Nonprofit soliciting public feedback on restoration of historic Evergreen Cemetery at workshop this Saturday

Evergreen Cemetery, a long-neglected African American cemetery in the city’s East End, is finally getting some long-overdue TLC. Between a community cleanup recently held to clear overgrown walking paths and a funding allocation from last year’s General Assembly, the site is slowly but steadily being cleaned up.

The momentum will continue this Saturday as the nonprofit Enrichmond Foundation, owners of the cemetery, host a community engagement workshop to get more folks involved.

Dating back to 1891, Evergreen Cemetery is the resting place for many local African American leaders of the 19th and 20th centuries including Maggie L. Walker, John Mitchell, Jr. and Rev. J. Andrew Bowler. There are an estimated 5,000 plots in Evergreen, most of which have become overgrown after years of neglect.

The Enrichmond Foundation finalized the acquisition of historic Evergreen Cemetery in May of 2017, with the intention of setting a course toward the restoration and preservation that will ultimately make the grounds public and accessible to all. Saturday’s session will allow the community to participate in determining the next steps for Evergreen’s future.

“Protecting and restoring Evergreen Cemetery as a safe, scenic and public place will only happen if we’re working hand in hand with the families of those interred and local community members, corporations, nonprofit partners and federal, state and local government,” said John Sydnor, executive director of the Foundation. “That’s what this Saturday’s workshop­ is all about. It’s a first step in making sure we can hear the community’s feedback as we carry out this important and humbling work.”

At the workshop, participants will break out into groups to provide input in four areas of Evergreen planning: environment, history, community uses and implementation. Polling will be conducted throughout the event, and participants will engage in hands-on activities and learn about Evergreen’s current state, history and future uses.

The workshop will take place at the cemetery, located at 50 Evergreen Road, on Saturday, November 4th from 9:00 AM until noon. All are welcome and no advance registration is required.

Dominion Energy provided a $100,000 grant to Enrichmond to aid in the restoration efforts. Stantec and VCU’s Center for Urban and Regional Analysis (CURA) assisted in coordination of the event.

“It’s an honor for us to do this work and we’re fortunate to have generous partners and supporters,” Sydnor continued. “We’re looking forward to continuing this significant endeavor with a plan formed directly by the Richmond community.”