Fort Ward’s Lost Graves: Who Knew? Who Knows?

Fort Ward’s Lost Graves:  Who Knew?  Who Knows?

By J. Glenn Eugster

December 8, 2014

The City of Alexandria’s Council approved a process to develop a management plan for Fort Ward Historic Park in 2011.  This action was taken in response to the recommendations of an advisory group appointed by the City to look at various problems, issues and matters of concern that had been brought to their attention by residents of the City of Alexandria, VA.    The first report used input from a series of public meetings that the city held in 2009.  At that time a large number of participants indicated the need to find African American graves and burial areas within the park.  Many residents of the community that lived on the land before it became a park were buried in family graveyards.

Council took action on the initial recommendations and called for the advisory group to continue while providing three city agencies with funds to prepare a management plan and, on a short-term basis, address the search for graves as well as to better manage water running off of parkland into the adjacent Oakland Baptist Church Cemetery. 

The discussions about the unidentified graves in Fort Ward Historic Park have gone on for more than five years.  City officials have resisted most of the efforts made by the descendants of the Fort Ward community to help locate graves, family burial areas, gravestones and markers beyond those known burial areas in the park.  Comments made by city employees publicly and privately have created a dialogue that has been illusive at best and adversarial at worst.  Some of the comments that city managers and staff have made include:

The people who lived in the Fort Ward community were squatters.........

We didn’t know there were graves in the park.......

We began looking for graves in 2009 when community interest surfaced........

If there were graves they were moved........

We don’t remember where the graves were moved to..........

We didn’t think people cared about the graves......

No one remembers were the graves and grave markers were.........

The gravestones probably were discarded at the landfill.........

We couldn’t find the city correspondence related to family graves.........

City staff didn’t move the grave markers or cover grave areas........

We will remove the gravel that was placed on top of areas where graves are likely to help with the search......

We won’t remove the gravel that was placed on top of areas where graves are likely.....

We didn’t budget funds for looking for graves.........

We need factual evidence..........

Some of the descendants we interviewed are older and their memories are fuzzy..........

We have brought closure for the families of those buried in the park........

We are professionals and have done our work to the best of our abilities.......

The Oakland Baptist Church Old Grave Yard is to be managed as a sacred area........

As a result the draft management plan, which will be presented to City Council on December 9, 2014, contains little new information about unmarked graves and burial areas within the park.  Although staff of the Office of Historic Alexandria has done considerable archaeology work in and around the three known grave areas within the park--Old Oakland Baptist Church Grave Yard, Clara and Robert Adams burial area, and the Jackson Family Cemetery,  city leaders have resisted efforts to identify additional graves and burial areas.  For example, more than 1,100 test-pits were dug by city staff to search for historical artifacts while the city managers of this work admitted “we weren’t looking for graves”.

Fort Ward, the community and the historic park, is a complex place.  Although created as a historic park and designated by the City of Alexandria, Commonwealth of Virginia and the U.S Department of the Interior on to the National Register of Historic Places, many city leaders view the park as a recreation area.  Past and recent decisions at the park also reflect expressions of latent racism toward those who lived on the land, as well descendant family members.  The lack of respect for past and current city residents has grown into a deep lack of trust in city leaders.    For example, despite City Council’s commitment to “Civic Engagement” and the preparation of a draft park management plan, city leaders continue to take actions at Fort Ward without meaningful input from the community.  A history report on the Fort Ward African American Community was prepared without the input of the descendants until they complained to the Mayor.  Plans to build a earth-berm to better manage water runoff from parkland are being implemented within known and likely burial areas despite repeated concerns voiced by the descendants, Seminary Civic Association and Oakland Baptist Church leaders.

Most recently Lance Mallamo, Director of the Office of Historic Alexandria (OHA) has taken several actions which further erode trust in his office and the city in general.  For example, when the Fort Ward effort began there was considerable discussion about city staff working with descendant family members to compile information for the plan.  He continually resisted working cooperatively with the Fort Ward and Seminary African American Descendants Society, Inc., a group established for the purpose of assisting the city’s efforts at Fort Ward Historic Park.  Over time he diminished the value of conducting oral history interviews with descendant family members telling the Mayor, City Manager and others that the elderly descendants with first-hand knowledge of the park have “fuzzy memories” that couldn’t be trusted.

In September 16, 2014 Mr. Mallamo sent a written message explaining the status of his office’s efforts to interview city staff to learn more about the location of graves, family burial areas and grave markers.  Interestingly his note came over a month after the Fort Ward Park and Museum Advisory Group voted to approve the draft management plan and send it to City Council for consideration and approval, or other action.  He wrote, 

“So far we’ve received approval from only one person on the city employee list for a taped interview, Wanda Dowell, former director of Fort Ward Museum, and that interview was completed in November 2013.  That tape is in the process of being transcribed and once that is done, a first draft  will be submitted to Ms. Dowell for her review and requested edits.  Once the final draft is prepared it will await a further review and approval  of the speaker before it is  posted to OHA’s website.  This is a  time consuming process, and I would not expect it to be complete until the winter months of 2015 at the earliest.  Our next interview is planned with Jean Federico though a firm date has not yet been set.

Having personally spoken to several people I recall from the list, including Ms. Dowell, Ms. Jean Federico, Ms. Susan Cumbey, Mr. Wally  Owen, Mr. Steve Tompkins, as well as myself, I can confirm that all of these persons have indicated that they have no direct knowledge or insight of graves or burial areas at Fort Ward Park, other than those still marked by a gravestone or recently surveyed by OHA”.

Mr. Mallamo’s message is troubling for a number of reasons.   First, it reflects no sense of urgency in completing research work that was to be included, and used, in the draft park management plan.  Second, it indicates that no one from the city knew, or knows, about Fort Ward’s graves and burial areas--or cares to share what they know.   Third, it contradicts factual research that was collected from public files and and interviews, provided to OHA,  which indicates that a number of past and current city employees knew, or know, of graves, grave markers and burial areas. 

Finally, despite the recommendations of Dr. Pamela Cressey,  then the City Archaeologist, OHA made no effort during the management planning period to interview other descendant family members with first-hand knowledge of these areas.  More than trying to work with people that could help the city develop a better management plan, Mr. Mallamo seemed content to avoid any information that would lead to the location of additional graves and burial areas.  In fact, city officials based their search for lost graves on those areas where graveyards had been identified by the city more than five decades ago.    

In addition to resisting collaborative input from knowledgeable African Americans Mr. Mallamo  also resisted the use of cadaver dogs and, or,  law enforcement officials, to find the bodies that remain in the park.  In some ways, after initial archaeology work done by the Ottery Group indicated that there were many more graves to be found, Mr. Mallamo, either on his own or in concert with other city leaders,  seems to have decided that he knew all that he wanted to know about burials in the park.

The draft management plan which goes to City Council on December 9, 2014 lacks information that is critical for decision-making at the park.  The question of “Who knew? and Who knows?” about Fort Ward’s lost graves remains.  Community research has revealed that many city government employees, consultants to the city, descendant family members, and others knew, or know, information about the graves.    All of these individuals, given the opportunity to share what they know about these graves, grave stones and family burial areas, can help city officials locate those who are buried in the park.  Only with this information will the draft management plan for Fort Ward be complete.   Only with this information will conflicts between burial areas and future park development be avoided.