5405-5485 Lambert Town Road
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Last updated on March 29, 2024
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Directions from Rocktown History to Site 13:
- Make right onto High St
- In 250 feet make left onto Bowman Rd
- In 0.4 mile turn left onto Westview St
- In 0.5 mile turn right onto Mason St
- In 5.9 miles turn left onto Briery Branch Rd
- In 1.3 miles turn left onto Lambert Town Rd
- In 0.6 mile the destination is on your left
- This is now private property that is being renovated
The Spring Creek Negro Cemetery is a historic black cemetery. The origin of the cemetery needs to be clarified. No church is affiliated with the cemetery and is cleaned by volunteers sparsely. There is no definite number of burials, including unmarked graves. A survey done in 2008 documents 18 marked graves. Further research for this site needs to be done. However, this is the resting place for local African American individuals and should be preserved and respected.
In September 2021, a group of volunteers from United Way helped clean the cemetery and had this to say: “Spring Creek Negro Cemetery is a historically Black cemetery and the final resting place for Lt. Leon Byrd, the first Black officer to serve the Harrisonburg Police Department. Volunteers will be asked to remove overgrown grass and brush from the space and clean up the site. HPD is working to get this area cleaned and eventually bring this cemetery back where it is visible and can be visited.
In September 2021, a group of volunteers from United Way helped clean the cemetery and had this to say: “Spring Creek Negro Cemetery is a historically Black cemetery and the final resting place for Lt. Leon Byrd, the first Black officer to serve the Harrisonburg Police Department. Volunteers will be asked to remove overgrown grass and brush from the space and clean up the site. HPD is working to get this area cleaned and eventually bring this cemetery back where it is visible and can be visited.
References
Kathy Howdyshell, Bob Emswiler and Lois Emswiler, “Spring Creek Negro Cemetery,” Rockingham County Virginia Tombstones by Cemetery, Rocktown History, January 8, 2008, accessed March 15, 2024, https://www.rocktownhistory.org/static-pages/cemeteries/cem/cem373.html.
“PROJECT: Historically Black Cemetery Clean Up,” United Way of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, accessed March 15, 2024, https://getconnected.uwhr.org/need/detail/?need_id=617802.
Kathy Howdyshell, Bob Emswiler and Lois Emswiler, “Spring Creek Negro Cemetery,” Rockingham County Virginia Tombstones by Cemetery, Rocktown History, January 8, 2008, accessed March 15, 2024, https://www.rocktownhistory.org/static-pages/cemeteries/cem/cem373.html.
“PROJECT: Historically Black Cemetery Clean Up,” United Way of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, accessed March 15, 2024, https://getconnected.uwhr.org/need/detail/?need_id=617802.