Research identifies Lynchburg Union Cemetery on privately held parcels; council hears preservation options

Ted Delaney presented research on a small, historically African American burial ground identified in the Darrington neighborhood at the end of Smith Street. Delaney said the cemetery — advertised for plot sales in 1925 as "Lynchburg Union Cemetery" — contains at least 10 identified burials dated roughly between 1927 and 1935, with only four surviving markers bearing legible names or dates. "We know that the cemetery was established in 1925," Delaney said, describing fallen and precariously leaning stones and dense undergrowth.

Delaney and staff overlaid a survey of visible graves with city GIS parcel data and reported that the graves lie on multiple privately held parcels; GIS owner records show a mix of individual and out‑of‑jurisdiction mailing addresses. That parcelization, staff said, complicates options. Removing or relocating graves would require a circuit court order, published notice, outreach to descendants and professional exhumation and reinterment; staff called that process "long and expensive." Delaney recommended outreach to current owners and exploration of grant funding or nonprofit partners that specialize in historic African American burial grounds.

Council members asked staff to contact parcel owners, research preservation grant opportunities, and return with cost estimates and possible next steps. No council action was taken; staff said they would try owner outreach and compile options for council consideration.