program, one of the Division of Historical Resources' most popular and valued public history programs. It raises awareness of Florida's cultural history while enhancing the enjoyment of historic sites for residents and tourists. The blue historic markers tell the stories of the people and places that were important to Florida's history and they can be found in front of churches, schools, buildings, roads, archaeological sites, battlefields, and cemeteries like this one. Historic marker F-1234 was installed in 2023 by the City of Lake Worth Beach and the Florida Department of State.

Old cemeteries like this one contain important information about history and genealogy. Pine Crest…read moreCemetery also has one of the blue historic markers in front of it that is part of the Florida Historical Marker Program. The Historical Marker program is one of the Division of Historical Resources' most popular and valued public history programs. It raises awareness of Florida's cultural history while enhancing the enjoyment of historic sites for residents and tourists. The blue historic markers tell the stories of the people and places that were important to Florida's history and they can be found in front of churches, schools, buildings, roads, archaeological sites, battlefields, and cemeteries like this one. Historic marker F-1235 was installed in 2023 by The City of Lake Worth Beach and the Florida Department of State. When Lake Worth was incorporated in June 1913, it had 700 residents along with a post office, several stores, a church, bank, school, and a newspaper. However, there was no cemetery and all burials were made in Woodlawn Cemetery in West Palm Beach or privately. In 1915, the Lake Worth government appointed a committee to find a suitable location for a cemetery. The committee found a 9.2 acre parcel in the southwest corner of town. Lake Worth purchased it for $10 per acre for a total of $920.00. The first recorded burial took place in July of 1923. The city held a contest to name the cemetery and compromised between two suggestions, Pine Crest. The original cemetery was Sections A through P. In 1935, the American Legion requested that the city designate a portion of Pine Crest Cemetery as a memorial plot for service men. In response the city created section I which was set aside for veterans at no charge, with standard government markers. American Legion Post #47 donated the labor and material for sidewalks. Veterans from the Spanish American War, and World War I and II were laid to rest here. In 1949, the city acquired more land on the western edge of the cemetery and created sections 1 through 30. Until 1970 the cemetery was segregated with only whites buried here while black residents were buried nearby at I. A. Banks Memorial Park, formerly Osborne Municipal Cemetery. In 1971 Pine Crest cemetery was enlarged again to a total of 17.25 acres and 8,625 burials. Section BB is for infants. A time capsule was buried on the grounds in 1976 by the Lake Worth Centennial Committee and the Lake Worth Civic Council. It will be opened July 4, 2076. Pine Crest Cemetery is very peaceful and well maintained. Despite the age, the graves look well tended and there are beautiful flowering royal poinciana and plumeria trees. The city recently added a fence for added security.

This is a beautifully maintained local cemetery. I have only visited a handful of times, but each…read moretime, it has been free of visible trash, with bright green grass and no one loitering. There are shady parts with trees, as well as long stretches of mostly car free pavement. Parking inside is limited to certain hours, and only certain gates are open dawn to dusk. It is appears fully gated. There is limited sidewalk access outside of it.

Barton Memorial Park Cemetery is located at the north end of the Barton Greenway. It is Boynton…read moreBeach's first African-American cemetery and was originally called Cherry Hill. The quarter acre cemetery takes it's name from Alton Barton who died at the age of six and is buried in the cemetery. His mother Mary Barton campaigned to have the cemetery maintained and the Barton family still lives in the area. When I-95 was built in the 1970's the cemetery was being used as a dump. The Barton family alerted the Department of Transportation that there was a cemetery here. It is believed that part of I-95 was rerouted to preserve at least some of the cemetery. Bodies that would have been under the highway were slated to be moved to Sara Sims Cemetery but it is unclear if they were. The graves that are here now were not in the direct path of I-95. In 1979 new sod and trees were planted and the Barton Greenway was created to the south.. There is now a sound wall running between the cemetery and I-95. In 2012 students from Florida Atlantic University used ground penetrating radar to discover many more unmarked graves. Some people could not afford markers or used wood which is now gone so there graves are unmarked. There are approximately 20 grave markers in the cemetery. The cemetery was an unofficial burial place so there aren't records. It is believed the first burial took place in 1900 and the last burial in 1983. Many of the people buried here are of Bahamian decent and are the pioneers of Boynton Beach. In May of 2015 the City of Boynton Beach gave the cemetery historic designation and it is part of the Downtown Heritage Trail. It is also part of the city's Cemetery Trail. The cemetery is very well maintained which is not the case for all African-American cemeteries in South Florida. Boynton Beach has really done a great job here. They even installed an interpretive sign explaining the history. I love how they have embraced the history of this site.

Twice a year, a knowledgeable technician conducts a maintenance on my a/c unit. Sean was the most…read morerecent tech and starting with his call to alert me of his arrival time till the time he finished, he was punctual, polite, considerate, knowledgeable, informative, professional and tidy. It was a pleasure having Sean in my home. The twice yearly maintenance contract comes with benefits should the system stop working. Although the fee is a bit high, the service is excellent. The office staff is congenial and booking an appointment is easy. The two a/c UV lights needed replacement and although purchasing them on Amazon was a lot cheaper - a lot - there were too many questions about how well, and/or long they would last, plus other concerns. Hence, Sean installed them and they are good for two years. When I added the cost of the renewal of my two year maintenance contract along with the cost of two bulbs, I was alarmed. Sean spoke with the office and a discount was provided. Although I truly appreciated it, the final amount was still high, but in the end - Lindstrom Air provides a great service.

