HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- Community members gathered to celebrate Woodland Cemetery's107th anniversary and to mark the significant progress of restoring the historic African American cemetery in East Highland Park in Henrico.
Saturday's ceremony comes after six years of efforts from volunteers to reclaim the cemetery, which is the final resting place of many notable African Americans, including tennis legend Arthur Ashe as well as famed preacher John Jasper.
“Weeds were probably almost over my head,” John Shuck, a member of the Woodland Restoration Foundation and the cemetery's volunteer coordinator, recalled.
Shuck said the cemetery's previous owners had neglected the sacred space for decades.
That’s why he said the nonprofit wanted to take time to acknowledge and celebrate the progress volunteers have made in reclaiming the space.
“Family members do get pretty emotional at times when they come out here for the first time in maybe years to see a grave," Shuck said. "They have not been out here in years because they were afraid to come out here... It was so overgrown, weeds kind of arching into the roadways and maybe snakes... Now there is no issue coming out.”
The celebration included a new historical marker as well as the installation of a meditation fountain so that families can "reflect on their departed loved ones."
Volunteers reflected on the progress that enabled them to be able to hold an event in the space.
“The families can come out here and know it is being maintained," Shuck said. “It’s just a way of remembering and connecting."
While progress has been made, organizers said there is still a lot of work to be done.
Working to find hundreds of missing markers and clearing the rest of the overgrowth in the cemetery are top priorities.
However, Shuck said he believes they will complete the work.
“It’s really about helping the community,” he said.
While volunteers are always needed, Shuck said they are also looking for any donations of outdoor maintenance equipment after he said some equipment was stolen this week.
The cemetery is located at 2300 Magnolia Road. Click here to learn more or find out how you can help.
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