Around 275 burial plots of formerly enslaved people and sharecroppers from the Oak Hill plantation in Danville, Virginia, are being moved to make room for an industrial park. Oak Hill, which was built in 1820, was once the home of Samuel Hairston, a notorious slaver considered one of the largest in the South. The house was vandalized and burned down in 1988, and now, only the brick foundation remains, outlining where the main house once stood.
Descendants of those buried on the site are conflicted about moving their loved ones’ remains. While they’ve been involved in the process, which has provided some comfort, it’s still a difficult decision. Archaeologists have already begun the work of exhuming the remains, with some already being prepared for relocation to a new burial site about a mile away.
The cemetery is being moved to make way for a new battery production facility by Microporous, a company that will be building on the land. The Pittsylvania-Danville Regional Industrial Facility Authority purchased over 3,500 acres, including the former Oak Hill plantation site, to develop the area.
One of the big concerns with moving these graves is the history of neglect towards Black cemeteries, especially those of enslaved people. There’s a long history of such sites being ignored or, in some cases, completely paved over.
For the descendants of those buried at Oak Hill, this relocation is a final act of dignity for their ancestors. They hope this is the last indignity their family members will face after enduring so much hardship.
