286-298 Kelley Street
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Last updated on March 25, 2024
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Directions from Harris Pool to site 26:
- Turn onto Hill St
- Site 26 is on the right
Newtown Cemetery is a historic African American cemetery in the center of the former Newtown neighborhood. E. Kelley Street, Sterling Street, and Hill Street bound it. The cemetery was formed in 1869 by trustees George Hermon, Squire Polland, Jessie Banks, Stephen Hughes, and Harrison Green, and is over 150 years old. It was dedicated to the burials of formerly enslaved African American members in the surrounding community. Five trustees purchased the 3.9 acres of land for a cemetery “for all persons of color” from the community. There are close to 900 graves, including the resting place of war veterans and notable Black community leaders. In 2014, Newtown Cemetery was placed in the Virginia Landmarks Register and erected by the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. In 2017, the Northeast Neighborhood Association revealed a memorial for the unmarked graves in the cemetery. The Newtown Cemetery Board of Trustees is responsible for the cemetery’s upkeep. The Newtown Cemetery represents Newtown's era and symbolizes the African American history in Harrisonburg.
