286-298 Kelley Street
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Last updated: March 25, 2024
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Directions from Ralph Sampson Park to site 20:
- Exit the parking lot and make a left onto E Washington St and go back down the hill to Simms Ave
- Make a left onto Simms Ave
- Drive past the Lucy F Simm Center
- Make a left onto Kelley St, the Cemetery is on your right
- Go to Hill St and make a left. You are now at the top of the cemetery
Newtown Cemetery is a historic African American cemetery in the center of the former Newtown neighborhood. E. Kelley Street, Sterling Street, and Hill Street bound it. The cemetery was formed in 1869 and is over 150 years old. It was dedicated to the burials of formerly enslaved African American members in the surrounding community. Five trustees purchased the 3.9 acres of land for a cemetery “for all persons of color” from the community. There are close to 900 graves, including the resting place of war veterans and notable black community leaders. In 2014, Newtown Cemetery was placed in the Virginia Landmarks Register and erected by the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. In 2017, the Northeast Neighborhood Association revealed a memorial for the unmarked graves in the cemetery. The Newtown Cemetery Board of Trustees is responsible for the cemetery’s upkeep. The Newtown Cemetery represents Newtown's era and symbolizes the African American history in Harrisonburg.
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References
“115-5129 Newtown Cemetery,” The Virginia Department of Historic Resources, lasts updated January 31, 2024, https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/115-5129/.
Jessica Klonaris, “Newtown Cemetery recalls the past 150 years since opening,” The Breeze, April 1, 2019, https://www.breezejmu.org/news/newtown-cemetery-recalls-the-past-150-years-since-opening/article_50637630-54d4-11e9-a811-d3e3fb36bbfe.html.
Johnny Oliver, “Memorial honors unmarked burials at Newtown Cemetery,” WHSV3, December 17, 2017, https://www.whsv.com/content/news/Memorial-unveiled-in-Newtown-Cemetery-464828443.html.
“Newtown Cemetery,” The Historical Marker Database, last revised February 2, 2023, https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=103813.
“115-5129 Newtown Cemetery,” The Virginia Department of Historic Resources, lasts updated January 31, 2024, https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/historic-registers/115-5129/.
Jessica Klonaris, “Newtown Cemetery recalls the past 150 years since opening,” The Breeze, April 1, 2019, https://www.breezejmu.org/news/newtown-cemetery-recalls-the-past-150-years-since-opening/article_50637630-54d4-11e9-a811-d3e3fb36bbfe.html.
Johnny Oliver, “Memorial honors unmarked burials at Newtown Cemetery,” WHSV3, December 17, 2017, https://www.whsv.com/content/news/Memorial-unveiled-in-Newtown-Cemetery-464828443.html.
“Newtown Cemetery,” The Historical Marker Database, last revised February 2, 2023, https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=103813.