About

Lexington's historically Black cemetery was established by the City of Lexington in the late 19th century, under the segregated terms of the Jim Crow era. A Virginia DHR Historic Marker was installed in 2024, noting the removal to Evergreen of previously interned African American residents from the town and county, who had been buried at the corner of Lewis and Washington Streets, since the early 19th century. Among the notable citizens and community leaders buried there are soldiers who served in the Civil War, World Wars I and II, and Vietnam. Prominent early 20th century Black business leaders such as William Washington, Sr. (formerly enslaved to the Lee family), Harry Lee Walker (whose market and famous butcher shop on Lexington's N. Main Street supplied the provisions for VMI and Washington & Lee University), and his wife Eliza Bannister Walker (a noted community activist, political leader, philanthropist, poet and singer). A recent interpretive guide to the cemetery prepared by Historic Lexington Foundation can be found online.