MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Hundreds of people have been buried at the Mount Carmel Hollywood Cemetery, yet you can only see about a quarter of the headstones due to trash, tires and overgrown grass.
Memphian Jerry Caples is fighting to clean up the cemetery where his mom, Alberta Caples, is laid to rest.
It’s a years-long debate over property with seemingly no owner and no one to keep the area presentable.
Caples said the previous owner of Mt. Carmel Hollywood Cemetery had been cited to environmental court before. However, the owner filed for bankruptcy more than 10 years ago.
Every Tennessee cemetery owner is responsible for applying for a certificate of registration with the state’s department of commerce and insurance. The state said no one ever registered this cemetery.
During a phone call, the state also said the following: “We do not own that land. We do not oversee that land. We do not know who owns that land.”
“If I ever had enough money to move my mom, I would, but that still leaves the rest of the families to suffer,” Caples said.
Instead, he wants to handle it himself.
“I would make sure it would be cleaned and stays maintained," he said.
But that’s what the city and county were supposed to do. A resolution in 2021 stated that the city and county would each use $15,000 to clean five cemeteries, including Mt. Carmel Hollywood Cemetery.
The Shelby County Public Works Director said the funds went to the City of Memphis to handle the cleanup.
The City of Memphis is still looking into the matter; however, no entity at the city, county or state level knows who owns this property. The city said they can’t touch it since it’s private property.
“I’m not able to place flowers on her grave or anything, and I can’t bring my daughter to see her grandmother’s gravesite to pay respects,” Caples said.
While the section of the cemetery his mother is buried at is completely covered with overgrown grass, Caples said he’s serious about taking cleaning into his own hands so other Memphians can visit their loved ones. He said he just needs financial support from the city, county or state to get started.
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