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What is not legend is that Jesse Geer's son, Frederick, had children by a slave named Priscilla. Those descendents still live in Durham today, and many wonder if the sale of that land did not signify a deeper acknowledgement of the black Geer lineage.

Friends' member DD Barnes can trace her father's people back to one of Frederick and Priscilla's sons. "There's a lot of history in that cemetery," Barnes said. "There's a sense of pride there."

For those who live close by, like Jessica Eustice, who has a view of the graveyard from her front porch, the spirit of the place calls to her.

"This cemetery connects me to myself," she said. "The cemetery is the center of my sense of place in this neighborhood. It is like a touchstone for me."

Eustice, a Friends member and history buff, feels drawn to the cemetery's mystery even though she is white - perhaps maybe because she is white. She feels her help may atone for a history she played no part in, but nevertheless feels sorry for as a white southerner with deep roots.

In the meantime

While the Friends say they are pleased that the grounds are being better cared for and grateful for all the city has contributed, the cemetery remains unclaimed -- something that bothers those who know they have family there.

Chantae Bohannon-Mangum has a second cousin buried there -- a teenager named Dorothy Lee Haskins who went to boarding school in Oxford, the only one in the state for blacks at the time. "It would be great if we could get some closure," she said.

The group plans to bring the cemetery to the attention of state officials, Eustice said. Statutes say land with no heir apparent becomes state property, and the group hopes this may lead to some much-deserved attention. Supporters see potential for a historically preserved park.

In the meantime, the Friends can celebrate the fact that a new sign will soon be erected. Ron Bartholemew of the Durham Marble Company is donating a stone slab that will sit on a structure made from old Durham brick. It will read "Geer Cemetery, 1877-1944" and will feature a bit of historical information as well.

What's the next chapter in this cemetery's long history? The Friends wonder if and when a descendent of one of those three men might surface. Lilley said maintenance of the land would then become the responsibility of the owner -- hardly an incentive to claim it.

Durham officials say, however, that it would be possible for the City Council to agree to its maintenance were the land to be donated to the city.

For now, Lilley says the city would be interested in a more formal agreement with a non-profit such as Keep Durham Beautiful. Preservation Durham has already acknowledged the cemetery as a landmark in Durham's African-American history and has worked with Friends, but no contract has been made between the city and any group.

"I've never been involved in a situation like this," Lilley said. "The memories of those individuals and families buried within the cemetery's boundaries certainly make this an endeavor worth our time and talents."

Eustice plans to write a book -- she wants the graveyard to get the attention it deserves, but is also anxious about any racial issues it could stir up - crosses burned on some Durham lawns not three years ago.

At the least she hopes the new sign will alert people to this historic gem, even if it remains unclaimed. The sign will sit like a tombstone for the cemetery itself.

"It will bring it out of the shadows," she said.

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