Ancestors Descendant Community Conversation Held on September 9, 2023
Honoring the
On September 9th, 2023, the first in a series of meetings discussing the burial ground at the original site of the First Baptist Church was held. The meeting introduced concepts for marking and memorializing the ancestors buried at the Nassau Street site.
Meeting Goals
• Begin conversations with descendants around the memorialization of the First Baptist Church burial ground on Nassau Street
• Communicate the parameters for restoration of buildings and landscapes in Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area
• Share examples of burial grounds from historical sites, with a focus on those whose burial grounds have been reclaimed and commemorated based on the guidance of descendants
• Offer commemoration concepts for the descendants to consider
• Solicit input and suggestions from the descendants of the Nassau Street First Baptist Church
Restoration in Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area
The goal of Restoration in Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Area is to create an 18th-century backdrop where Williamsburg’s history can be shared through personal interactions with people and places from the past.
We do this by:
• Gathering physical and written evidence for accurate reconstruction and restoration of buildings and landscapes
• Concealing modern intrusions, such as utility lines and lighting
• Minimizing the appearance of modern amenities, such as bus stops and signage
Our goal for the restoration of the First Baptist Church on Nassau Street is to ensure that the building and landscape are reconstructed accurately and to create a permanent burial ground that honors the individuals in a way that harmonizes with the surrounding Historic Area.
Monticello Burial Ground for Enslaved People
The Burial Ground for Enslaved People at Monticello uses landscaping to create a feeling of separation from the surrounding parking lot.
Descendants chose to commemorate the burial ground rather than mark individual burials. Fencing is used to show the location and ensure that the burial ground is undisturbed by foot traffic and uses materials that are not visually intrusive to allow visitors to easily see in.
While visitors have visual access to the burial ground, only descendants are allowed inside.
The entrance to the burial ground also serves as a reflective space and offers seating to those visiting ancestors buried on the site.
Monticello Burial Ground for Enslaved People
Interpretive signage was placed along the perimeter of the burial. The signs educate visitors about the significance of the burial ground, offer information about the people buried on the site, and encourage respectful behavior.
Inset:
“This burial ground is a sacred space. Descendants of Monticello’s enslaved community honor and remember their ancestors at this site. Please approach the burial ground with respect and do not enter the fenced enclosure.”
Hot Water Community Cemetery
The Hot Water Community Cemetery is located within Freedom Park, in Williamsburg, Virginia. The park includes recreated homes like those that would have been occupied by residents of the Free Black community of Hot Water.
The cemetery is fenced but accessible to visitors and includes a simple brick and stone marker that reads:
“In This Vicinity Lie
Colonial Residents Of Hot Water
Known Only to God”
Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery
The Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery is located in Alexandria, Virginia. More than 1,800 individuals were buried in the cemetery between 1864 and 1869. The locations of more than 500 were revealed by archeological investigations in the early 2000s.
In 2014, the cemetery boundary was demarcated and memorialized under the guidance of the Friends of Freedmen’s Cemetery, a group of descendants and community stakeholders formed in 1997.
Working with descendants, the decision was made to mark each known burial. A small number of burials are marked with coffin-shaped, cobble markers. The cobble markers vary in size showing whether the burial was that of an adult or a child. Each of the five burials marked in this way also includes a placard that reads “Grave of a Child” or “Grave of an Adult.”
Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery
The remainder of the burials are marked with rectangular, stone pavers, measuring approximately 3 feet by 1 ½ feet.
In addition to markers showing the location of each known burial, the corners of buildings once located in the cemetery are marked. Corner markers included inscriptions similar to that seen in the lower image. It reads:
“CORNER OF BUILDING ERECTED IN 1960
You are standing over the building’s floor, which was left in place and covered to protect the graves that may remain below.”
Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery
Included at the cemetery is a bronze recreation of the “Gladwin Record,” which lists the names of people buried in the cemetery, along with the date of death, age, and place of death.
Medallions mark each name on the list with living descendants who have been identified. They read:
“Living Descendant Found”
Additional Interpretive Spaces
In addition to the reconstructed church and burial ground, the Bryan Stable and Taliaferro-Cole Stables will be repurposed as interpretive spaces, offering additional indoor opportunities to share the story of the First Baptist Church.
Bryan Stable Church
Taliaferro Cole Stable
Concepts for Demarcation and Memorialization
Concept one marks the location of each burial with simple rectangles, using variations in size to show burials belonging to adults, children, and infants.
Concepts for Demarcation and Memorialization
Concept two marks the location of each burial with coffin-shaped, hexagonal markers, using variations in size to show burials belonging to adults, children, and infants.
Concepts for Demarcation and Memorialization
Concept three marks the location of each burial with uniform, rectangular markers, and is most similar to the example set by the Alexandria Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery.
We want to hear from you.
Colonial Williamsburg and the Let Freedom Ring Foundation are seeking input from the descendants of the Historic First Baptist Church of Williamsburg – Nassau Street, daughter churches, and granddaughter churches concerning how to proceed with marking and memorializing the ancestors buried at the Nassau Street church site.
Please join us for the First Baptist Church Descendant Community Meeting
December 9, 2023, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Stryker Center
412 N Boundary St, Williamsburg, VA
If you would like to schedule a remote or in-person presentation of these materials for your congregation, please reach out to Crystal Castleberry, Public Archaeologist, at ccastleber@cwf.org.
