African American Burial Ground

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The African American Burial Ground is a historic cemetery for the enslaved, located in Ashburn, Virginia, off Harry Byrd Highway (Virginia State Route 7) in Loudoun County, Virginia. Most of the enslaved buried there were from nearby Belmont Plantation.

The abandoned site was rediscovered in 2015 by Rev. Michelle Thomas, in 2019 president of the local NAACP chapter.[1] That year, Governor Ralph Northam appointed her to the . [2]

In 2017 the real estate developer Toll Brothers, which owned the land, donated 2.75 acres (1.11 ha) to a new . In 2021, it agreed to donate an additional 4 acres (1.6 ha), which will be used to re-create a schoolhouse and other structures used by enslaved people.[3]

There are also to be a columbarium and a , where people can scatter ashes of their loved ones. In 2020 Michelle Thomas buried the first free Black in the cemetery: her 16-year-old son, dead of drowning.

References[]

  1. ^ "School district apologizes for history of racism". The Daily News Leader (Staunton, Virginia). 28 Sep 2020. p. A5.
  2. ^ Holtzclaw, Mike (2 Sep 2019). "Putting history into context. Commission to increase presence of lessons on African Americans' past". Daily Press (Newport News, Virginia). p. A1.
  3. ^ Tan, Rebecca (October 24, 2021). "At a historic cemetery for the enslaved, a mother's personal grief mixes with collective mourning". Washington Post.

Coordinates: 39°04′44″N 77°29′58″W / 39.0788°N 77.4994°W / 39.0788; -77.4994

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