Memorial Dedication and Opening
C.J. Howard of Alexandria. Elements of the
winning design were used in the
memorial.
The Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial was dedicated on September 6, 2014, described by one newspaper reporter as the culmination of “a 17-year multimillion-dollar effort to identify bodies, locate descendants and build a towering bronze memorial. The two days prior to the dedication ceremony featured lectures recounting the history of the property and the story of the memorial’s creation, walking tours through the neighborhoods where the newly arrived freedom-seekers and freedmen lived and died, a candlelight vigil, and a reiteration of a program titled “The Journey to be Free: Descendants Returning Home to Alexandria.” Originally performed in March as part of the National Civil War Project to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the conflict, the program sought to honor the lives and legacy of the African American people seeking freedom in the city, All the descendants identified by the research of Char McCargo Bah were invited to attend. On September 6, the dedication-day activities began with the tolling of bells throughout the city to honor those interred on the reclaimed land of the memorial. The ceremony included musical selections from the Alexandria Frist Baptist Church Adoration Ringers, the Alexandria City Employees Choir, and the Washington Revels Jubilee Voices. U.S. Representative Jim Moran gave the keynote address, followed by a poem from the city’s poet laureate Tori Lane, a reading by historian C.R. Gibbs, a reading by genealogist Char McCargo Bah, and a history of the cemetery by Mayor William Euille. Concluding the formal ceremony, members of the City Council and invited guests recited the names of the ancestors whose descendants were present for the dedication. After each name was called, Char McCargo Bah tolled the memorial bell, and each family was honored with the presentation of a red rose.
Descendants then led a procession into the Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial to place the roses in memory of their ancestors, most of whom had arrived in Alexandria in search of freedom some 150 years earlier. Their footsteps reverberated on top of the location of the carriage path into the cemetery, the last leg of their ancestors’ journeys to their final resting places.
The Final Design
The final design for the memorial incorporated many of the principles set forth by the Friends of Freedmen’s Cemetery, modified and amplified in guidelines recommended by the steering committee. It is a place for reflection, commemoration, education, and the search for cultural identity. Archaeologists located 631 of the 1,711 graves known to be present on the site, both within the site and under the sidewalk along S. Washington Street. Each known grave is marked with a stone to restore dignity to the individuals buried here and to ensure future protection. Reminders of the disturbance and desecration that ensued following the abandonment by the federal government reenforce the message of the on-going need for vigilance to ensure future protection. The Path of Thorns and Roses, a bronze statue by Mario Chiodo, depicts the journey to freedom and equality and beckons visitors into the memorial. The arched entrance and the surrounding fence with its metal “pickets” evoke elements of the historical character of the site. The entry into the memorial appropriately lies above the location of the original path into the cemetery discovered during archaeological excavations. The path likely served as the route used by carriages to carry the deceased to their final resting places. A stone marker highlights the contributions of the United States Colored Troops and recounts the successful civil rights action that led to disinterment of USCT from Freedmen’s Cemetery and reburial in Alexandria’s National Cemetery to recognize and honor their service.
Stone walls border the Place of Remembrance where the names and ages of the deceased from the Book of Records are etched into bronze panels. Bronze icons mark those with known descendants. Genealogical research is on-going with icons installed as descendants are found, making this a living memorial. Bas-reliefs by artist Joanna Blake illustrate the race to freedom and the importance of education to the freedom-seekers. Interpretive panels provide context to the experiences of the African American individuals who made their way to the city in search of freedom.
Visit the Memorial
Address
Contrabands & Freedmen Cemetery Memorial
1001 S. Washington Street
(at the corner of Church Street)
Alexandria, Virginia, 22314
Hours of Operation
Open dawn to dusk.
On-street parking available nearby.
Ceremonies, Celebrations and Recognition
Rededication Ceremony, 2007
May 12, 2007
A rededication ceremony on May 12, 2007 honored the forgotten burial place of approximately 1,800 freedmen, who escaped the bonds of slavery, sought refuge in Alexandria, and contributed to the prosperity and cultural heritage of the City. The ceremony featured speeches, African drummers, a poem by Alexandria’s Poet Laureate, and the lighting of luminaries representing each of the burials. The Alexandria City Council issued a Proclamation declaring a Week of Remembrance.
Schoolchildren, scouts, community groups, and participants in bag-decorating workshops at the Alexandria Archaeology Museum and the Alexandria Black History Museum, adorned the luminary bags with heartfelt artwork, words and poetry. Each bag was labeled with the name, sex and age of death of one of the deceased Freedmen.
The event was the culmination of twenty years of research and community activism. From the Friends of Freedmen's Cemetery, to Alexandria residents, City of Alexandria staff, and schoolchildren who participated in luminary decorating, this was truly a community effort. In 2011, the City of Alexandria will again honor these men, women and children, with the formal dedication of the Contraband and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial.
Dedication of the Memorial, 2014
Journey to be Free
September 6, 2014
The City of Alexandria officially dedicated the Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial on Saturday, September 6, at 10 a.m. The memorial park honors the memory of the Alexandria’s Freedmen, the hardships they faced, and their contributions to the City. The September 6 dedication capped three days of events featuring Alexandria’s Civil War and African American history.
