RICHMOND, Va. WRIC – On Sunday, community members gathered at the Black History Museum to discuss the future of the historic Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground.
Burt Pinnock, an architect with Baskervill, shared the significance of the site, saying, Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground holds the untold stories of over 22,000 people.
This burial ground, which opened in 1816, was once one of the largest cemeteries for free and enslaved African Americans in the country.
City planner Kim Chen also spoke about another burial ground in Richmond, the Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground, which was largely lost when Interstate 95 was built over it.
Currently, the Shockoe Hill site is covered by a billboard and a gas station. To honor the site, Baskervill architects proposed several ideas, including statues, a memorial garden, and billboards.
Community member Keneshia Thornton supported the idea of a billboard as a visible reminder for those passing through Richmond. She also liked the idea of a memorial wall with the names of those buried.
However, Thornton voiced concerns that a memorial garden might not be respected in the future, worrying that another gas station could be built on it if people forget its significance.
Baskervill plans to hold another meeting on Zoom on September 20 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.