901 US-250 W (Richmond Avenue)
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Last updated on November 21, 2024
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Uniontown was Staunton’s vibrant African American town within a town. The self-contained community can trace its roots back to after the Civil War and was referred to as “Uniontown Village.” Uniontown was located around the National Cemetery at Richmond Avenue and National Avenue near the old railroads. The self-sufficient black community included numerous of homes, businesses, a church, two cemeteries, a post office and a schoolhouse. The Cemetery (Uniontown) School was built in 1877 closed when Augusta County forced all black schools into one building at Augusta County Training School in 1938. Uniontown experienced despair in the 1960s when the land was rezoned to “mixed-use” by the city through Urban Renewal. The efforts did not bring improvements rather diminished community growth and pre-existing utilities suffered. Much of Uniontown has been demolished, including the bridge that connected two sides of the community rather than undergoing repairs. The destruction by toxic city planning forced many residents to move away. With the bridge gone, the city had no sewer infrastructure to give to the Uniontown community and it was left property owners to figure it out. The present version of Uniontown is the product of decades long neglect by the city The city proposed in 2018 to rezone the area for industry, many people fought back on that idea because of the generational homes and legacies that reside in Uniontown. In 2021, citizen gathered to address the root of the problem in order to revitalize Uniontown which holds generational history, community and pride and preserve Uniontown its legacy.
