Volunteers from across Lancaster County gathered Nov. 15 in Kilmarnock to help reclaim Old St. John’s Cemetery, a long-neglected African American burial ground on Calvary Drive.

The cleanup drew 87 volunteers from 11 churches and community groups. Chainsaws, wood chippers and trash haulers cleared dense underbrush that had obscured the 3.57-acre site for decades. Many participants said it was their first time seeing the burial ground, which had remained largely hidden despite its significance within the county’s Black community. 

Old St. John’s Baptist Church was founded in 1868, when Black members of Morattico Baptist Church formed an independent congregation. The church, once one of the largest in the region with nearly 1,000 members, later closed, and its building disappeared from records. Six daughter churches grew from the congregation, four of which became stewards of the cemetery. 

Although burials continued into the mid-20th century, vegetation eventually overtook the hillside. Genealogist Margaret Hill and the late Clyde Ratcliffe documented 70 graves in a 2016 book, including those of Black veterans of both World Wars. Around 2000, Dr. James E.C. Norris visited the site and reported extensive overgrowth. 

New research in 2025 by Kerry Petersen, president of the Kilmarnock Branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, expanded the number of confirmed burials from 70 to 377. Petersen said the total may approach 1,000 because early death records are incomplete. If confirmed, it would make Old St. John’s one of the region’s largest African American cemeteries. 

The restoration effort follows a 2024 project to reclaim another forgotten cemetery on LDS Church property, which was found to contain 45 burials. Momentum from that work helped launch the Old St. John’s initiative. 

The Nov. 15 cleanup was coordinated by Petersen, the Rev. Dr. Tyron Williams of Mount Olive Baptist Church and Francine Hunter, a Nickens descendant. An advisory committee includes Hill, Norris, Bill Lee of the Lancaster County Board of Supervisors and the Rev. Dr. Judith Thomson of Interracial Conversations of the Northern Neck. Pastors from four churches partnered in the effort, with archaeological guidance from Joanna Green of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. 

Local businesses donated equipment, and volunteers shared a potluck meal during the event. Thomas and Kelly Hathaway of T-Boyeés Couillon Bon LLC provided jambalaya, and Front Porch Coffee House supplied hot drinks. 

Organizers plan to install signage, create a memorial entrance and hold an ecumenical service to bless and rededicate the site once restoration is complete. 

Volunteers from area churches and organizations help reclaim Old St. John’s Cemetery in Kilmarnock during a Nov. 15 cleanup. (Photos courtesy of Kerry Petersen)