Technician showed up during requested time and was very pleasant . Problem was fixed quicklyread more

They R very friendly, professional, kind ,and help U make your arrangements. Highly recommended.read more

Larry, the Rampartap family can't take you enough for your kindness and professionalism through…read moresuch a difficult time. Larry was very patient and thorough, he answered all of our questions. He made this process as seamless as possible. Larry is in the business for all the right reasons, may God continue to bless Eden for all their hard work. Saying goodbye to a loved one is never easy. Larry you deserve much recognition for a job well done! Thanks for going above and beyond for our family. God Bless! Darryl, and Sara Rampartap and family!

I would have thought this little piece of land would have so much history. This is a historica…read morecemetery and park. It is nice inside. It has nice walking trails that take you around. A few benches around. The park is well kept and it is also fenced in. The entrances are on the side. No pets are allowed here. It was a cool discovery for me.

Branhilda-Richardson Knowles Memorial Park is a cemetery but there aren't any headstones. This is a…read morehistoric African-American cemetery but no one is sure where the bodies lay anymore. Hundreds of people are buried in what was once called the "Old Colored Cemetery." It is believed there may be as many as 300 bodies buried here including that of a Union soldier, the great grandfather of a city commissioner, and the daughter of a slave. Many of the people were from the Bahamas and they came to live and work in the city of Deerfield Beach. The internment's took place between 1897 and the 1950's. After being used as a cemetery the land was sold and the headstones removed. The majority of the city commission had voted to allow 69 condo units to be built on the site despite the objections of people in the neighborhood who told them their relatives were buried there. The developer was forced to do three archeological surveys of the land which revealed bodies over 20 acres. At that point the city purchased the land from the developer for one million dollars. Another $400,000 was set aside for the design and building of a cemetery. The city decided to name the cemetery after Branhilda-Richardson Knowles, a midwife who delivered most of the cities African-American babies in the early 20th century since Jim Crow era laws prevented them from being born in hospitals. It was these same laws that forced them to be buried here. The design of this 3.3 acre cemetery is based on Arlington National Cemetery and it has trees lined up to replace the headstones that don't exist. The cemetery is made up of three separate sections. The first part has a statue of a woman holding up a baby in honor of the memorial park's namesake. The second section has a tree of life monument that spins in the wind. This section contains a wall that has the family names of some of the people buried here. The third section is a Veterans Memorial in honor of the veterans buried here and the ones from Deerfield Beach who sacrificed their lives. The new cemetery opened on August 24, 2019. I commend the city of Deerfield Beach for making amends for the terrible wrong that had been done to the people of color in their city. They made it so nice that it looks more like a park than a cemetery. If you didn't bother to read the signs you might not know what it was. I saw kids riding their bikes along the pathways while moms sat with their backs against the name memorial. This park is only three of the 20 acres they found bodies on so not every grave is part of the memorial. There is a sign on the empty lot next to the memorial that condos from the 450 thousand dollar range will be built there. No doubt on other unmarked graves. Still the new memorial was a step in the right direction. There is even a historic marker out front. Since Florida was a slave state every town has one of these African-America Jim Crow era cemeteries. I am always interested in what the town does with it. Ft. Lauderdale made a nice memorial for theirs similar to this while Pompano Beach leaves theirs to decay. I applaud Deerfield Beach for taking an ugly piece of their history and turning into something beautiful the community can be proud of.

Manager was very pleasant helpful answering questions facility was cleaned and securedread more

Radha was awesome !!! She has a great upbeat personality with customers. Made the transaction…read morepleasant and easy. Thank you.

We cannot thank William, the owner, along with Donna and Karen at Monarch Funeral Home enough for…read morethe compassion, kindness, and love they showed our family during the hardest time of our lives. They blessed us with the opportunity to have a private viewing with our son, and it is a moment we will hold in our hearts forever. Seeing him one last time brought us such comfort and peace. He looked absolutely beautiful, like an angel peacefully resting. William, Donna, and Karen went above and beyond in every possible way. Their care, patience, and genuine compassion made an unimaginable loss a little easier to carry. The funeral home itself is beautiful, peaceful, and filled with warmth. We are forever grateful for everything they did for our family and for giving us such a meaningful and precious final moment with our son. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

We aligned with Monarch many years ago for our father, a veteran, for funeral services and…read morecremation. It was beyond phenomenal and so warm and personable at the hardest of times. The night dad passed, was a weekend after 9pm. The owner made himself available and insisted on helping claim body from Hospice in Coral Springs. They handled everything from start to finish and made our time of grief so much easier. I can only suggest that you look at more than just a building or even beautiful pics. Realize that in your time of loss a company that steps in and directs in a soft even approach is worth more than any company charges. May they always be blessed ....