Arlington County Sets Public Hearing for Historic Designation of Calloway Cemetery
February 11, 2012
Update 03-10-2012: The Arlington County Board today approved the proposal to designate the Calloway Cemetery as a local historic district. The vote was 4-0.
- Seeks to protect, preserve 19th century cemetery
- Would be second African-American cemetery to be designated
- Public hearing scheduled for March 10, 2012
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Arlington County Board is asking the public to weigh-in on a proposal to designate a 19th century African-American burial site, Calloway Cemetery, a local historic district.
The Board voted unanimously as part of the consent agenda to hold a public hearing on the proposal at its March 10, 2012 meeting, part of the County’s on-going effort to preserve historic Arlington.
“Calloway Cemetery is an important part of Arlington’s cultural heritage,” said Arlington County Board Chair Mary Hughes Hynes. “The African-Americans buried there lived and died in a very different Arlington – a segregated Arlington. It is important that we honor them by protecting their final resting place, a place that will forever serve as a reminder of how far we have come in our nation and our community.”
The cemetery is the first African-American burial ground in the County to be studied in-depth, and would be Arlington’s first African-American cemetery to be designated in its entirety as an Arlington historic district. A portion of the Lomax AME Zion Church Cemetery in the south Arlington neighborhood of Nauck, was locally designated in 1984.
Designation proposal follows extensive research
County staff performed extensive research to investigate the history of the Cemetery. The only records dated to 1985, and only about one-half of the burials are marked with above-ground stones. Staff conducted several phases of study, including detailed historic research about the known individuals interred at the site, survey of the grave stones, examination of census, military, birth, marriage and death records, and interviews with church leaders.
"The Calloway United Methodist Church Cemetery is a prime example of what a church and its members can do to preserve the heritage of their congregation and remain faithful to the historic integrity of the community,” said Rev. Sonja Flye Oliver. “For our members, preserving our history has always been paramount. This has been a very important step of faith on our 145-year journey. We are so thankful for the generous support and excellent leadership of Arlington County in bringing this dream to fruition."
A trained archeologist with the Northern Virginia Chapter of the Archeological Society of Virginia helped County staff conduct the archeology field work. Ground-penetrating probing, a minimally invasive archeological method, was used to help discover unmarked graves in the cemetery. The probe revealed 43 possible unmarked graves, in addition to the 53 marked graves. The earliest known burial dates to 1891, and the most recent interment took place in 1959.
History of Calloway Cemetery
Located at 5000 Lee Highway, the Calloway Cemetery is an approximately 7,100-square foot site that is part of the Calloway United Methodist Church in the High View Park neighborhood. The community is one of the few surviving predominantly African-American neighborhoods in Arlington County, and as referenced in the History of High View Park and Hall’s Hill, the neighborhood holds the distinction of “fostering at least four generations of Black families whose roots date back to the founding of the community.”
Following the Civil War, the High View Park neighborhood, also known as Hall’s Hill, was divided in two parts. The upper part of the neighborhood was established by freed slaves who purchased the land from the estates of William Marcey and Bazil Hall, and the lower part of the neighborhood was renamed in 1965 to celebrate the spectacular view it offered of the County. The Calloway Cemetery link to the High View Park neighborhood provides insight into the County’s largely undocumented African-American heritage.
If the proposed Calloway Cemetery designation is approved by the County Board in March, it would become the 32nd site to be locally designated as an Arlington Historic District. For more information, read the staff report for Item 23 on the February 11, 2012 Regular Board Meeting Agenda.
About the Historic Preservation Program
The County’s Historic Preservation Program helps identify, preserve, and protect Arlington's historic resources. Working with the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB), program staff researches and recommends sites for historic designation, surveys buildings and neighborhoods, and promotes preservation efforts and Arlington's heritage throughout the community.
Arlington, Va., is a world-class residential, business and tourist location that was originally part of the "10 miles square" parcel of land surveyed in 1791 to be the Nation's Capital. It is the geographically smallest self-governing county in the United States, occupying slightly less than 26 square miles. Arlington maintains a rich variety of stable neighborhoods, quality schools and enlightened land use, and received the Environmental Protection Agency's highest award for "Smart Growth" in 2002. Home to some of the most influential organizations in the world - including the Pentagon - Arlington stands out as one of America's preeminent places to live, visit and do business.
