Woodland Cemetery

SA-134

Woodland Cemetery was dedicated on 30 May 1917 as a grand resting place for Richmond's African American community. John Mitchell Jr., newspaper editor and civil rights activist, led the effort after the closure of the Barton Heights Cemeteries nearby. Among those interred here are formerly enslaved people, military veterans, and community leaders. Prominent individuals include the Rev. John Jasper, founder of Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church, public health activist Dr. Zenobia Gilpin, architect Charles T. Russell, and humanitarian and tennis champion Arthur Ashe. After the cemetery fell into disrepair in the late 20th century, families and volunteers labored to restore it to its original condition.

Department of Historic Resources, 2022

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References/Bibliographic Citation:

Richmond Planet, 3 March, 12, 26 May, 22 Sept. 1917. Richmond Times-Dispatch, 23 Sept. 1981. Woodland Restoration Foundation: https://www.woodlandrestorationfoundation.org/general-clean Woodland Cemetery Preliminary Information Form, 2022. Veronica A. Davis, Here I Lay My Burdens Down: A History of the Black Cemeteries of Richmond, Virginia (Richmond: Dietz Press, 2003). Ryan K. Smith, Death and Rebirth in a Southern City: Richmond’s Historic Cemeteries (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000).