Why We're Restoring Forgotten Cemeteries (And Why Every Business Should Care)

The Cemetery Behind the Krispy Kreme

Last week, I did something most Austinites have never done: I visited Williamson Creek Cemetery.

You've probably driven past it a hundred times without knowing it exists. It's tucked between a Krispy Kreme and a Holiday Inn Express on South I-35, just off Stassney Lane. There's no sign on the main road. No historical marker visible from the highway. Just a deteriorating fence barely containing the overgrowth within.

When I pushed through the rusted gate, here's what I found:

Weeds taller than my head. Concrete headstones crumbling into dust. A child's pink toy wedged against a 150-year-old burial marker. Evidence of vandalism. The unmistakable feeling of abandonment.

But also this: Over 330 souls resting in what was once sacred ground.

Among them, the ancestors of Richard Overton—Austin's legendary World War II veteran who lived to 112 and became the oldest surviving American veteran. The Kincheon family, who founded Kincheonville, a thriving post-slavery community that once covered five square miles of what's now South Austin. The Sneed, Franklin, Hardin, Overton, Scales, and Darby families—freedmen, their children, and their children's children.

People who built Austin. Literally. With their hands.

And we've left them to rot.

The Question That Keeps Me Up at Night

Five miles north of Williamson Creek, the City of Austin maintains Oakwood Cemetery with pristine care. Daily maintenance crews. Manicured lawns. Preserved historic markers. Tour guides for visitors. Budget allocations. Staff dedication.

Both are historic cemeteries. Both tell important Austin stories. Both contain people who shaped this city.

The difference? One primarily served wealthier, whiter Austinites. The other served enslaved people and their descendants.

This isn't about blame. It's about responsibility.

And that question—the one keeping me up—is this: If not us, then who? If not now, then when?

Why GFunnel is Getting Involved

People might reasonably ask: "You run a software company. You build CRM systems and automation tools. Why cemeteries?"

Fair question. Here's my answer.

At GFunnel, we serve over 4,000 users with a comprehensive business platform that integrates everything from customer relationship management to project coordination to AI automation. We're in the business of building systems that work.

But here's what I've learned after six years building this company: Systems aren't just for business. Communities need systems too. And advocacy needs organization.

Historic preservation fails not because people don't care—it fails because efforts are fragmented, communication is poor, stakeholders aren't aligned, and nobody coordinates the moving pieces.

That's exactly what GFunnel solves for businesses every day. And it's exactly what this cemetery project needs.

We have the project management infrastructure. We have the content creation systems. We have the coordination tools. We have connections to city leadership. And most importantly, we have the organizational capacity to turn volunteer passion into sustained, effective advocacy.

The city has the money to maintain this cemetery. They maintain five others already. They just need someone to organize the effort, build the coalition, make the case, and give them political cover to do the right thing.

This is What Organizing Actually Looks Like

I'm tired of corporate social responsibility that means writing a check and slapping your logo on someone else's event. But I'm equally tired of businesses that care but don't know how to actually make impact happen.

Real impact requires more than money. It requires coordination. Strategy. Systems. Sustained advocacy. The ability to unite stakeholders, navigate government processes, and turn good intentions into concrete outcomes.

That's what GFunnel brings to Williamson Creek Cemetery.

Here's what we're actually doing:

Immediate Action (Next 90 Days)

Organizational Infrastructure: GFunnel is providing the systems, coordination, and advocacy platform to make this happen. We're building the technology infrastructure, managing the project timeline, coordinating stakeholders, and leading the charge to secure city funding and support.

Coalition Building: We're uniting the Williamson Creek Cemetery Care Association (who've been volunteering since 2020), Save Austin's Cemeteries (who successfully advocated for other cemetery restorations), descendants, preservation experts, and community members into a coordinated advocacy effort.

City Advocacy: This is where the real work happens. Using connections in the City Manager's office and coordinating with Parks & Recreation, we're building the case for city acquisition or permanent support—just like they did with Plummers Cemetery in 1957. The city has the budget, the staff, and the precedent. They just need the political will.

