Portsmouth, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Cedar Grove Cemetery

By Cynthia L. Clark, March 9, 2018

1. Cedar Grove Cemetery Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

The Town of Portsmouth established Cedar Grove Cemetery just outside town limits in 1832. A trove of 19th-century funerary art, the cemetery contains monuments and statues handcrafted in the Victorian, Greek Revival, and Egyptian Revival styles, many bearing symbolic motifs. Buried here are at least 10 veterans of the Revolutionary War and 47 veterans of the War of 1812, including Capt. Arthur Emmerson, a hero of the Battle of Craney Island. Also interred here are John Luke Porter, co-designer of the ironclad C.S.S. Virginia, and many Confederate soldiers and sailors. The cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Erected 2015 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number Q-8-y.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • War of 1812 • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1832.

Location. 36° 50.38′ N, 76° 18.497′ W. Marker is in

By Cynthia L. Clark, March 9, 2018

2. Cedar Grove Cemetery Marker.

Cedar Grove Cemetery Marker (front).

Click or scan to see
this page online

Portsmouth, Virginia. Marker is at the intersection of Fort Lane and Blair Street, on the right when traveling north on Fort Lane. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Portsmouth VA 23704, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A different marker also named Cedar Grove Cemetery (a few steps from this marker); The Confederate Section (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); John Luke Porter (about 400 feet away); Portsmouth Naval Hospital (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Portsmouth Naval Hospital (approx. 0.2 miles away); Ruth Brown (approx. 0.2 miles away); Emanuel A.M.E. Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Matilda Sissieretta Joyner Jones (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Portsmouth.

Cedar Grove Cemetery Marker (back). image. Click for full size.

By Cynthia L. Clark, March 9, 2018

3. Cedar Grove Cemetery Marker (back).

Cedar Grove Cemetery entrance. image. Click for full size.

By Cynthia L. Clark, March 9, 2018

4. Cedar Grove Cemetery entrance.

Multiple markers, including Q-8-y, flank the cemetery’s entrance (from left to right): 1) a Cedar Grove Cemetery, Path of History – Portsmouth, Virginia marker; 2) a circular sign inscribed with Cedar Grove Cemetery; and 3) a National Register of Historic Places plaque.

The breadth of Cedar Grove Cemetery. image. Click for full size.

By Cynthia L. Clark,

5. The breadth of Cedar Grove Cemetery.

Reported to be a four-acre parcel, the cemetery extends southward on Fort Lane for over three blocks from Blair Street towards London Boulevard.

Detail of the National Register of Historic Places plaque. image. Click for full size.

By Cynthia L. Clark, March 9, 2018

6. Detail of the National Register of Historic Places plaque.

This plaque is inscribed with: Cedar Grove Cemetery, Est. 1832, has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 29, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 18, 2018, by Cynthia L. Clark of Suffolk, Virginia. This page has been viewed 132 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 18, 2018, by Cynthia L. Clark of Suffolk, Virginia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.