The historic city of Richmond, Virginia has two African Burial Grounds, the Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground (active 1799–1816), and the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground (active 1816–1879). The city is also home to several other important and historic African American cemeteries, as well as a few lesser known, long hidden, unrecognizable or forgotten places of interment such as the Old Baptist Church Burying Ground

Richmond's African burial grounds

Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground was active from 1799 to 1816.Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project,"Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground"Bass, Scott, "Nice Shot: Illumination and Reclamation, The 20th annual Gabriel Gathering at the African Burial Ground in Shockoe Bottom", Richmond magazine, November 8, 2022 It was the first municipal burial ground of the city of Richmond.Tuttle, Marysa, "Historical marker to be dedicated to Richmond's first municipal African cemetery" abc8News, October 2, 2021 It was historically known as the "Burial Ground for Negroes".Smith, Ryan K., "Death & Rebirth in a Southern City, Richmond's Historic Cemeteries", Johns Hopkins University Press, 2020Virginia Department of Historic Resources: Burial Ground for Negroes, Richmond, Virginia, Validation and Assessment It is located at 1554 E Broad St. (alternate address 1520 E Marshall St.), across from the site of Lumpkin's Jail, in Shockoe Bottom, historically known as Shockoe Valley.Smith, Ryan K., Richmond Cemeteries, African Burial Ground Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground, (Richmond's 2nd African Burial Ground) was established in 1816 by the city of Richmond, as the replacement for the Burial Ground for Negroes.Smith, Ryan K, Disappearing the Enslaved: The Destruction and Recovery of Richmond's Second African Burial Ground, Buildings & Landscapes: Journal of the Vernacular Architecture Forum, Volume27, Number 1, Spring 2020, pp. 17-45 (Article), Published by University of Minnesota Press It began as two (1 acre) parcels at the northeastern corner of N 5th St. and Marshall St. (now called Hospital St.). It was expanded over time to 31 acres. Over 22,000 people of African descent were interred within its grounds.Mouer, McQueen, Smith & Thompson, United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for the "Shockoe Hill Burying Ground Historic District", 2022Smith, Ryan K., Richmond Cemeteries, Shockoe Hill African Burying GroundTCLF Race & Space, "Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground, Richmond, Virginia", The Cultural Landscape Foundation, Landscape 2021CBS Mornings |June 17, 2022 |title=Descendent works to reclaim Virginia African American burial ground |network=CBS |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/video/descendent-works-to-reclaim-virginia-african-american-burial-ground/ |access-date July 5, 2025DeRosa, Katharine, "African burying ground historical marker unveiled in Richmond", VPM npr PBS, June 13, 2022Yancy-Bragg, N'dea, "Black cemeteries are being 'erased.' How advocates are fighting to save them", USA Today, February 14, 2024 It is the largest known burial ground for free people of color and the enslaved in the United States.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/10/27/richmond-shockoe-african-burying-ground/ Schneider, Gregory S. (October 28, 2022). "Where's Kitty Cary? The answer unlocked Black history Richmond tried to hide". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 2, 2025.McNeill, Brian, "Long-neglected Black cemetery in Richmond added to Virginia Landmarks Register, A VCU history professor is part of a team that has worked for years to win state and federal recognition of the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground", VCUnews, March 18, 2022. It is located at 1305 N. 5th St., on the northern edge of Shockoe Hill, a mile and a half away from the Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground. It is one of Virginia's most endangered historic places.Nieweg, Rob, "Preserving Sacred Ground: Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground", The National Trust for Historic Preservation, March 7, 2022, https://savingplaces.org/places/shockoe-bottom/updates/shockoe-hill-african-burying-ground Current threats to the burial ground include the DC2RVA high-speed rail project, the east-west Commonwealth Corridor, and the proposed widening of I-64, as well as other infrastructure projects.Birnbaum, Charles, The Cultural Landscape Foundation, "It’s Not OK to Put High Speed Rail Lines Through the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground", February 1, 2022Yeager, Jordy, "Passenger Rail Project Slated To Run Through Richmond African American Graveyard", VPM npr PBS, July 25, 2019

