Burying Ground -

: Historic markers are fragile; preservationists often use specialized mortar and epoxy to repair stones broken by tree roots or frost cycles.

: Sites like the Shockoe Hill African Burying Ground in Richmond (est. 1816) were once among the largest in the U.S. for free and enslaved people of color but faced decades of desecration from infrastructure projects. burying ground

Many historic burying grounds serve as critical archaeological records of marginalized communities whose histories were often excluded from written records. : Historic markers are fragile; preservationists often use

: Institutions like the University of Richmond have recently published reports detailing the history of ancestral burying grounds on their land to foster "recognition, reckoning, and commemoration". for free and enslaved people of color but

: By the late 18th century, many urban burying grounds became dangerously overcrowded—sometimes with bodies buried four-caskets deep—leading to health concerns over "exhalations" from open graves. Social & Racial Contexts