The Clay County Historical Preservation Board on Nov. 6, 2025 received updates on volunteer-led restoration projects at several historic cemeteries, ongoing efforts to locate unregistered burial sites and the board's marker and signage plans for the coming year.

Board staff member Beth said the board's FY2026 budget for markers is $10,400 and reviewed markers currently in production or pending state review, including Brannonfield, Saint Mary's Episcopal and a Middleburg school marker. "This year's budget for '26, we have a budget of, 10,400," Beth said.

Why it matters: many of the sites discussed are on private property, unregistered with state files or overgrown; preserving them depends on volunteer labor, property-owner permission, and compliance with county land-use rules. Beth told the board that "there is a landscape code in the county and...no clearing or...tree removal should be done without the submittal and approval of a landscape plan" for nonresidential properties.

Volunteer reports and search efforts: board volunteers described multiple on-the-ground projects. A large youth group from St. Catherine's Catholic Church performed maintenance work at Sauter Cemetery, and volunteers are planning additional visits. McKendree Hammock Cemetery, across from Doctors Inlet Elementary School, is on private property; the owner's daughter has granted permission and a Boy Scout from Troop 482 in Fleming Island proposes to make the restoration his Eagle Scout project. Volunteers said many graves lack dates or names.

Pleasant Point: volunteers reported that Pleasant Point cemetery clearing and stump grinding are complete and that a property owner has agreed to install a fence, with work beginning Dec. 4 and a sign unveiling planned for Dec. 20. A volunteer said the owner spent about $18,000 to clear the site and grind stumps and is spending about $20,000 to install a fence. The volunteer said the group held a small Facebook fundraiser that raised about $350 to pay for a sign.

Records and ownership questions: volunteers and residents discussed properties that appear in the property appraiser's records as deeded cemeteries but where no burial records have been found. Board members noted that private, unlicensed burial sites do not always generate state records and that deeds can date back to the early 1900s. Board members are exploring whether Magnolia Springs Cemetery is owned by Clay County or the city of Green Cove Springs to identify maintenance partners and grant opportunities.

Markers, county signs and timelines: Beth outlined the marker workflow and state review timelines, noting some marker projects will roll into subsequent fiscal years. The board discussed creating a county sign application (to mirror approved state marker text) and adding a documentation requirement so applicants provide supporting sources for sign wording. Cost figures discussed for county signs included two per-sign figures mentioned during the meeting (single-sided and double-sided costs were stated in the meeting record); staff said production and installation timelines vary with workload.

Data and future priorities: staff shared a GIS-produced map from the property appraiser database identifying structures built before 1976 as a way to target clustered areas for surveys and to support future grant applications to build a local master site file. The board discussed heritage-trail ideas (including Bartram-related sites), public tours, and outreach events to raise awareness and recruit volunteers.

Formal action: the board approved the previous meeting's minutes with a correction to a member's name during a voice vote; the motion carried.

Looking ahead: staff said the board does not meet in December and scheduled the next meeting for Jan. 8, 2026. Staff encouraged members to submit agenda items by the posted deadline and to participate in upcoming events and marker applications.