Richmond's other historic African American cemeteries

Barton Heights Cemeteries is the present day name of six contiguous cemeteries located within the city of Richmond.Smith, Ryan K., Richmond Cemeteries, Barton Heights Cemeteries The Phoenix Burial Ground (est. 1815) later renamed Cedarwood, was the first of the six cemeteries to be established. The other five cemeteries are Union (est. 1846) called Mechanics after emancipation, Methodist (est. 1855), Ebenezer (est. 1858), Sons and Daughters of Ham (est. 1867), and Sycamore (est. circa 1879).Lester, Denise & staff of the Department of Historic Resources, United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for the "Barton Heights Cemeteries", 2000 Though they are part of and owned by the city of Richmond today, the cemeteries were originally in Henrico County, and privately owned. Oakwood Cemetery was established in 1854 by the city of Richmond.Smith, Ryan K., Richmond Cemeteries, Oakwood Cemetery It is a cemetery which included segregated African American sections. The first people buried in Oakwood in 1855 were African American.The Daily Dispatch, April 24, 1855, Notice – Oakwood Cemetery Though very few African American burials occurred there until the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground was closed in June 1879. Mount Olivet Cemetery was originally the segregated African American section of the Maury Cemetery, which was founded in Manchester, Virginia in 1874.Smith, Ryan K., Richmond Cemeteries, Maury and Mt Olivet Cemeteries When Manchester was annexed into the city of Richmond in 1910, the city granted a petition of two residents to change the name of the "colored section" of the cemetery to Mount Olivet. It is now known as the "Maury and Mount Olivet Cemeteries." St. Joseph's Cemetery formerly called Bishop's Cemetery, in about 1884 it became a cemetery of African American Catholics.Davis, Veronica A., "Here I Lay My Burdens Down, A History of the Black Cemeteries of Richmond, Virginia", The Dietz Press Richmond, Virginia, 2003Smith, Ryan K., Richmond Cemeteries, Bishop’s / St. Joseph’s Cemetery In 1971 it was sold to the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority for use as a playground at Whitcomb Court. Seventy One graves were excavated and re-interred in Holy Cross and Mount Calvary Cemeteries. Evergreen Cemetery was founded in 1891 and owned by the Evergreen Cemetery Association.Smith, Ryan K., Richmond Cemeteries, Evergreen and East End Cemeteries The Enrichmond Foundation (now defunct) acquired Evergreen Cemetery in 2017. The city of Richmond acquire Evergreen Cemetery in 2024.Williams Michael Paul, Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Enrichmond Foundation must be held accountable. Its victims", January 6, 2023Harlow, Katelyn, abc8 News, "Richmond City Council approves ordinance to own 3 historic African American cemeteries, February 27, 2024 East End Cemetery was formed in 1897, by the East End Memorial Burial Association.Smith, Ryan K., Richmond Cemeteries, "Where Evergreen/East End are heading", February 21, 2023 It is located partially in the city of Richmond a partially in Henrico County. East End was acquired by the Enrichmond Foundation (now defunct) in 2019. The city of Richmond acquire ownership of East End Cemetery in 2024.Lazarus, Jeremy, Richmond Free Press, "Enrichmond Foundation now owns East End Cemetery", February 1, 2019 Colored Paupers Cemetery (a.k.a. The Garden of Lilie's) established in 1896 by the city of Richmond, on land adjoining the city's Oakwood Cemetery. Woodland Cemetery was acquired in 1916 and opened in 1917, by the Richmond Planet newspaper editor John Mitchell. It is currently owned by Marvin Harris, founder of the Woodland Cemetery Restoration Foundation.Smith, Ryan K., Richmond Cemeteries, Woodland Cemetery

City of Richmond Cemeteries Division of the Department of Parks

The City of Richmond's Department of Parks oversees the Richmond Cemeteries Division, which manages several cemeteries within the city. The division's oversight of African American burial grounds has included those owned by the city, such as the now-inactive Barton Heights Cemeteries and Mount Olivet Cemetery. Oakwood Cemetery, however, remains open for burials.

In 2024, the city acquired ownership of Evergreen Cemetery and East End Cemetery, bringing both under the oversight of the Richmond Cemeteries Division.Salvosa, Anne, "City acquires final piece of historic cemeteries from defunct Enrichmond Foundation", Richmond BizSense, July 12, 2024

The city also manages a 1.2-acre portion of the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground, reacquired in 2021.Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality, "City of Richmond now owns the Shockoe Hill African Burial Ground Mayor announces city acquisition of Burial Ground for Freed [and Enslaved] People of Color on North 5th Street", Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project, April 19, 2021, https://www.sacredgroundproject.net/2021/04/the-city-of-richmond-now-owns-2nd.html This site, along with the Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground, were originally municipal burial grounds for African Americans.DHR, "Virginia Dedicates Historical Marker for Richmond’s First Municipal African Cemetery", Virginia Department of Historic Resources, October 2, 2024, https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/press-release-posts/historical-marker-for-richmonds-first-municipal-african-cemetery/ However, they were later repurposed and their land distributed, leading to desecration and erasure from historical recognition. Recent advocacy has contributed to their rediscovery and re-acknowledgment.Lazarus, Jeremy M., Richmond Free Press, "One woman's crusade brings attention to long-forgotten black cemetery", Richmond Free Press, March 6, 2020 The city's reacquisition of portions of these grounds is part of the Shockoe Project, an initiative aimed at memorializing these sites. The Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground was listed by Preservation Virginia in 2021 as one of Virginia's Most Endangered Historic Places. While the 1.2-acre parcel acquired by the city in April 2021 was officially established as a cemetery in November 2024 by City Council Ordinance 2024-283, the remaining approximately 30 acres are under various ownerships and are viewed by some as threatened by development.Willis, Samantha, "Once a dead end, a Richmond cemetery earns new respect, Late reverence for the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground is better than no reverence at all" Virginia Mercury, January 30, 2023 The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) determined that the planned DC2RVA high-speed rail project would have an adverse effect on the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) concurred with this determination.Federal Railroad Administration, letter to Mark Holma, Virginia DHR, Re: DC to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail Project, DHR #2014-0666 Re-Initiation of Section 106 Consultation and Determination of Adverse Effect: Shockoe Hill Burying Ground Historic District and Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground (DC2RVA), US Department of Transportation, January 20, 2023, URL https://vapassengerrailauthority.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/DC2RVA-S106-Re-Initiation-01202023.pdf