Douglass Cemetery, Alexandria’s largest African American cemetery, is a historically significant and sacred space. The cemetery has experienced recurrent flooding during large storm events. These issues include stormwater from Wilkes Street overtopping the inlet and flowing into the cemetery, as well as standing water within the cemetery and at the outfall. In 2023, the City of Alexandria contracted with Jacobs to undertake a drainage analysis of Douglass Cemetery and produce recommendations to improve stormwater conditions. The study found that the stormwater pipes are aging, clogged and undersized, the slope of the drainage swale does not properly promote drainage, and the low spots fill with water during large rainfall events with no overland relief. The implementation of the stormwater drainage improvements will help overcome preservation challenges at this burial ground. 

A Community Pre-construction Meeting will be held at Douglass Cemetery on Tuesday December 16 at 2:30 p.m. Construction work in Douglass Cemetery is anticipated to occur from December 2025 through July 2026. Contractors from Flippo Construction Company, Inc., Jacobs Engineering, and Wetlands Studies and Solutions will carry out the work. In the unlikely event that an unmarked burial is found during construction and cannot be avoided, the City of Alexandria has applied for a permit for the archaeological excavation of human remains. 

The work is comprised of the following six tasks as shown in Figure 1:

1. Replace 150-foot section of pipe under the south edge of Wilkes Street.
2. Replace two drainage inlets in Wilkes Street.
3. Replace 200-foot section of pipe in Douglass Cemetery, under current pathway and gazebo.
4. Regrade and reinforce existing drainage swale along the north boundary of Douglass Cemetery.
5. Lightly grade the head of the drainage swale to the northwest, within Christ Church and Trinity Methodist Cemeteries.
6. Remove approximately 250 gravestones, store onsite, regrade area, and reset headstones.