Assisting grassroots efforts to preserve a historical, African American institution of Suffolk, Virginia
Suffolk, Virginia: Views of Oak Lawn Cemetery (est. 1885), August 9, 2019
Suffolk, Virginia: First view of Oak Lawn Cemetery’s highway historical marker!
I’ve written the text for two highway historical markers for African American cemeteries in Virginia: the Mt. Calvary Cemetery Complex (est. 1879), Portsmouth, in 2016, and Oak Lawn Cemetery (est. 1885), Suffolk, in 2019. However, I never knew how they were made. Thanks to a wonderful story about the manufacturer, Sewah Studios (Marietta, Ohio), I know the answer. The historical marker for Oak Lawn Cemetery is shown briefly in this great video courtesy of WTAP News, Parkersburg, West Virginia.
Portsmouth, Virginia: United States Colored Troops, Grove Baptist Church Cemetery
Photos: Nadia K. Orton, 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2018. All rights reserved.
The headstones of United States Colored Troops interred in Grove Baptist Church cemetery have been cleaned up, though none were reset. The grave cleaning came in the midst of a renovation project of Grove Church’s parking lot.
Virginia: A new headstone for 1st Sgt. Martin Smith, 36th U. S. Colored Infantry
Virginia: Update on a Tidewater Freedom Fighter
