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Shockoe Hill Burying Ground Historic District

{{Short description|Historic hospital-cemetery complex in Virginia, U.S.}}

File:127-7231 Shockoe Hill Burying Ground 2021 NRHP Photo Page 09.jpg

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The Shockoe Hill Burying Ground Historic District, located in the city of Richmond, Virginia, is a significant example of a municipal almshouse-public hospital-cemetery complex of the sort that arose in the period of the New Republic following disestablishment of the Anglican Church. The District illustrates changing social and racial relationships in Richmond through the New Republic, Antebellum, Civil War, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow/Lost Cause eras of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The Shockoe Hill Burying Ground Historic District occupies {{cvt|43|acre}} of land bounded to the south by E. Bates Street, to the north by the northern limit of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (previously the CSX rail line) right-of-way (City of Richmond parcel #N0000233022) at the southern margin of the Bacon's Quarter Branch valley, to the west by 2nd Street, and to the east by the historic edge of the City property at the former location of Shockoe Creek. The District encompasses most of a {{cvt|28.5|acre|adj=on}} tract acquired by the city of Richmond in 1799 to fulfill several municipal functions, along with later additions to this original tract.Mouer, McQueen, Smith, Thompson, [https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/127-7231/ National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Shockoe Hill Burying Ground Historic District DHR #127-7231]Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Preliminary Information Form (PIF) for Historic Districts, "Shockoe Hill Burying Ground" (127-7231)

The Shockoe Hill Burying Ground Historic District was listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register on March 17, 2022. The district features a suite of municipal functions and services concerned with matters of public welfare, health, and safety, which the City of Richmond relegated to its then-periphery on its northern boundary during the nineteenth century. It includes three properties which have long been recognized and celebrated, that are individually listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places: the Almshouse, Shockoe Hill Cemetery, and Hebrew Cemetery. It additionally includes three newly identified sites: the City Hospital and Colored Almshouse Site,{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/cwpb.00427/|title = Richmond, Virginia. Richmond City Hospital|website = Library of Congress}} the City Powder Magazine Site, and the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground.Suarez, Chris, [https://richmond.com/news/department-of-historic-resources-adds-shockoe-hill-african-burying-ground-to-state-landmark-registry/article%202878724b-44e2-535b-a084-657af98baaae.html "Department of Historic Resources adds Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground to state landmark registry"], Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 17, 2022, Richmond.comMcNeill, Brian,[https://news.vcu.edu/article/2022/03/long-neglected-black-cemetery-in-richmond-added-to-virginia-landmarks-register "Long-neglected Black cemetery in Richmond added to Virginia Landmarks Register"], VCU News, March 18, 2022 The district was also the site of the city gallows. On June 16, 2022 the Shockoe Hill Burying Ground Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground is likely the largest burial ground for free people of color and the enslaved in the United States. It is conservatively estimated that over 22,000 people of African descent were buried in its {{cvt|31|acre}}. It was opened in 1816, and closed in 1879 due to overcrowded conditions. It is one of "[https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/aa59737e49d9423eb93f6197a60e7c4d Virginia's most endangered historic places]".{{Cite web|url=https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/aa59737e49d9423eb93f6197a60e7c4d|title=Virginia's Most Endangered Historic Places|date=13 January 2022}} Current threats to the burial ground include the DC2RVA passenger rail project (high-speed rail), the east-west Commonwealth Corridor, and the proposed widening of I-64, along with various infrastructure projects.Smith, Ryan K. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/10.5749/buildland.27.1.0017.pdf?seq=1 "Disappearing The Enslaved: The Destruction and Recovery of Richmond's Second African Burial Ground"], Buildings & Landscapes: Journal of the Vernacular Architecture Forum Vol. 27, No. 1 (Spring 2020), pp. 17–45, University of Minnesota Press.Yeager, Jordy. "[https://vpm.org/news/articles/3642/passenger-rail-project-slated-to-run-through-richmond-african-american-graveyard Passenger Rail Project Slated To Run Through Richmond African American Graveyard]", (July 25, 2019) npr news.

