205 Nelson Street
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Last updated on April 2, 2024
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Directions from First Baptist Church to site 17:
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Years following the American Civil War, a plot of land was given to the African American community of Mount Jackson to be used as a cemetery. At this time, the burial grounds of African Americans and White Americans were separate. The cemetery has been used for graves for 150 years. However, many of the buried are unknown due to lack of records, tombstones, and years of neglect because the African American community was disenfranchised and did not have the means to care for the grounds. Today, Mount Jackson Colored Cemetery is cared for by community members such asDeLoris War, who worked hard to raise funds to clean, fence, and install a monument. The stone historical monument with 74 identified individuals' names stands tall at the cemetery to honor the lives and burials of previous African Americans in the community. Without the work of DeLois Warr, the Mount Jackson Colored Cemetery would still be lost in overgrown weeds. Her speaking up for the cemetery and the other lost cemeteries in Shenandoah County has led to their recognition and in several cases, saving. Working with then Mayor Williams and historian D. Warrick Burrus II, the funds for the cleanup, fence and monument for the cemetery were raised. In 2003, she received an award from the Sons of the Confederates and her work has been recognized by several other groups.
