Foundation approves $400,000 grant for historically African-American cemeteries
Two historically African-American cemeteries along the Richmond-Henrico County line have been approved for funding to help protect them.
The Virginia Outdoors Foundation’s board of trustees on Thursday approved the allocation of $400,000 from its preservation trust fund for 76 acres consisting of the East End and Evergreen cemeteries, which have fallen into disrepair. The foundation uses a mix of public and private money to protect more than 750,000 acres across the state.
“We’re looking forward to seeing what the details will be,” said John Shuck, who has been coordinating volunteers for cleanups at Evergreen and East End for several years.
At the very least, the foundation hopes to find a way to dedicate the cemeteries’ land as permanent public open space under a conservation easement and set the framework for a dedicated fund for restoration and maintenance work, said Brett C. Glymph, executive director of the foundation.
“The grant ... allows us to investigate the suitability of the properties for that,” she said. “It’s the first step, and it’s an exciting first step.”
Under the easement, the land would be protected from being adapted for another use and allow for volunteers to continue their efforts to restore the cemeteries. Currently, anyone wishing to clean the sites must seek permission from the property owners, Glymph said.
“Our project would include dedicating that space as a public access space so volunteers will always be able to do the work they want to do there,” she said.
There is a lot of work to be done, according to volunteer coordinators at the sites.
The graveyards, which are among “The Four Cemeteries at Evergreen” complex, were created to serve as a black equivalent of Hollywood Cemetery. The other two cemeteries are the Colored Paupers and the black section of Oakwood. Prominent people buried there include John R. Mitchell Jr., a civil rights pioneer and Richmond Planet editor, and businesswoman Maggie Walker.
“People passing by on Stony Run Road were able to look up and see the marble statues, granite obelisks and elegant monuments,” according to a description of the area in the National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Oakwood-Chimborazo Historic District.
Despite its illustrious origins, the final resting place for thousands became overgrown because of a lack of a trust for perpetual care of the site. During the 19th century, money for maintenance was not required and the work was divided among families who purchased plots. Graveyards would become neglected as families moved away or could not take care of family plots.
“(The foundation) realized this was a major problem, specifically related to African-American cemeteries,” Glymph said. “It’s a moral imperative that we as a civilized society do something about this.”
Over the years, volunteer groups quietly set out to do that. As Shuck worked at East End, Marvin Harris and other members of the Maggie Walker High School Class of 1967 set out to tackle Evergreen.
“All of this started with us sitting down and trying to think of what we need to do to make access to the general public to the cemetery,” Harris said.
Currently, anyone interested in the life and legacy of Walker can see her Jackson Ward home, the school named in her honor and the site of St. Luke’s Penny Savings Bank. But finding her grave is a challenge because of the cemetery’s condition.
“Support from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation will provide a vital boost to the efforts of Maggie Walker’s Class of 1967, students, volunteers and local residents diligently working to clear the cemetery of brush, ivy and years of accumulated, illegally dumped trash,” Sen. Timothy M. Kaine, D-Va., said in a statement in support of the grant.
The boost includes displaying dedication to restoring the cemeteries, Harris said.
“I think it’s going to be a little easier for us to approach people” with the backing, he said.
The volunteers already have the support of the Enrichmond Foundation, which will be coordinating the distribution of the grant money.
“The Enrichmond Foundation is launching a new collaborative effort to halt the further decline of Evergreen Cemetery and hopefully restore it to the place of pride and prominence it deserves,” said John Sydnor, executive director of the nonprofit focused on Richmond’s public resources. “Our collaboration will bring together numerous parties to deliver improved and enhanced aspects of this historic and hallowed ground.”
That includes going to the graveyards and getting to work, Shuck said.
“We still need volunteers,” Shuck said. “It won’t get rid of our need for volunteers.”
