by Al Van Huyck, LCC executive director
This article appeared in the Blue Ridge Leader, January 2025
My wife and I have lived in an 1816 historic farmhouse for over 50 years, but it is only a few years ago that we had the records searched and found out who was the owner who built the house. And it was with much excitement that we located his grave at the Katoctin Baptist Church and could stand at the very site of his resting place amongst the honored veterans of the war of 1812. It made the connection seem real. We worked on the same farm, ate and slept in the same rooms as he did with his wife and children over 200 years earlier.
The many historic buildings in Loudoun were once the home and work areas of those who built them now in their resting place. We appreciate the buildings, but we also should honor those who built them and lived out their lives within their walls.
Loudoun County has over two hundred heritage cemeteries including graves of African Americans enslaved and free, Veterans from the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Civil War, as well as family cemeteries of the early residents of Loudoun County.
Collectively, these cemeteries contribute to the rich heritage of Loudoun County. They should be maintained in their original form and condition out of respect for the people who are buried there, and the family and friends who laid them to rest.
In Loudoun County, where family lines run deep into history, the preservation and restoration of our 229 heritage cemeteries is an important objective. Our Board of Supervisors, under the leadership of Chair Randall authorized the identification of all the cemeteries in Loudoun County to form a database. And this in turn was used to create an interactive map in the GIS and Mapping Department. More recently, the new zoning and FSM (Facilities Standard Manual) have provided good protection for heritage cemeteries swept up in new development projects, and for legal access of family and relatives of those buried there.
Some of these important cemeteries are already under the management of friends or trustees who volunteer many hours of work to maintain the cemetery’s landscaping, and grave restoration and provide a special place to honor those buried there. But many others are not being maintained then again restored because they have been abandoned, or those who appreciate them have neither the skills nor funding to maintain them and restore them to their special place in Loudoun’s history.
Now a new source of support has emerged in the form of the Loudoun Cemetery Conservancy. It is a non-partisan, nonprofit 501c3 organization which seeks to:
- Provide public information on the importance of cemeteries to the heritage of Loudoun County.
- Manage inquiries from the public and maintain contact with the State and County specialized staff with cemetery expertise.
- Assist cemeteries seeking to have Trustees appointed with the procedures and follow through.
- Provide a schedule of regular training sessions for volunteers interested in working in the field of cemeteries, landscaping and grave restoration, under professional guidance.
- Provide grant support as funding permits, to maintain and restore neglected or abandoned cemeteries in partnership with the owners and friends of cemeteries in need. This will be done through a competitive application process and expert review.
If you are interested in the preservation and restoration of Loudoun’s historic cemeteries, I urge you to contact the LOUDOUN CEMETERY CONSERVANCY and explore how we can assist you and you can assist us.
Our next Training Course for Volunteers is scheduled for Saturday, February 22, 2024. Applications to attend are now available. Learn about the correct methods of landscaping and grave restoration from experts in the field.
If you represent a historic cemetery, which we define as the majority of the people buried there were born before 1900, and are interested in being considered for grant support:
Request an application by email:
info@loudouncemeteryconservancy.org
If you just want to read more about the Loudoun Cemetery Conservancy go to our website, where we also would welcome a donation if you are so inclined.
www.loudouncemeteryconservancy.org
Al Van Huyck is a longtime supporter of historic preservation and environmental causes in Loudoun County, having served in leadership roles in the Loudoun Preservation Society, a founder and president of the Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and founder and chair for 15 years of the Loudoun County Preservation and Conservation Coalition. The organization of the Loudoun Cemetery Conservancy with his colleagues fulfills another major interest.