"The Burial Ground: An Early African American Site in Richmond, Virginia." Notes On Its History and Location by Jeffrey Ruggles.

"The Burial Ground: An Early African American site in Richmond.

Notes on its History and Location."

By Jeffrey Ruggles.

We have another submission from Jeffrey Ruggles. He has provided us with a PDF of his article about the "Negro Burial Ground" in Richmond. Here is some background about Jeffrey:

"Although not born in Richmond, Jeffrey Ruggles has lived in the Richmond area since high school. He received his B.A. from the University of Virginia and an M.F.A. in design/photography from Virginia Commonwealth University. In the 1980s, Ruggles worked as a photographer for the 1708 Gallery and Anderson Gallery and assisted with text, illustrations, and the design of 32 Canal Walk Historical Marker panels installed between downtown Richmond and Brown’s Island.

Ruggles recently left the Virginia Historical Society (VHS) where he was Curator of Prints and Photographs. While at the VHS, he curated two online exhibitions and four physical exhibitions. Ruggles also helped organize "Hidden Things Brought to Light: Finding Lumpkin's Jail and Locating the Burial Ground for Negroes," a conference at the Virginia Historical Society in February 2009. In addition to his work at the VHS, Ruggles is the author of The Unboxing of Henry Brown (2003) and Photography in Virginia (2008)."  - from: http://www2.richmond.com/content/2010/apr/13/richmond-neighborhoods-community-conversation/

You can read Jeffrey's article HERE.

Some links on the topic:

Preliminary Archaeological Investigation of the Lumpkin's Jail Site (44HE1053), Richmond, Virginia - Prepared For the City of Richmond by Matthew R. Laird, Ph.D., James River Institute for Archaeology, Inc., Willimsburg, Virginia, May 2006.

Burial Ground for Negroes, Richmond, Virginia: Validation and Assessment Research Summary - A 16 page report prepared by the Department of Historic Resources, June 25, 2008. 

Sacred Ground Historical Reclamation Project is a citizens group affiliated with the Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality, an all-volunteer community organization based in Richmond, Va. Both groups are involved in helping to document and educate the public about Richmond's slave history.

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"Meet Me in the Bottom" - Documentary about the "Negro Burial Ground" in Richmond, to be broadcast May 25th and June 29th, WVCW (Comcast Channel #24)

"Meet Me in the Bottom" -- a documentary about the Burial Ground for People of African decent (ca. 1750-1816)  located north of Broad Street, between 15th and 16th Streets -- will be broadcast Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 9:00 pm -10:00 pm  and Tuesday, June 29, 2010  at 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm  in Richmond on WCVW (Channel 24 for local Comcast Richmond customers). 

The burial site is the oldest municipal cemetery for enslaved and free Blacks known to exist in the Richmond area.  An 1810 map shows the Negro Burial Ground near Broad Street and Shockoe Creek.  Today, the Burial Ground sits adjacent to a parking lot owned by VCU.  In fact, there are questions as to whether the Burial Ground lies beneath the parking lot. Activists and other groups have protested what is seen by many as a desecration of sacred ground. This documentary tells the story of community efforts aimed at reclaiming the Burial Ground as the final resting place of their ancestors.

The film won the Best Documentary category and the Audience Choice Award at the Virginia Independent Film Festival and has just been accepted for screening at the South Film Festival in Leigh, PA.  To purchase the DVD, visit burnbabyburnproductions.com    The documentary was created by Dr. Shawn O. Utsey, Chair, Department of African American Studies

Style Weekly Magazine, 4/28/2010, "Breaking the Chains" - While Virginia prepares to mark the 150th anniversary of its secession from the union, Richmond searches for how best to tell a most difficult story: its role in the domestic slave trade.

Slave Trade as a Commercial Enterprise in Richmond, Virginia - National Register of Historic Places and the Johannas Design Group, April 2007. 

Burial Ground for Negroes, Richmond, Virginia: Validation and Assessment Research Summary - A 16-page report prepared by the Department of Historic Resources, June 25, 2008. 

Preliminary Archaeological Investigation of the Lumpkin's Jail Site (44HE1053), Richmond, Virginia - Prepared For the City of Richmond by Matthew R. Laird, Ph.D., James River Institute for Archaeology, Inc., Williamsburg, Virginia, May 2006

- Ray B.