Site Leader: Mark Hoggard, O’83
Contact Info: markhoggard@icchampton.org
757-826-0393
Location: Elmerton and Basset Cemeteries
Address: Next to the Hampton Transit Center
2 West Pembroke Ave.
Hampton, VA 23669 (parking available there)
Description of Work: Mowing, trimming, weeding, beautifying, and documenting (photographing) these two historic African-American Cemeteries.
Schedule: 8:00 am – 2:30 pm EST
9:00 am Morning Prayer (on site)
10:00 am: Start of Service Project (right after morning prayer)
1:00 pm: Lunch at the Vanguard Brewpub & Distillery (next to the cemetery)
2:30 pm (optional): Visit the 1619 African Arrival exhibit at the nearby Hampton History Museum
Note: The lots hold some of the most important figures in Hampton’s Black history. Some of those buried there are very likely descendants of the “twenty and odd negroes” that were brought to Old Point Comfort in 1619 as spoils of piracy. These were the first African immigrants in the English colonies. Until recently, thick underbrush covered nearly every trace of the land’s significance before the volunteers started their restoration work. The city of Hampton doesn’t maintain either cemetery. Only a handful of volunteer organizations take care of the more than 900 graves dating to the 1850s. Please bring mowers, rakes, weed eaters, and other yard tools. Wear comfortable clothes and gloves. The project will begin right after morning prayer.