New Project To Move Unmarked Black Graves In Virginia

Descendants of African American tenant farmers, buried at Oak Hill Plantation in Pittsylvania, Virginia, are advocating for the proper memorialization of their ancestors, as state officials move forward with plans to demolish the historic site and construct an industrial park, according to the Associated Press.

The former tobacco plantation, now home to hundreds of unmarked graves of enslaved individuals who once labored there, is in the process of being cleared for development. Under the guidance of WSP, a consulting and engineering firm, efforts are underway to relocate the burial sites to make way for the new construction. A new grave site will be built for those buried about a mile away from the plantation, but relatives are concerned about the disruption of the final resting places of those who were once enslaved, while others hope that the remains will be respectfully identified and reburied, restoring the dignity that was denied in life.

Cedric Hairston, a descendant of one of the deceased, told the Associated Press that the ancestors buried on the land should be given a proper resting place on the same soil they once worked, ensuring that their legacy is honored. He described them as “patriots who are coming out of their graves with equal rights in 2025.”

The remains from each grave, even if only remnants of soil remain, will be carefully collected and relocated, along with any stones that marked their resting places. The relocation process is expected to be completed by early March, followed by the construction of a new burial site and a dedication ceremony in the coming months.

The History of Oak Hill.

Per The Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Oak Hill Plantation, constructed in 1823 by Samuel Hairston, was one of the largest tobacco plantations along the Dan River in Pittsylvania County. Samuel Hairston was reportedly the largest enslaver in the South, overseeing thousands of enslaved individuals across 45 plantations and farms in four states, as chronicled in the book The Hairstons by Henry Wiencek, the Associated Press noted. The plantation’s estate, which once boasted formal gardens designed by Agnes Hairston, wife of Samuel, was largely destroyed by a fire in 1988, leading to its removal from the Virginia Landmarks Register and National Register of Historic Places. 

The plantation stood mostly abandoned over the years; however, in recent months, the Pittsylvania-Danville Regional Industrial Facility Authority acquired 3,500 acres of land including the former plantation site. In November, Tennessee-based Microporous announced plans to build a $1.3 billion battery manufacturing plant on the land, with the expectation of creating 2,000 jobs. 

Family members hope to identify their loved ones.

In preparation for the project, archaeologists have begun exhuming roughly 275 graves and have made some remarkable discoveries. Jeff Bennett, whose great-great-great-grandfather is buried at Oak Hill,  along with several other relatives, recently had the opportunity to view personal items uncovered from the graves. These artifacts, carefully preserved in plastic bags, included eyeglasses, a medicine bottle, and a 5-cent coin from 1836. One grave contained a light bulb, socket, and electrical cord, while another was lined with bricks, suggesting the individual was likely wealthy, Bennett told the Associated Press. 

“I don’t think anybody would want their ancestors exhumed or moved,” he shared. “But for them to give us a lot of say so in the new cemetery, down to the design details and the plaques and memorials that we put up, I feel like (they’re) really doing it in a dignified way, in a respectful way.”

Bennett and other descendants of the Black tenant farmers hope to use these items to learn more about their ancestors and identify them. Their goal is to inscribe the names of all those who lived and worked in the area on the graves, ensuring their legacies are honored.

“I feel like we’re reemphasizing the significance of our ancestors,” Bennett added. “It’s been generations since people used that area to bury people. And now we’re rediscovering their stories. And hopefully we can continue to tell those stories to the next generations.”

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New Project To Move Unmarked Black Graves In Virginia From Former Plantation 
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