Neglected 107-year-old Henrico cemetery celebrates restoration
Table of Contents
Community members gathered to celebrate Woodland Cemetery's 107th anniversary and to mark the significant progress of restoring the historic African American cemetery in East Highland Park in Henrico.
Saturday's ceremony comes after six years of efforts from volunteers to reclaim the cemetery, which is the final resting place of many notable African Americans, including tennis legend Arthur Ashe as well as famed preacher John Jasper.
“Weeds were probably almost over my head,” John Shuck, a member of the Woodland Restoration Foundation and the cemetery's volunteer coordinator, recalled.
Shuck said the cemetery's previous owners had neglected the sacred space for decades. That’s why he said the nonprofit wanted to take time to acknowledge and celebrate the progress volunteers have made in reclaiming the space.
Click here to continue reading on WTVR.com, a Henrico Citizen partner organization.
