Excavation of graves begins at historic Black church in Virginia
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Thursday, July 21, 2022 • • General
Long-lost church in Williamsburg was once under a parking lot.
Archaeologists, blessed by community prayers and a reading from scripture, began to excavate graves this week at the long-lost site of the original First Baptist Church in Colonial Williamsburg, one of the oldest Black churches in the country.
Forty-one grave shafts have now been discovered at the site of the church, which was torn down in 1955 and covered by a parking lot because it didn't fit the town's Colonial motif.
Excavation of graves begins at historic Black church in Williamsburg. - The Washington Post
Long-lost church in Williamsburg was once under a parking lot.
Archaeologists, blessed by community prayers and a reading from scripture, began to excavate graves this week at the long-lost site of the original First Baptist Church in Colonial Williamsburg, one of the oldest Black churches in the country.
Forty-one grave shafts have now been discovered at the site of the church, which was torn down in 1955 and covered by a parking lot because it didn't fit the town's Colonial motif.
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Thursday, May 1, 2025 • • General
Historic Charleston Foundation (HCF) is proud to announce a generous $1.25 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to complete the rehabilitation of the historic Pine Tree Hotel and adjacent Skeeta Beach Lounge for the newly formed Historical Mosquito Beach Foundation.
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Saturday, April 19, 2025 • • General
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A sacred piece of Charleston's past is getting a 21st-century safeguard.
The Charleston Humane and Friendly Cemetery in the heart of the Holy City is now part of a cutting-edge digital project aimed not just at preserving graves, but also at honoring legacies and connecting descendants to their roots.
With headstones dating back to the 1800s, the Humane and Friendly Society Cemetery in Charleston is more than just a final resting place, it's a living archive of African American history. The cemetery was founded in 1802 and established its cemetery in 1856, according to the Preservation Society of Charleston.
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Saturday, March 1, 2025 • • General
DANVILLE, Va. (AP) — A decision to move the remains of hundreds African American tenant farmers from a former Virginia tobacco plantation to a dedicated burial ground has elicited a range of emotions among the sharecroppers' descendants.
Some worry about the implications of disturbing the graves of people who were exploited and enslaved. Others hope the remains can be identified and reburied with more respect than they were afforded in life.