Technology & Organizing Infrastructure (Months 1-6)

This is where GFunnel's platform becomes the backbone of the advocacy effort:

SaveWilliamsonCreek.org: We're building a comprehensive campaign website featuring:

• Interactive cemetery map and burial database
• Historical documentation and descendant stories
• City advocacy toolkit (template emails, talking points, Council member contacts)
• Volunteer coordination (cleanup days, advocacy meetings, events)
• Media archive and press coverage
• Progress tracker showing city engagement milestones
• Petition and letter-writing campaigns

Content Automation Systems: We're deploying our YouTube-to-blog automation to create educational content that builds public awareness:

• Video documentary series on cemetery and Kincheonville history
• Descendant interview features
• Before/after restoration documentation
• Op-eds and thought leadership pieces
• Social media content that drives engagement

Advocacy Coordination Hub: We're using our organizational action hub to manage:

• Stakeholder communication (WCCCA, SAC, descendants, volunteers)
• Meeting schedules with city officials
• Document repository (research, proposals, presentations)
• Timeline management for city decision milestones
• Task assignment for coalition members
• Media contact management

This isn't just building a website. It's creating the infrastructure that transforms scattered efforts into a coordinated campaign that city officials take seriously.

City Advocacy: The Core Strategy (Months 1-12)

This is where everything comes together. The City of Austin already maintains five municipal cemeteries through their Parks & Recreation Department. They have the budget, the staff, the equipment, and the expertise.

They also have precedent: In 1957, they acquired Plummers Cemetery—another historic African American cemetery—and have maintained it ever since.

What they need: Political will. Community pressure. An organized coalition. A clear pathway. Someone to do the heavy lifting of building consensus and navigating the process.

What we're providing:

Direct Access: My spouse was an advisor to the Assistant City Manager. We're not starting cold—we have relationships and understanding of how city government works.

Professional Advocacy: We're coordinating meetings with:

• City Manager's office
• Parks & Recreation Cemetery Operations
• City Council members (starting with the district member)
• Historic Landmark Commission
• Parks & Recreation Board

Evidence Building: We're documenting everything the city needs to make a decision:

• Historical significance research
• Current conditions assessment
• Comparison with city-maintained cemeteries
• Community support demonstration
• Legal authority under Texas Health & Safety Code
• Financial analysis (minimal cost addition to existing operations)

Coalition Coordination: We're uniting WCCCA, Save Austin's Cemeteries, descendants, preservation experts, community volunteers, and business supporters into a single, organized voice that city officials can't ignore.

Media Pressure: We're generating awareness through strategic communications that make this a public issue. When constituents care, politicians respond.

The goal is simple: Get the City of Austin to acquire or permanently support Williamson Creek Cemetery, just like they did with Plummers in 1957.

Long-term Sustainability: City Support (Year 1 Goal)

This isn't about creating a separate funding mechanism. It's about getting Williamson Creek into the city's existing cemetery operations system.

The Model Already Exists: Austin's Cemetery Operations Division maintains 5 municipal cemeteries covering 200+ acres with 80,000+ burials. They have:

• Annual maintenance budgets
• Professional staff (groundskeepers, administrators, historians)
• Equipment and resources
• Established protocols

Adding Williamson Creek to this system is not a heavy lift. The cemetery is relatively small. The annual maintenance cost would be minimal compared to their existing $X million cemetery operations budget.

Our Goal: By end of Year 1, achieve one of these outcomes:

1. City acquisition (preferred - like Plummers in 1957)
2. Formal maintenance partnership (city provides services, ownership stays private)
3. Dedicated budget line item for historic cemetery support

Any of these means permanent, professional care funded by taxpayers—as it should be for a historic public resource.

Why Historic Cemeteries Matter (More Than You Think)

If you're still asking "Why does this matter?" let me offer three reasons that go beyond sentiment:

1. They're Genealogical Treasures

For African American families, genealogical research is uniquely challenging. Slavery deliberately severed family connections. Records were often incomplete or nonexistent. Names were changed or lost.

Cemeteries like Williamson Creek contain irreplaceable information for descendants trying to connect with their ancestors. Every preserved headstone is a potential bridge across generations. Every documented burial is a piece of someone's family puzzle.

When we let these cemeteries decay, we're not just losing historical sites. We're destroying people's ability to know where they came from.

2. They're Historical Records Written in Stone

Williamson Creek Cemetery tells the story of Kincheonville—a thriving, diverse community of freed slaves, Mexican farmers, and white landowners that existed from the 1860s through the early 1900s in what's now South Austin.

Most people have never heard of Kincheonville. It doesn't appear in standard Austin history books. But it was real. Families lived there. Communities formed there. Children grew up there. And now, the only physical evidence remaining is the cemetery where those families are buried.

These aren't abstract historical facts. This is Austin's origin story—the unvarnished version that includes both the beauty of post-slavery resilience and the tragedy of how those communities were eventually displaced and forgotten.

3. They're Tests of Our Values

Here's the uncomfortable truth: How we treat our dead reveals what we actually believe about human dignity.

Austin loves to talk about equity. We commission studies. We hold community meetings. We create task forces. We pass resolutions.

