Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 06/13/2001
NRHP Listing Date 04/10/2002
NRHP Reference Number 02000364
Barton Heights Cemeteries are six contiguous, and originally separate, burial grounds in the city of Richmond that appear today as one cemetery. The individual cemeteries, originally known as Phoenix (Cedarwood), Union Burial Ground (Union Mechanics), Methodist, Sycamore, Ebenezer, and Sons and Daughters of Ham, were established between 1815 and 1865. Members of black churches, fraternal orders, and benevolent organizations were plot owners. The cemeteries represent early efforts by African Americans to establish their own cemeteries through burial societies offering death benefits. The black insurance companies established in the late 19th century derived from these early burial societies. Hundreds of markers of various materials and in varying sizes and styles sparsely dot the cemetery, which includes the graves of many of Richmond’s prominent African American citizens—ministers, doctors, barbers, and councilmen. Known today as Cedarwood, the cemeteries are no longer actively in use.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: June 11, 2021
