Near Bluefield in Tazewell County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Maple Hill Cemetery, African American Section
Photographed by Roger Miller, December 14, 2021
1. Maple Hill Cemetery, African American Section Marker
Inscription.
Maple Hill Cemetery, African American Section. . About 300 African Americans, including some who had been born enslaved, were interred here in the "colored section of Maple Hill Cemetery between the 1890s and the mid-20th century. African Americans had been a significant presence in Tazewell County since its founding, representing more than 10 percent of the population in 1800. After emancipation, many remained in this area. Later in the 19th century, coal mines and railroads drew African Americans here from other regions. They helped build the town of Graham (later Bluefield), often working as brick and stone masons, cooks, and midwives. In 2006 a fence dividing the cemetery's white and neglected black sections was removed.
About 300 African Americans, including some who had been born enslaved, were interred here in the "colored section of Maple Hill Cemetery between the 1890s and the mid-20th century. African Americans had been a significant presence in Tazewell County since its founding, representing more than 10 percent of the population in 1800. After emancipation, many remained in this area. Later in the 19th century, coal mines and railroads drew African Americans here from other regions. They helped build the town of Graham (later Bluefield), often working as brick and stone masons, cooks, and midwives. In 2006 a fence dividing the cemetery's white and neglected black sections was removed.
Erected 2021 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number X 33.)
Location. 37° 14.801′ N, 81° 18.403′ W. Marker is near Bluefield, Virginia, in Tazewell County. It is at the intersection of Trail of the Lonesome Pine (Virginia Avenue) (U.S. 19) and Deaton Street (Virginia Route 749), on the right when traveling east on Trail of the Lonesome Pine (Virginia Avenue). Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Bluefield VA 24605, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southwest Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Bluefield College (was approx. 3.3 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Photographed by Roger Miller, December 14, 2021
2. Maple Hill Cemetery, African American Section Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on December 15, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 14, 2021, by Roger Miller of Pulaski, Virginia. This page has been viewed 926 times since then and 73 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on December 14, 2021, by Roger Miller of Pulaski, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
