It had become a sort of tradition. Every few months, members of Oak Grove Baptist Church would make the trip to the Oak Grove Cemetery: a primarily Black cemetery located on a small plot of land just off of Interstate 64.
With leaf blowers, fresh paint and flowers, they’d get to work cleaning up the graves of their relatives. For many in the church, their family tree can be found on the grounds.
It is a tradition Williamsburg native Colette Roots has held onto since her childhood and one she looked forward to each year: preserving the memories and legacies of the nearly 150 people buried on the site.
But when Roots came this year to continue the custom, she said she cried when she saw the state of the cemetery.
The ravages of time had left headstones broken and in disrepair. The oak trees that give it its namesake had fallen, causing irreversible damage. Her grandmother’s grave is sunken in, not unlike many others, because of water erosion.
While Roots reached out to the descendants and the church, the damage done was too much for them to handle on their own.
They needed help.
In June, Roots sent a letter to Colonial Williamsburg asking for help with the project. She never expected a response.
“I never imagined, in my wildest dreams, they’d respond, let alone help us,” Roots said. “But I’m so grateful that they did. It’s truly been a miracle to us.”
Five days after Roots sent her letter, Colonial Williamsburg responded and said they were committed to the project, offering needed funds and resources.
“This project fits in with one of our core values at Colonial Williamsburg and that is relevance, we want to connect our mission of sharing America’s great story and inspiring people with that story,” Colonial Williamsburg’s Real Estate Services Associate Alison Woodard said. “It starts right at home with our local neighbors in the community.”
In 1901, members of Oak Grove Baptist Church purchased the cemetery and built the original church on its grounds. Serving as the segregated church and cemetery, it became a crucial piece of land in the community.
The graves of enslaved people, a former Black Union soldier and many of the original church congregation are buried on the land. While the church building was relocated nearby in 1914, the original building’s steps are still on-site.
For years the site was the church’s crowning achievement, as it took years to purchase the property and maintain it. But in 1943, the U.S. government seized the land in order to develop Camp Peary, the military training facility.
In 1975, Colonial Williamsburg purchased the land. In 2003, the organization gifted the church back its cemetery.
Now, in just a few short weeks, the church will undergo a $40,000 makeover, Woodard said.
“It’s been really inspiring to see how this project has gone from a cleanup project to the church members getting really excited in rediscovering their history,” Woodard said. “I’ve really enjoyed watching that process.”
Kicking off the project mid-October, Colonial Williamsburg is working with the Virginia Department of Transportation and the U.S. Forest Service in order to make the clean up a reality.
The first step is to clear out the trees that have become overgrown in the cemetery. Once the trees are cleared and removed, the organization plans to install a fence around the perimeter and pave the parking lot.
Additionally, the organization will use ground-penetrating technology in order to find unmarked graves.
“I know our ancestors are looking down on us and are so proud,” Roots said.
Whiting’s Funeral Home will also contribute to the project. With several headstones in disrepair, owner Christopher Stone said the funeral home plans to replace or repair them.
“One of my goals and initiatives is to partner with churches to help them clean up the graves of those lost,” Stone said. “The goal has always been about dignity, respect and reverence for the ones who’ve passed before us.”
While the project is well underway, Roots has not stopped there. Now, she’s turned her focus to helping the church.
“Time stopped still for the church in 1979,” Roots said. “There’s so much that needs to be fixed and I think it’s harder for Black churches to get funding.”
With a smaller congregation and the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, the church has found less money in the collection plate. With needed repairs adding on, it has struggled to make ends meet. But they aren’t at a loss.
Entrusted to oversee the church’s projects, Virginia Walker has worked alongside Roots to restore their lifelong community fixtures and to reclaim their history.
“I may not have family buried here but, to an extent, I do because the church is my family and this place is apart of our Black ancestry,” Walker said. “I’m proud to be apart of it and I’m excited for the future of the church.”
For more information regarding the church and its needed repairs, visit bit.ly/3jOWB50.
Emily Holter, emily.holter@virginiamedia.com, 757-256-6657, @EmilyHolterNews.
