Mount Vernon near Alexandria in Fairfax County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Slave Cemetery
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, January 13, 2018
1. Slave Cemetery Marker
Inscription.
Slave Cemetery. . There are no records that document the number of enslaved or free African-Americans who are buried in this cemetery. From oral histories and a handful of early 19th-century visitor accounts, estimates range from 100-150 people. Among those individuals thought to be interred here is William Lee, George Washington's personal servant during the Revolutionary War, who was granted freedom and an annuity in Washington's will. In 2014, a multi-year archaeological survey began in order to better understand the cemetery's size and organization, and to find out how many people were laid to rest on this hilltop. No human remains are disturbed in this process.
There are no records that document the number of enslaved or free African-Americans who are buried in this cemetery. From oral histories and a handful of early 19th-century visitor accounts, estimates range from 100-150 people. Among those individuals thought to be interred here is William Lee, George Washington's personal servant during the Revolutionary War, who was granted freedom and an annuity in Washington's will. In 2014, a multi-year archaeological survey began in order to better understand the cemetery's size and organization, and to find out how many people were laid to rest on this hilltop. No human remains are disturbed in this process.
Location. 38° 42.363′ N, 77° 5.344′ W. Marker is near Alexandria, Virginia, in Fairfax County. It is in Mount Vernon. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Mount Vernon Memorial Highway (Virginia Route 235) and Mount Vernon Memorial Parkway. This marker is on the grounds of Mount Vernon. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Alexandria VA 22309, United States of America. Touch for directions.
2. Forgotten No Longer. Archaeology at the Mount Vernon Slave Cemetery. George Washington's Mount Vernon. (Submitted on January 17, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.)
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, January 13, 2018
2. Slave Cemetery Marker
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, January 13, 2018
3. Archaeology at the Slave Cemetery
Credits. This page was last revised on January 27, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 14, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 287 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on January 14, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
