John Allen Appointed Board Member of Historic Pinewood Cemetery

The Vote was Cast Unanimously by the Coral Gables City Commission

The Coral Gables Museum is honored to announce that Executive Director John Allen was voted Advisory Member for Pinewood Cemetery, the oldest cemetery south of the Miami River, in a unanimous decision by the Coral Gables City Commission.

As an Advisory Member, Allen will be instrumental in carrying out the Pinewood Cemetery restoration plan decided upon by the Board, overseeing proper care for the final resting place of many of Dade County’s pioneer settlers. Located in the City of Coral Gables on Erwin Road (47th Avenue), Pinewood Cemetery was initially called Larkins Cemetery, named for the Larkins settlement would eventually become South Miami, before being known as Cocoplum, Pineywoods and, finally, Pinewood.

Allen is a leading force in local historical initiatives, and, in 2018, was heavily involved in the restoration of Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery, one of the oldest black cemeteries in Dade County. The Coral Gables Museum exhibition that chronicled this one of the community effort, “Sacred Ground: The Rise, Fall and Revival of Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery,” showcased documents and objects from the archives and grounds of Lincoln Memorial Park for the first time in history. The “Caretakers” component of the exhibition additionally included a photographic essay and documentary video on the project by award-winning photographer Carl Juste of the Miami Herald and photographer C. W. Griffin.