Lazarus, Jeremy M.,"[http://richmondfreepress.com/news/2021/apr/22/historic-site-review-slows-rail-lines-planned-over/ Historic site review slows rail lines planned over historic Black cemetery]"(April 22, 2021), Richmond Free PressLazarus, Jeremy M., [https://richmondfreepress.com/news/2022/mar/17/shockoe-hill-african-burying-ground-receive-histor/ Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground to receive historic designation], Richmond Free Press

See also

References

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External links

  • [https://www.richmondcemeteries.org/potters-field/ Richmond Cemeteries, Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground]
  • [https://www.richmondcemeteries.org/shockoe-hill/ Richmond Cemeteries, Shockoe Hill Cemetery]
  • [https://www.richmondcemeteries.org/2021/08/16/approaching-the-national-register-shockoe-hill/ Richmond Cemeteries, Approaching the National Register – Shockoe Hill]
  • [https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/virginia/articles/2021-05-30/woman-wants-to-memorialize-unmarked-african-burial-ground U.S.News & World Report, Woman Wants to Memorialize Unmarked African Burial Ground]
  • [https://richmondfreepress.com/news/2020/sep/03/hospital-street-burial-ground-gets-support-new-his/ Richmond Free Press, Hospital Street burial ground gets support as new historic district]
  • [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9xQzcwKnpU&t=3420s Dead Reckoning: The Historical Recovery and Unsettled Place of Richmond's Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground] – The 2021 Elske v.P. Smith Lecture featuring Ryan K. Smith, Professor in the Department of History
  • [https://newsadvance.com/news/state-and-regional/kaine-mceachin-endorse-nomination-of-shockoe-hill-african-burying-ground-to-national-register-of-historic/article%208d40d480-a23d-5f3c-9927-9291e08743a2.html Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Kaine, McEachin endorse nomination of Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground to National Register of Historic Places", 3/21/2022]
  • [https://www.tclf.org/it%E2%80%99s-not-ok-put-high-speed-rail-lines-through-shockoe-hill-african-burying-ground The Cultural Landscape Foundation: It’s Not OK to Put High Speed Rail Lines Through the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground]
  • [https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/growing-movement-black-cemeteries-rcna15566 NBC News: The growing movement to save black cemeteries]
  • [https://www.sapiens.org/archaeology/black-indigenous-archaeology-unmarked-graves/ Sapiens: At the Heart of It All]
  • Richmond Times Dispatch – [https://www.pressreader.com/usa/richmond-times-dispatch/20220223/281646783581901 Keep Black history visible and viable, by Michael Paul William, 02/23/2022]
  • [https://archaeologycoalition.org/sapiens-talk-back-episode-3-now-available/ Sapiens: Talk Back Episode 3]
  • [https://savingplaces.org/places/shockoe-bottom/updates/shockoe-hill-african-burying-ground#.Yi4VnNLMK1u National Trust for Historic Preservation – Preserving Sacred Ground: Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground]
  • [https://www.richmondcemeteries.org/2022/03/17/a-moment-to-celebrate-for-shockoe-hill/ Richmond Cemeteries: A moment to celebrate for Shockoe Hill]
  • [https://www.pressreader.com/article/281496459770736?fbclid=IwAR0wfCbjNpQpm9AVqKf6ngBkPx1LQOwLYMEZW5P45f1fYctH-ZYwuMjGxrI Richmond Times-Dispatch: Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground is added to the state landmark registry, 3/18/2022]
  • [https://richmond.com/exclusive/march-18-2022-check-out-a1-minute-now-shockoe-hill-african-burying-ground-is-va/video%2048c3e820-c1eb-5a9f-ae4e-1dbe54e51d55.html?fbclid=IwAR1vQvfVnfOYEv9Yi%203MygpvTpcfmBBxx691VNYoKxrh2FZBeFda9YRNTJE March 18, 2022: Check out A1 Minute NOW – Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground is VA landmark]
  • [https://news.vcu.edu/article/2022/03/long-neglected-black-cemetery-in-richmond-added-to-virginia-landmarks-register?fbclid=IwAR33grUAGsFsynlteCiC5w9EPitVoD1ojH9slhvXq0306hIX71LAjiUXfpI VCU News, March 18, 2022, "Long-neglected Black cemetery in Richmond added to Virginia Landmarks Register", by Brian McNeill]
  • [https://historicrichmond.com/shockoe-hill-burying-ground/ Historic Richmond: Shockoe Hill Burying Ground Historic District]
  • [https://www.tclf.org/shockoe-hill-african-burying-ground-now-va-landmark The Cultural Landscape Foundation: Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground is Now a VA Landmark]
  • [https://www.wvtf.org/news/2022-03-22/richmonds-african-burial-ground-gets-landmark-designation Radio IQ WVTF – Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground in Richmond gets landmark designation]
  • [https://history.vcu.edu/news/newsroom/history-news/listing-a-threatened-burial-ground-on-the-national-register-of-historic-places-.html VCU – Listing a Threatened Burial Ground on the National Register of Historic Places, April 29, 2022]
