Guinea Road Cemetery
Dublin Core
Title
Guinea Road Cemetery
Date
March - April 2005
Description
Archaeological Investigation Report:
In 2004, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) announced the widening of Guinea Road and Little River Turnpike. Neighbors volunteered there was a cemetery located at the intersection. VDOT ‘s announcement resulted in county resident Dennis Howard stating he had ancestors buried there. VDOT engaged the Louis Berger Group to archaeologically survey the cemetery, for which they obtained a Burial Permit from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Through excavation, thirty-three burials were found: 15 children, 11 females, 6 males and 1 unidentified adult. Artifacts discovered included coffin wood and hardware, buttons, snaps, and clasps. No intact coffins remained but the hexagonal shape of the coffins was found in several locations during the excavation.
The Louis Berger Group report stated that all human remains exhibited African American traits. The majority suffered from dental disease and evidence of heavy, physical labor. The study dated the burials as occurring between the 1840s and 1870s. One inscribed gravestone (S. A. Williams 1851) and many uninscribed fieldstones were located.
The remains and artifacts were removed and reburied at the Pleasant Valley Memorial Park Cemetery at 8420 Little River Turnpike.
Two historical markers were installed by the County History Commission. at the location of the original cemetery and where the remains were reburied.
Notes:
A study of the Guinea Road cemetery that was completed in 1991 found burials with inscribed gravestones.
In 2004, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) announced the widening of Guinea Road and Little River Turnpike. Neighbors volunteered there was a cemetery located at the intersection. VDOT ‘s announcement resulted in county resident Dennis Howard stating he had ancestors buried there. VDOT engaged the Louis Berger Group to archaeologically survey the cemetery, for which they obtained a Burial Permit from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Through excavation, thirty-three burials were found: 15 children, 11 females, 6 males and 1 unidentified adult. Artifacts discovered included coffin wood and hardware, buttons, snaps, and clasps. No intact coffins remained but the hexagonal shape of the coffins was found in several locations during the excavation.
The Louis Berger Group report stated that all human remains exhibited African American traits. The majority suffered from dental disease and evidence of heavy, physical labor. The study dated the burials as occurring between the 1840s and 1870s. One inscribed gravestone (S. A. Williams 1851) and many uninscribed fieldstones were located.
The remains and artifacts were removed and reburied at the Pleasant Valley Memorial Park Cemetery at 8420 Little River Turnpike.
Two historical markers were installed by the County History Commission. at the location of the original cemetery and where the remains were reburied.
Notes:
A study of the Guinea Road cemetery that was completed in 1991 found burials with inscribed gravestones.
A survey of this site conducted in June 1991 by Dr. Douglas Owsley of the Smithsonian Institution revealed the presence of six burials, each with fieldstone markers: Tommie Gibson, Lewis Gibson Birth April 15, 1872, Henry Gibson Birth January 7, 1871, Anna Melinda Parker Death April 23, 1891, Sara Eva Parker Death January 9, 1887, and Maude Estelle Parker Death February 11, 1889.
Type
Cemetery
Coverage
Location: Southwestern corner of Guinea Road and the Little River Turnpike
Collection
Citation
“Guinea Road Cemetery,” Fairfax County African American History Inventory, accessed September 19, 2024, https://fairfaxaahi.centerformasonslegacies.com/items/show/64.