Staunton History of African American Cemetery

Staunton History of African American Cemetery. Fairview Cemetery on Lambert Street. Staunton, Virginia has been called the "Queen City" because of the economic, social, and cultural influences which converged there in its role as the seat of Augusta County, once the largest county in the United States. Fairview Cemetery presents a profile of the African American cultural, economic, civic, and commercial histories and influences in the "Queen City" and surrounding county., In the 1850s this land was located outside of the Staunton City limits in the heart of an African American community named Sandy Hollow, one of several African American communities in Augusta County. In 1869, six acres were acquired by Augusta Street United Methodist Church and Mount Zion Baptist Church from Simpson F. Taylor, a prosperous farmer and merchant, to provide a burial ground for members of the two churches., Fairview is the largest African American cemetery in the City of Staunton. There are more than 2,000 grave sites; some are identified with beautiful statuesque headstones. The oldest legible headstone is imprinted with an 1860s date. Unfortunately, time and weather have erased the identity on many others. Among the numerous prominent citizens interred here are Willis McGlascoe Carter (1852-1902) whose biography, From Slave to Statesman, was published in 2015, and James Morris (born 1867), Staunton's first African American lawyer. A pauper's burial area is located over the hill near the entrance of the cemetery., Architectural features of the cemetery include native bluestone entrance walls, a mausoleum building, and a viewing terrace on the north boundary at the top of Gibbs Hill. A two-story cottage, circa 1870, originally owned and occupied by a stoneworker, Edward Shea, and his wife and eight children sits at the eastern edge of the property., The cemetery reflects changing patterns in burial. customs and society. Plots were initially 4'-6" wide and sold in lots of five but decreased to 3'-9"; with some 2-by-2-foot spaces for cremation urns. By the late 1800s, the rural cemetery evolved into a typical park-like cemetery of the period with ornamental landscaping and decorative features. During the segregation era before the establishment of Montgomery Hall Park, African American families used Fairview as their "park" since they were only allowed use of Gypsy Hill Park for one day each year. The character of Fairview Cemetery illustrates a prosperous, historic black community with a sense of pride and social status within the larger community., The cemetery has received support from the Boy Scouts, local churches, florists, and individuals. The Fairview Cemetery Committee oversees and makes all decisions concerning the cemetery., A special thanks to Thelma A. Newman for the historic information, and to the Fairview Cemetery Committee., (captions) , This is the first survey of the Fairview Cemetery from a plat dated June 8, 1869. , Willis McGlascoe Carter , Mausoleum building