  • [https://www.cbs.com/shows/video/ZesC_YABS52Y0Cbi8sa6puAaC0Lbk49H/ CBS Mornings – Descendant works to reclaim Virginia African American burial ground]
  • [https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/weekly-list-2022-06-17.htm National Register of Historic Places Weekly List of Actiona Taken on Properties: 6/10/2022 Through 6/17/2022]
  • [https://www.richmondcemeteries.org/2022/06/20/the-crest-of-shockoe-hill/ Richmond Cemeteries: The Crest of Shockoe Hill]
  • [https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/127-7231/ DHR Virginia Department of Historic Resources, 127-7231 Shockoe Hill Burying Ground Historic District]
  • [https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/10/27/richmond-shockoe-african-burying-ground/ Washington Post, October 28, 2022 "Where’s Kitty Cary? The answer unlocked Black history Richmond tried to hide." by Gregory S. Schneider]
  • [https://vapassengerrailauthority.org/resources/dc2rva/ Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, DC2RVA Section 106 Records (Memorandum, letters and correspondance)] added 2023
  • [https://richmond.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/richmond-gets-land-for-burying-ground-trail/article_fcad57fd-846c-58a3-9fd6-7b581af398af.html Richmond Times-Dispatch: Richmond gets land for Burying Ground trail, by David Ress, 1/09/2023]
  • [https://www.virginiamercury.com/2023/01/30/once-a-dead-end-a-richmond-cemetery-earns-new-respect/ Willis, Samantha, Virginia Mercury " Once a dead end, a Richmond cemetery earns new respect". January 30, 2023]
  • [https://richmondfreepress.com/news/2023/feb/02/rail-agency-begins-historic-cemetery-review-estima/?fbclid=IwAR3WnkJJnPF-WQ-li0hZuh5QzTsMfskj31UZJJ7b9tlItioGpa1VkdK51dI Lazarus, Jeremy M., Richmond Free Press, "Rail agency begins historic cemetery review for estimated 22,000 souls", February 2, 2023]
  • [https://richmond.com/opinion/columnists/williams-at-any-speed-we-dont-need-a-train-station-in-shockoe-bottom/article_21ec113c-b203-11ed-bc87-4fc9a8305744.html Williams, Michael Paul, Richmond Times-Dispatch, "At any speed, we don't need a train station in Shockoe Bottom", February 22, 2023]
  • [https://www.tclf.org/landslide-update-shockoe-hill-african-burying-ground?fbclid=IwAR0%20PtqANNLMbjfKfvpWUuhKyUki7zhTI0Zd6j8ofDvzMRrWAGBYzRVwc68 THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE FOUNDATION: Landslide Update - Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground, Jan 29, 2024]
  • [https://richmond.com/opinion/column/williams-a-for-profit-billboard-has-no-place-at-the-shockoe-hill-african-burying-ground/article%201a1f630a-c75b-11ee-9b7e-6ba454cc4e5d.html Williams, Michael Paul, Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Williams: A for-profit billboard has no place at the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground", February 11, 2024]
  • [https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/02/14/descendants-volunteers-work-to-preserve-black-cemeteries-in-the-dmv/72351124007/?fbclid=IwAR2BZScnrsQ-V-g7R-TbrGVUYiwo3Jn1nPFOjHCxJvPyWIDC8wyyYD5fOR4 Yancey-Bragg, N'dea, USA TODAY "Black cemeteries are being 'erased.' How advocates are fighting to save them", February 14, 2024]
  • [https://www.vpm.org/news/2024-02-23/stoney-says-lamar-advertising-using-shockoe-african-burial-ground-as-bargaining-chip Larsen, Patrick, VPM npr News "Stoney says ad firm using African burial ground as ‘bargaining chip", February 23, 2024]
  • [https://www.richmondcemeteries.org/2024/02/26/the-burying-ground-and-the-billboard/ Richmond Cemeteries, "The burying ground and the billboard", by Ryan K. Smith, February 26, 2024]
  • [https://commonwealthtimes.org/2024/02/28/vcu-health-removes-ad-on-african-burying-ground-billboard-company-refuses-to-follow-suit/ Kerley, Andrew, The Commonwealth Times, "VCU Health removes ad on African burying ground, billboard company refuses to follow suit", February 28, 2024]
  • [https://richmond.com/opinion/column/williams-shockoe-project-is-about-our-past-and-future/article_115e5386-d7e4-11ee-90e1-0b7cb5063725.html Williams, Michael Paul, Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Williams: The Shockoe Project is about our past and our future", March 2, 2024]
  • [https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/07/05/richmond-virginia-shockoe-african-cemetery/ Washington Post, July 5, 2024,"Richmond makes surprising find at desecrated Black cemetery: Intact graves", by Gregory S. Schneider]
  • THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE FOUNDATION:Remove the Billboard that Desecrates the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground, August 27,2024

Category:Cemeteries in Richmond, Virginia

Category:African-American cemeteries in Virginia

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Category:Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia