Courtland in Southampton County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Helping Hand Cemetery
Photographed By Brandon D Cross
1. Helping Hand Cemetery Marker
Inscription.
Helping Hand Cemetery. . Six African American trustees purchased this land in 1897 and established The Courtland Colored Cemetery, renamed Helping Hand Cemetery in 1912. The Helping Hand Club, a benevolent organization founded by educator Ersulia Wynn Evans, offered health and burial insurance to community members. Among the approximately 650 persons interred here is Pvt. Solomon Stevens, who escaped from slavery in Southampton Co. during the Civil War, served in the Union Army, and in 1913 sold a parcel of land to the Helping Hand trustees to enlarge the cemetery. Also buried here are about 55 other military veterans. Nottoway Indians whose ancestral lands were in this area, and educators, activists, and entrepreneurs.
Six African American trustees purchased this land in 1897 and established The Courtland Colored Cemetery, renamed Helping Hand Cemetery in 1912. The Helping Hand Club, a benevolent organization founded by educator Ersulia Wynn Evans, offered health and burial insurance to community members. Among the approximately 650 persons interred here is Pvt. Solomon Stevens, who escaped from slavery in Southampton Co. during the Civil War, served in the Union Army, and in 1913 sold a parcel of land to the Helping Hand trustees to enlarge the cemetery. Also buried here are about 55 other military veterans. Nottoway Indians whose ancestral lands were in this area, and educators, activists, and entrepreneurs.
Erected 2023 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number U-63.)
Location. 36° 43.503′ N, 77° 4.286′ W. Marker is in Courtland, Virginia, in Southampton County. Marker is at the intersection of Main Street (Virginia Route 35) and Woodland Park Circle, on the right when traveling south on Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 21436 Main St, Courtland VA 23837, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within
Also see . . . Helping Hand Cemetery. (Submitted on March 25, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
Photographed By Brandon D Cross
2. Helping Hand Cemetery Marker
Photographed By Brandon D Cross
3. Helping Hand Cemetery Sign
Credits. This page was last revised on March 26, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 25, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 39 times since then. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on March 25, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
