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Residents urge preservation of historic Davis family graves near Daisy Museum
Summary
Public commenters, descendants and the Montgomery History Task Force urged the council to preserve a small cemetery and lilies near the Daisy Museum after speakers said a 2022 staff-level street plan put the site at risk; councilors said staff will pursue protections and consult historians.
A cluster of residents and descendants pressed the Montgomery City Council on May 26 to preserve a small burial site near the Daisy Museum that they say contains graves of early Montgomery families.
A council member who opened public comment said the street that raised concern was planned at the staff level in 2022 and that the city’s economic development committee contracted archaeological consulting before advancing plans. “The lilies matter, the children resting here matter, the story matters, and this city's response to that story matters,” the council member said, urging that the site be honored.
Among speakers, Bob Peel told the council he had visited the parcel and said he believed portions had been sold and that graves — including an infant — might lie under proposed improvements. Diane Lane, speaking for a local family with deep roots in Montgomery, said the community wanted a simple fence and recognition for the graves. “These babies mean a lot to us,” she said, asking for cooperation with the Montgomery Historical Society.
Kristen Pierson, representing the History Task Force, offered the group's research resources and digitized records to help the city verify historic burial locations and work with descendants.
City staff and councilors responded that the current administration had inherited plans from an earlier administration and that staff-level records (including communications from Assistant Administrator David Portillo and EDC notes) showed prior archaeological work. A council member said the street component would not go forward as presented and that the lilies would be preserved and possibly marked with a monument, though no formal council action on a preservation plan was taken that evening.
The meeting record shows councilors asked staff to review property ownership, development agreements and past archaeological notes and to coordinate with the historical society and descendants. The council thanked speakers for raising the issue and indicated staff would follow up with details on the next steps.
The council did not vote on a preservation ordinance or funding at the May 26 meeting; speakers asked the city to consider fencing, a formal marker and clearer communication with the historical society as staff develops recommendations.
