Truly Forgotten: A Look Inside UVA’s Semi-Hidden Cemetery

words by Rishi Chandra, art by Sana Friedman

I had just finished a mouthwatering meal at Runk. A hummus bagel paired with a fresh salad and orange juice was the perfect concoction for starting off a partly cloudy Saturday morning. As I walked down the steps, reminiscing about my first two weeks of college, my friend suddenly said, “Hey, look at this!” I traced her finger towards a dusty rectangular marker. I have always been a fan of random informational tidbits, so I stopped, taking my time to read the marker conveniently situated outside Gooch-Dillard. I could feel the air get sucked out of my face as goosebumps appeared on my arms. What I thought would be a cute, educative marker was chilling. 

Standing right before me was a graveyard. However, this was not any ordinary cemetery; It contained the graves of Enslaved Laborers owned by the Maury Family. I was shocked by the site’s lack of, really, anything. Overgrown weeds infested the ground, and ancient roots permeated the small space, twisting and mangling into a gigantic maze: An unkempt plot blending in with the rest of the Gooch-Dillard promenade. There were only a few low, separated walls (which could easily be missed without the information on the markers) and the two markers themselves, which gave the site any attempt at structure. I turned to my friend, and shaking our heads in mutual sadness, I walked away with grim determination to unearth more insight into this forgotten cemetery.

Upon further research, I found out that before 2018, there was a sole stone plaque on one of the low walls stating:

“Graveyard Site: This area contains unmarked graves believed to be those of slaves of the Maury family, owners of the Piedmont in the nineteenth century. University of Virginia. 1984.”

In 1983, a Maury family descendant alerted UVA about the cemetery, leading to the discovery of nine burial shafts. In 2018, a student spoke up at a Student Council meeting, advocating that people were walking on and desecrating the site. In 2019, the markers were installed. The question is, though, is it enough?

When we neglect a cemetery, we contribute to an unjust system of forgetfulness.

While adding markers to the cemetery was a step in the right direction, it is simply the bare minimum. Cemeteries are place-based archives. They allow for the accessible recovery, retrieval, and interpretation of cultures and histories. The cemetery at Gooch-Dillard is specifically important because it hosts the bodies of Enslaved Laborers. When we neglect a cemetery, we contribute to an unjust system of forgetfulness. In essence, we allow history and memory to be lost to the oceans of time. 

Without any proper fencing or boundary markers, the site remains discreet, creating a facade of normality in line with the rest of the setting. If my friend had not pointed out the markers, I would never have realized the cemetery existed. The question becomes: How do we know when we have properly and respectfully preserved a historic site? 

Dominique Luster, an archivist, answers this in her 2018 TED Talk. She states that if our history isn’t recorded and preserved, then did we actually exist? She introduced the idea of inclusive archives, mentioning that we need to uplift a people’s voice by directly involving them. We must ask them how they, as a community, would like to be remembered. Only after creating a memorial in line with the wishes of the community can we label it as “properly preserved.” For example, Charlottesville local and community fellow at the UVA Equity Center, Myra Allen, emphasized the importance of displaying complete names. When asked about her thoughts on The Memorial to Enslaved Laborers, she stated, “There are names on the memorial that don’t have a last name…I have Nathans and Issacs and Charleses in my family. All those are common names. But how do I prove that person is or isn’t my ancestor?”

Reflect on the other places that we often neglect and the memories lost with them.

Cemeteries and other place-based archives deserve the utmost respect. They must be significantly invested in, and their histories must be explicitly made clear. At the very least, the area should be fenced off and cleared of overgrown weeds. Visitors should walk away from the cemetery moved, sad, but also hopeful. I hope UVA can unite to create a more substantial memorial for the Enslaved Laborers of the Maury Family. Let us reflect on the other places that we often neglect and the memories lost with them.