Newtown Cemetery
Posted by: 
Markerman62
N 38° 27.210 W 078° 51.480
17S E 686907 N 4258307
African American cemetery established in 1869.
Waymark Code: WM12Z3P
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 08/10/2020
Views: 0
African Americans established the community of Newtown in this area after the Civil War. In 1869 five trustees purchased land here for a cemetery open to "all persons of color." By 1920 the cemetery had expanded three times to accommodate Harrisonburg's growing African American population. Among the nearly 1,000 burials, some unmarked, are Civil War-era United States Colored Troops and veterans of World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Also interred here are Harrisonburg's first African American city council member and several noted educators, including Lucy F. Simms. The cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Department of Historic Resources, 2015
Marker Number: A 124
Marker Title: Newtown Cemetery
Marker Location: At Kelley Street and Hill Street, Harrisonburg
County or Independent City: Harrisonburg
Marker Program Sponsor: Department of Historic Resources
Web Site: Not listed
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