Seminary Hill in Alexandria, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery
City of Alexandria Est. 1749
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, April 13, 2014
1. Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery Marker
In 1939, Samuel Javins conveyed the land which was referred to as "Oakland Church lot" nine years earlier, to the Oakland Baptist Church, after the death of his wife, Florence McKnight Javins. She inherited the property from her mother, Harriet Stuart McKnight Shorts, one of the founders of the church. Family ownership of the land started in 1879, when Burr Shorts, Harriet's husband, began purchasing 10 acres after living here at least 9 years.
The Shorts-McKnight extended family was one of the principal founding families of "The Fort," a post-Civil War African American community. Family members continued living on some of the original Shorts land until the 1960s. Three McKnight family graves are the earliest known in the cemetery and predate church ownership of the land: James W. Terrell and Maria McKnight Blackburn (1925), and Burney Terrell, wife of James and sister of Maria (1930). A land exchange with the City of Alexandria reconfigured the burial lot, extending it to the north and shortening the west side.
Families living in "The Fort" and "Seminary" community with members buried in the Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery: Carpenter Casey Crone Hall Henry Javins Johnson Lewis Moore Nelson Randall Roy Rust Simms Smith Terrell Wanzer
Erected by
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Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Virginia, The City of Alexandria series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1939.
Location. 38° 49.793′ N, 77° 6.051′ W. Marker is in Alexandria, Virginia. It is in Seminary Hill. It can be reached from West Braddock Road east of North Howard Street, on the right when traveling west. Located in Fort Ward Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4301 W Braddock Rd, Alexandria VA 22304, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in Northern Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. 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.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Within Its Walls (within shouting distance of this marker); The Oakland Baptist Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome to Historic Fort Ward Park (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Bombproof (about 400 feet away); From Fort to Community (about 400 feet away); African Americans and the Civil War (about 400 feet away); "The Fort" and "Seminary" Community (about 400 feet away); Entrance Gate to Fort Ward (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Alexandria.
Other markers no longer nearby. Fort Ward (was about 300 feet away but has been permanently
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, April 13, 2014
3. Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery Marker
This marker as shown in its previous location, slightly closer to the cemetery.
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, April 13, 2014
4. Oakland Baptist Church Private Cemetery
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, April 13, 2014
5. Headstone
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 21, 2025
6. National Register of Historic Places plaque on the grounds of Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery
Credits. This page was last revised on April 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 5, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 2,184 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on March 5, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 2. submitted on May 10, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 5, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 6. submitted on April 26, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