During the Civil War, the Alexandria Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery was the burial place for approximately 1,800 African Americans who fled to Alexandria to escape bondage. The cemetery fell into disrepair and nearly faded from memory before being restored and rededicated in 2007. Now, in the sesquicentennial of both the Cemetery and the Civil War, a new memorial honors this site and those who were laid to rest there. Their descendants, many of whom will be coming to Alexandria for the Dedication, now live in nearly all 50 states.
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, 2015
In 2015, the National Park Service (NPS) approved the Office of Historic Alexandria's application for the Alexandria Freedmen’s Cemetery to be included in the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. This designation recognizes important historical sites in the United States that make a significant contribution to the understanding of the Underground Railroad in American history and that meet NPS requirements for inclusion as an individual site.
As part of this recognition, NPS recognized OHA’s ongoing commitment to quality and high standards and “to be stewards of all that the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom embraces.” The designation is also subject to periodic review by NPS to ensure that the Freedmen’s Cemetery site continues to be appropriately maintained and interpreted well into the future.
5th Anniversary Celebration, 2019
September 13-15, 2019
This moving and educational weekend event included a Friday evening opening address with local Contraband historian Char McCargo Bah. Other events included: a morning wreath-laying at the site, a luncheon to honor descendant families with a keynote address by National Park Service Superintendent of Fort Monroe National Monument, Terry E. Brown, a curated bus tour of Alexandria’s African American heritage sites, and an evening candlelight vigil at the memorial.
6th Anniversary Celebration, 2020
September 6, 2020
September 6, 2020 is the 6th anniversary of the Contrabands & Freedmen Cemetery Memorial dedication. Once on the edge of town and “lost” to time, now it tells the story of the thousands of refugees that came to Alexandria in search of freedom during the Civil War. Many arrived hungry and in ill health. Of the about 1,800 burials - more than half were of children. Take time to pause and remember the lives of those this cemetery remembers.
African American Civil Rights Network, 2021
July 24, 2021
On July 24, 2021, over 100 people came together to celebrate the addition of the Alexandria’s Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial to the National Park Service African American Civil Rights Network. The site’s inclusion on the network is a testament to the Black soldiers of the USCT who successfully petitioned in 1864 to have their fellow soldiers reburied with full military honors in the Soldier’s Cemetery, now Alexandria National Cemetery. The memorial recognizes this first known civil rights protest in the city, as well as the self-emancipated African American men, women, and children who fled to Alexandria during the Civil War. It was nominated by the Alexandria Archaeological Commission, with support from the City of Alexandria City Council and the Office of Historic Alexandria.
Watch the dedication of Alexandria's Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial as part of the National Park Service African American Civil Rights Network in July 2021.
10th Anniversary Celebration, 2024
September 6-7, 2024
This year’s remembrance honored the late Lillie Finklea and her work with her friend, the late Louise Massoud, to create the Friends of Freedmen’s Cemetery.
Events included a Candlelight Vigil, Bus Tours, and Luncheon.
News Coverage
Rededication Ceremony, 2007
- Alexandria Gazette, May 17, 2007
- Alexandria Times, May 17, 2007
- Richmond Times Dispatch, May 14, 2007
- Washington Post May 13, 2007
- Preservation Online May 9, 2007
- WJLA-TV (Channel 7), May 12, 2007
- WUSA-TV (Channel 9), May 15, 2007
Discovery of the Clovis Point, 2007
Memorial Dedication, 2014
- CBS Evening News *National* [Video] Once below gas station, Virginia cemetery restored.
- NBC4 [Video] City of Alexandria Dedicating Cemetery Memorial.
- Washington Post. A memorial honors slaves who escaped the South for refuge in Alexandria, Va.
- WTOP Freedmen honored at local park memorial.
- CBS Local City of Alexandria Dedicating Cemetery Memorial.
- WJLA 7 Alexandria dedicates memorial at Freedmen's Cemetery to African Americans who died in the Civil War.
- WUSA 9 Alexandria to dedicate memorial to African Americans who died in Civil War.
- Washington Informer [Cover Story] Alexandria Cemetery Dedication Draws Descendants.
- Greenfield Daily Reporter [AP]. City of Alexandria dedicating cemetery memorial to African Americans who died during Civil War.
- Alexandria Gazette Packet [Cover story] Memorial Cemetery Dedicated.
- Alexandria Times Out of the Attic: Dedication of memorial marks end of long journey for cemetery.
- Red Brick Town Alexandria Celebrates the Dedication of the Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial.
- AlexandriaNews.org. Alexandria Remembers Contraband And Freedmen With Memorial Dedication Freedmen Cemetery.
- Patch Media Alexandria Dedicates the Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial.
African American Civil Rights Network, 2021
- ‘No longer forgotten’: Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial in Alexandria recognized nationally. WTOP, July 24, 2021
- "Telling our Stories" in Alexandria. Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery is the First Virginia Site Added to African American Civil Rights Network. Alexandria Gazette Packet, August 1, 2021
- Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial in Alexandria First Site in Virginia Recognized by African American Civil Rights Network. The Zebra, July 1, 2021
- Local site added to Civil Rights Network: Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial first site chosen in Virginia. Alexandria Times, July 8, 2021
10th Anniversary Celebration, 2024
- Contrabands and Freedmen Memorial marks 10th anniversary, Out of the Attic, Alexandria Times, September 5, 2024