But while we're having those conversations in air-conditioned council chambers, the remains of enslaved people and their descendants are being covered by trash and weeds five miles away.

You don't get to claim you value Black lives if you won't even maintain Black graves.

That sounds harsh. It should. Because this isn't complicated. It's embarrassing.

The Bigger Picture: A Replicable Model

Williamson Creek is the first project, not the last.

Austin has other neglected historic cemeteries. Texas has hundreds of forgotten enslaved cemeteries. America has thousands.

Every single one represents people whose labor built our prosperity. Every single one deserves dignity. Every single one is currently waiting for someone to care enough to act.

GFunnel is building a replicable model that other businesses can adopt:

The Framework:

1. Identify forgotten historic site with cultural significance
2. Partner with existing community organizations (don't bypass people already doing the work)
3. Provide organizational infrastructure and advocacy coordination
4. Use your business capabilities to support the effort (project management, content creation, stakeholder coordination)
5. Build coalitions of descendants, volunteers, preservation experts
6. Navigate government processes and build political will for action
7. Secure permanent government funding/support (sustainable solution)
8. Document and share the model so others can replicate

The Philosophy:

• Impact comes from organization, not just money
• Businesses have capabilities beyond capital (systems, coordination, expertise)
• Government has resources but needs political will—organize to create it
• Leverage what makes your business unique (for us: systems thinking, project management, automation)
• Think long-term: permanent government support beats temporary grants
• Be transparent about process and progress
• Celebrate other organizations already doing the work

What Business Leadership Looks Like in 2025

The old model of business success was simple: Maximize profits, minimize costs, grow quarterly, exit eventually.

That model is dying. Good riddance.

The new model recognizes something essential: Businesses are embedded in communities. We don't just extract value—we have responsibilities.

This isn't charity. This isn't marketing. This is fundamental to who we are and how we operate.

GFunnel's success isn't just measured in revenue or user growth (though those matter). It's measured in impact. In lives touched. In problems solved. In communities strengthened.

When future generations look back at the businesses that thrived in the 2020s, I believe they'll distinguish between those who saw themselves as extractive forces and those who saw themselves as community partners.

I want GFunnel in the second category.

The People Who Make This Possible

I need to acknowledge the people who've been doing this work long before GFunnel got involved:

The Williamson Creek Cemetery Care Association has been organizing cleanups since 2020 with essentially zero budget. Volunteers like Lashon Johnson have been fighting for this cemetery while juggling jobs and families and life. They shouldn't have to. But they have. Because no one else would.

Descendants like Brandon Reed (Overton family) come to this cemetery to connect with ancestors. They bring their children so another generation knows where they came from. They maintain graves with their own money. They refuse to let their families be forgotten.

Organizations like Save Austin's Cemeteries have spent decades advocating for proper cemetery care in Austin. They helped create the city's Cemetery Master Plan. They led the restoration of Oakwood Cemetery Chapel. They know how to do this work.

GFunnel isn't riding in as saviors. We're showing up as partners, adding our resources to work that's already happening. That's important distinction.

How You Can Help (Yes, You)

Whether you're an Austin resident, a preservation enthusiast, a descendant with family buried at Williamson Creek, or just someone who believes in this work—here's how you can contribute:

For Austin Residents

Volunteer: We're organizing monthly cleanup days and advocacy events. No special skills required—just willingness to show up, pull weeds, clear debris, or attend City Council meetings. Details coming soon at SaveWilliamsonCreek.org (launching within 30 days).

Advocate: This is the most important thing you can do. Contact your City Council member. Tell them Williamson Creek Cemetery matters to you. Tell them the city should provide permanent support like they do for Plummers Cemetery. Local officials respond to constituent pressure—use your voice.

Spread Awareness: Share this article. Talk about the cemetery. Bring friends to volunteer days. The more people who know about Williamson Creek, the harder it is for city officials to ignore.

For Business Leaders

Replicate This Model: You don't need money to make impact. You need organizational capacity.

Every business has unique capabilities beyond capital:

• Project management expertise
• Communication systems
• Stakeholder coordination experience
• Content creation abilities
• Professional networks
• Understanding of bureaucratic processes

Ask yourself: "What organizational capability can we contribute?" Then use it to help your community solve problems that government has resources for but needs advocacy to activate.

Partner With Us: If your business wants to support this specific effort:

• Contribute volunteer coordination
• Provide in-kind services (legal, marketing, design, etc.)
• Offer meeting space or administrative support
• Connect us with city officials or media contacts
• Amplify the message to your customers/networks

Email: williamsoncreekcemeterycareass@gmail.com

For Preservation Professionals

We need expertise. If you have experience with cemetery preservation, historic site management, African American genealogy, archaeological survey work, or heritage tourism—we want to talk.

