The Black Caucus of Pasco County organized the 2014 Juneteenth Mt. Carmel Historic African American Cemetery Clean-Up. With the help of local sponsors, Juno Landscaping Services, Snapper Warren, Clay G Colson, Dan and Annie Callahan, and The African American Club and Heritage of Pasco County, this clean-up was possible. The Mount Carmel Cemetery is one of the few black cemeteries in Pasco County. This cemetery was founded in the 1800’s and was built in connection with Mount Carmel Church. Many of the citizens buried there had worked in the local sawmill while others worked in agriculture and for the railroad. There are many unmarked graves at the Mount Carmel Cemetery and the date of the first burial is unknown. In 2006, the Pasco County Black Caucus, in cooperation with the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners and other concerned individuals, initiated efforts to provide recognition and perpetual care of this site. Serving the spiritual needs of that population were Mount Carmel A.M.E. Church and also Oak Grove Baptist Church, which was located nearby on Ehren Cemetery Road. Reverend Joe Bowen served as one of the pastors of the Oak Grove congregation before it disbanded in the 1940s. The Oak Grove Church also served as a school and B.H. McMorris was a teacher and George Members was supervisor in 1901. Part of the church property was deeded to the Pasco County Board of Public Instruction in 1927 for the purpose of building a school. Frank Phillips and L.G. Bowen were appointed school trustees. After the sawmill burned in 1920, many residents moved away. Some residents remained and worked in Drexel and Odessa and other nearby communities.