City to Interview Alexandria Staff to Help Find Graves

City to Interview Alexandria Staff to Help Find Graves

For years community and church leaders have been requesting the City’s Office of Historic Alexandria (OHA) to interview current and former City of Alexandria employees who have first-hand knowledge of graves in Fort Ward Park.   Finally, in response to yet another request by the Fort Ward and Seminary African American Descendants Society, Inc., on March 24, 2014 OHA Director J. Lance Mallamo wrote:

“OHA has begun to interview employees on the list [provided by the Fort Ward and Seminary African American Descendants Society, Inc.] that have agreed to be interviewed or that are not already deceased.   OHA has begun the process of interviewing former and current city employees on that list  who have agreed to be interviewed or are not deceased.  The first interview

with Wanda Dowell, former director of Fort Ward, will be posted on the OHA website shortly”.

Former  and current city employees, such as Ralph Hall, Wanda Dowell, Steven Tompkins, and many others, have knowledge of work done to cover graves and remove gravestones and markers.  City department managers been less than cooperative in providing access to information and staff.  Although Mr. Mallamo’s belated action makes the interviews “voluntary” perhaps these and other individuals will step forward and do the right thing to help locate those lost souls in Fort Ward Park.

It remains unclear as to whether this information will be used to help make decisions in the proposed Fort Ward Park and Museum Management Plan.