This project will only succeed with professional guidance. We have resources. You have knowledge. Let's connect.

For Descendants

If you have family buried at Williamson Creek Cemetery or other forgotten cemeteries in Austin, please reach out. Your stories matter. Your family histories matter. We want to document and honor those connections.

This isn't our cemetery to save—it's yours. We're just providing resources to support what should have happened long ago.

For City Officials

If you're reading this and you work in city government: You have the money. You have the staff. You have the precedent. What you need is organized community support that gives you political cover to do the right thing.

We're providing that.

I understand budget constraints. I understand competing priorities. I understand political complexities.

But I also know this:

• You acquired Plummers Cemetery in 1957 under similar circumstances
• You maintain 5 other cemeteries already through existing operations
• Adding Williamson Creek is a minimal budget impact
• The historical and cultural case is overwhelming
• We're organizing the community support you need

We're not asking you to find money that doesn't exist. We're asking you to add one more cemetery to your existing operations—and we're doing the advocacy work to make that politically feasible.

My contact information is below. My spouse worked with the Assistant City Manager. We understand how this works. Let's find the pathway.

What Success Looks Like

In six months, I want to present to Austin City Council with:

• A coalition of 200+ supporters ready to testify
• Documented historical significance that's undeniable
• Professional cemetery assessment showing feasibility
• Letters of support from Save Austin's Cemeteries and preservation experts
• Media coverage that's made this a public issue
• A clear acquisition pathway modeled on Plummers Cemetery (1957)

In one year, I want to walk into Williamson Creek Cemetery knowing the City Council has voted to provide permanent support—acquisition, partnership, or dedicated funding. I want city crews beginning professional maintenance. I want descendants saying: "Finally. Someone listened."

In five years, I want Williamson Creek to be a model for how organized community advocacy can activate government resources for forgotten historic sites. I want other cities looking at what we did and saying: "We can do that too." I want other businesses using their organizational capacity to solve community problems.

In ten years, I want my children to visit Williamson Creek and see a well-maintained memorial to the people who built this city. I want them to understand that their dad's company chose to organize, advocate, and coordinate rather than just write checks—and that it actually worked.

That's success.

The Invitation

This article is an invitation.

An invitation to other businesses to stop treating corporate social responsibility as a marketing line item and start treating it as core to who you are.

An invitation to Austin officials to partner with us in permanent preservation.

An invitation to community members to join us in volunteer work.

An invitation to descendants to help us honor your families properly.

An invitation to anyone who believes that forgotten doesn't have to mean gone forever.

Williamson Creek Cemetery has waited 162 years for someone to step up with real resources and real commitment.

That wait ends now.

What Happens Next

Over the coming weeks and months, you'll see:

• Launch of SaveWilliamsonCreek.org (comprehensive advocacy hub)
• First meeting with City Manager's office
• Coalition building with WCCCA, Save Austin's Cemeteries, descendants
• Community volunteer cleanup days (building visible momentum)
• Presentations to Parks & Recreation Department
• City Council member briefings
• Historic Landmark Commission presentation
• Media coverage building public awareness
• Public testimony at City Council meetings
• Documentation of city precedent and legal authority
• Final push for City Council vote on permanent support

This is about organizing advocacy that creates political will. It's about using business capacity for community good. It's about proving that when someone coordinates the effort, government can actually solve problems.

Follow along. Get involved. Hold us accountable. Tell us what we're missing. Challenge us to do more.

Because this only works if we do it together.

About the Author

Cameron Garlick is the Founder and COO of GFunnel, a comprehensive business platform serving over 4,000 users. He founded GFunnel in 2019 with a vision of creating systems that actually work for businesses of all sizes. Prior to GFunnel, Cameron worked in biomedical engineering, legal services, and startup operations—all experiences that shaped his systems-thinking approach to business and community challenges.

Cameron lives in Austin, Texas, where he's committed to using GFunnel's resources and capabilities to address community needs, starting with the preservation of Williamson Creek Cemetery and other forgotten historic sites.

Connect & Get Involved

Want to Help?

• Join volunteer cleanup days
• Contact your City Council member
• Share this article and spread awareness
• Attend public hearings
• Connect us with city officials or media

GFunnel

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If you're a business leader interested in using organizational capacity for community advocacy, or if you're a city official interested in partnership discussions on Williamson Creek Cemetery, please reach out directly. Let's build a model where businesses organize and government funds.

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