DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Last June, News 6 uncovered the story of a neglected chapter in Daytona Beach’s history. That long-overlooked cemetery is now on the path to revival.

On Sunday, a collaborative effort involving volunteers, local businesses, and heavy equipment was set in motion at Pinewood Cemetery. The initiative aims to breathe new life into a piece of the city’s past that has languished for far too long.

Tom Caffrey, representing the Historic Pinewood Cemetery Association, highlighted the site’s absence of caretakers over many years.

“Since the collapse of the Merchants Bank during the Great Depression, this cemetery has been without a rightful owner. This restoration is truly significant,” Caffrey remarked.

Years of abandonment are now being countered by the dedication of local business owners, landscapers, and volunteers, all eager to restore dignity to this historical resting place.

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Volunteer Suzanne Eerkey said the work is personal for her.

“My history is that I’ve been here three years, but I was raised here. I’ve seen it grow, and I’ve seen it come back. I want to be part of this cemetery,” Eerkey said. She added that the restoration has been done entirely through donated efforts, saying, “not a dollar was spent here. The only thing that’s been spent is everybody’s time.”

Caffrey said more than 1,700 people have been buried at Pinewood Cemetery since the 1800s, including one of the brothers from the famous “Real McCoy” family of Prohibition-era rum runners. 

“We’ve got some of the founders of Daytona here — the first police chief, the first mayor,” Caffrey said.

With the help of volunteers, the recently formed nonprofit hopes to transform the site into a place worth visiting once again. “We cleaned the homeless people out of here. We’re bringing new life to the cemetery,” Caffrey said.

The organization hopes to have the cemetery up and running by the Fourth of July.