A state historical marker honoring Woodland Cemetery, the resting place for many prominent figures in Richmond’s African American community from the late 19th to 20th centuries, will be dedicated this weekend in Henrico County.

The ceremony for the new marker issued by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources will be held Saturday, June 1, at 11 a.m. at Woodland Cemetery on Magnolia Road.

Those buried at Woodland include tennis great and humanitarin Arthur Ashe, public health activist Dr. Zenobia Gilpin, the Rev. John Jasper who founded Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church, and architect Charles Thaddeus Russell. The cemetery also contains graves of formerly enslaved people, military veterans and community leaders.

John Mitchell Jr., editor of the Richmond Planet newspaper, led the 1917 effort to establish Woodland as a cemetery for African-Americans after the Barton Heights cemeteries closed to Black residents.

The cemetery fell into disrepair but has been restored in recent years by families, volunteers and the Woodland Restoration Foundation.

The Virginia Board of Historic Resources approved the marker in December 2022. State, county and community partners including Henrico County Public Schools assisted with its installation.

The dedication ceremony celebrates the 107th anniversary of the cemetery’s opening. Benjamin Ross, historian of Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church, will provide opening remarks, followed by a welcoming introduction and history from Ron Hicks, president of the Woodland Restoration Foundation.

Also scheduled to speak are Cari Tretina, Henrico County chief of staff; Marvin Harris, executive director of the Woodland Restoration Foundation; and Julie Langan, Director of DHR and Virginia’s state historic preservation officer.

The event is free and open to the public with parking available on the cemetery grounds.