The Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground, known historically as the "Burial Ground for Negroes" and the "old Powder Magazine ground", is the older of two municipal burial grounds established for the interment of free people of color and the enslaved in the city of Richmond, Virginia. It is located at 1554 E Broad St. (alternate address 1520 E Marshall St.), across from the site of

Lumpkin's Jail Lumpkin's Jail, also known as "the Devil's half acre", was a Slave breeding in the United States, slave breeding farm, as well as a holding facility, or slave jail, located in Richmond, Virginia, just three blocks from the state capitol building. ...

, in Shockoe Bottom. The area now known as

Shockoe Bottom Shockoe Bottom, historically known as Shockoe Valley, is an area in Richmond, Virginia, just east of downtown, along the James River. Located between Shockoe Hill and Church Hill, Shockoe Bottom contains much of the land included in Colonel ...

, was historically known as

Shockoe Valley Shockoe Valley is an area in Richmond, Virginia, just east of downtown, along the James River, and is the entertainment center of the city. Located between Shockoe Hill and Church Hill, Shockoe Valley contains much of the land included in Col ...

. Richmond's second African Burial Ground, called the

Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground The Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground (''Richmond's 2nd African Burial Ground'') was established by the city of Richmond, Virginia, for the interment of free people of color, and the enslaved. The heart of this now invisible burying ground is ...

is the larger of the two burial grounds, and is located a mile and a half away at 1305 N 5th St, on Shockoe Hill.

History

The Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground was thought to have been established as early as 1750, however a land deed for the property supports a 1799 founding. It was closed to new burials in 1816 upon the opening of the

(Richmond's 2nd African Burial Ground) located at 1305 N 5th St. In 1799 the city of Richmond purchased two parcels of land on which it would establish its municipal burying grounds. A 28 1/2 acre parcel was acquired on the northern end of Shockoe Hill, and a much smaller parcel in Shockoe Valley. The Parcel on Shockoe Hill was purchased for the purpose of becoming the white burying ground (along with other purposes). The parcel in Shockoe Valley was intended for Black burials. The Burial Ground for Negroes, the name by which the Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground appeared on the 1809 Plan of the City of Richmond by Richard Young, became also the site of city

gallows A gallows (or less precisely scaffold) is a frame or elevated beam, typically wooden, from which objects can be suspended or "weighed". Gallows were thus widely used to suspend public weighing scales for large and heavy objects such as sa ...

after 1804. The 1809 Plan shows the burial ground to be the location of the powder magazine as well. In recent times, the African Burial Ground was thought to be where Gabriel, the leader of a famous slave rebellion, known as Gabriel's Rebellion, or Gabriel's Conspiracy, and 25 of his followers were executed and buried in 1800. Though further research shows that the execution of Gabriel, and also the execution of his followers, occurred in a different location(s). Gabriel and those of his followers who were executed within the city, were said to have been hung on Gallow's Hill near 1st St. at Canal St., which was the usual place of execution at the time. An 1871 newspaper article in the Daily Dispatch further stated that Gabriel and others involved in the insurrection were interred in a burying ground primarily for Negroes that was attached to the old Baptist Church ( The First Baptist Church). The church at that time was located on the north side of Cary St., in between 2nd St. and 3rd St. A portion of Lot #659 at that same location, and which previously belonged to the "Baptist Meeting" (Baptist Church) later became the residence of Col. John Coke. Human bones were discovered during the construction of Col. Coke's house in 1871. The article speculated that the bones could have belonged to Gabriel, Solomon and Peter, who it was said were buried in the burying ground connected to the old Baptist Church. The parcel on which the Burial Ground for Negroes was established, was along the banks of the Shockoe Creek. Its location was poorly suited for a burial ground. Each hard rain caused disruption, washing bodies into the creek. Christopher McPherson, a formerly enslaved free person of color, described the appalling conditions of the burial ground in his 1810 book "A Short History of the Life of Christopher McPherson, Alias Pherson, Son of Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Containing a Collection of Certificates, Letters, &c. Written by Himself." The book was republished in 1855. McPherson, wrote and circulated the petition that was submitted to the Richmond City Council requesting a new burial ground for the free people of color in the city of Richmond. The petition eventually led to the establishment of what was referred to on the city of Richmond's 1816 Plan of its property located at the Poorhouse, as the Burying Ground for Free People of Colour, and the Burying Ground for Negroes - (enslaved) - now called the "

". The original two one acre burying ground parcels were located within the 28 1/2 acre property purchased by the city in 1799. Upon the opening of these two new burying grounds on Shockoe Hill, the Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground (old Burial Ground for Negroes) was closed to new burials, and the site immediately repurposed by the city. First constructed on the site was the Lancastrian School in 1816, and later the city jail was also constructed there. The burial ground was made to completely disappear from the visible landscape and also from memory. That was until a local historian, Elizabeth Kambourian rediscovered it on a map in the 1990s. At that time the burial ground had become a parking lot, which was purchased by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in about 2004. Activists quickly organized and actively became involved in the struggle for the reclamation of the burial ground. An important group formed from and for this struggle was the Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project, of the Defenders for Freedom, Justice and Equality. They continue to be active advocates and stewards of the Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground.

Commemoration

The first public acknowledgment of the Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground, then covered over with asphalt, occurred during Elegba Folklore Society's Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration in 2002 and, perhaps, before. This commemoration continues to pay homage on the Trail of Enslaved Africans and at the Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground annually. Additionally, the Elegba Folklore Society guides cultural history tours that include a tribute to this burial ground. The Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project, of the Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality, hosts each October, a community gathering at the Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground. The Annual Gabriel Gathering honors

Gabriel In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Gabriel ( ) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind, as the messenger of God. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran. Many Chris ...

the leader of the great slave rebellion, and all those who gave their lives in the cause of freedom. It is also a celebration of the more than 20 years of learning the history of this sacred ground. The event also serves as a re-dedication to reclamation and the proper memorization of the area of

, which was once the epicenter of the U.S. domestic slave trade. On October 10, 2024 at the 22nd Annual Gabriel Gathering, an Historic Highway Marker was unveiled for the Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground, Richmond's First Municipal African Cemetery. The marker was sponsored by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR).Phounsavath,Paula, "Gabriel Gathering celebrates unveiling of marker on burial ground", Richmond Free Press, 10/17/2024

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History

Commemoration

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