RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A city-owned portion of the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground is now officially designated as a cemetery following a move by Richmond City Council on Tuesday .
During its regularly-scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 12, the council approved an ordinance that established the city-owned property at 1305 N. 5th Street as a cemetery.
The Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground is a site of incredible importance for Black Virginians, as it was a significant burial ground between 1816 to 1879. It came after free Black Richmonders petitioned for a new cemetery due to worsening conditions at what has recently been recognized as the city’s first municipal African cemetery .
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By formally designating this parcel as a cemetery, the city aims to “preserve and maintain such parcel as a historic African American cemetery and public greenspace,” according to the ordinance’s text.