Old slave cemetery found at proposed Berry Hill mega park site
John R. Crane
Pittsylvania County Assistant Administrator Otis Hawker points to a rough draft of the perimeter of a slave cemetery at the proposed Berry Hill mega park.
Pittsylvania County officials say an archaeological survey will reveal more about the old slave cemetery at the proposed Berry Hill mega park site.
There are about 200 marked gravesites in the cemetery, but more could be found upon closer examination, said Assistant County Administrator Otis Hawker. Law enforcement and officials from the Division of Game and Inland Fisheries will patrol the park, Hawker said.
“It (the cemetery) will end up being surveyed, platted and recorded,” Hawker said.
Hawker said the archaeological survey will begin in about three weeks.
The site will be fenced off and protected from looters and from damage resulting from development in the 3,400-acre park. County Administrator Dan Sleeper estimated that the cemetery covers about an acre.
The Berry Hill industrial mega park is a joint project between Pittsylvania County and Danville. Officials hope to attract large-scale industry to the property along Va. 863, or Berry Hill Road.
The county already has two other cemeteries it maintains — one behind Yates Tavern in Gretna and another at Turkeycock Mountain in Callands.
Sleeper said there may be other, similar sites at the park given its enormous size.
William Gosnell, a Dry Fork resident who has studied the area’s history, said he discovered the graveyard about a decade ago when a descendant of the Hairston homestead — the name of the old property — asked him to conduct a study of the site to find Native American and European artifacts. Gosnell declines to reveal the cemetery’s location to protect it from grave robbers and pillagers.
“It’s good that it’s gong to be protected,” Gosnell said.
Gosnell said the gravesite was part of a plantation dating back to the 1740s. An old plantation house that once stood near the graveyard was built in the 1820s. The slaves there took up the Hairston name, Gosnell said.
Cedric Hairston, a descendent of some of the slaves, said black and white individuals are buried there. To distinguish between blacks and whites carrying the Hairston name, blacks pronounced the first syllable as it was spelled, while whites pronounced their version “hahr-ston,” Hairston said.
Hairston said he knew about the cemetery for several years, but didn’t realize it was located in the proposed mega park. Hairston said he hadn’t been to the cemetery until Wednesday, but had visited the four remaining standing walls of the plantation house in 2000. The home burned down in 1988, he said. The property was once known as Oak Hill Plantation, Hairston said.
“It just makes you feel that you had a brother or sister you didn’t know about,” Hairston said of finding out about and visiting the gravesite. He said visiting the cemetery was “chilling.”
Hairston, principal at Chatham Middle School, said he appreciates Gosnell’s honesty and that the site can be used as an educational tool for the community.
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Reader Reactions
Your name says it all Oops,,, just like everything else,, if there are no family to stand up,, progress continues, if that gentleman hadnt spoken up, or even mentioned the graves,, they would have suffered the same fate as the Fraizer farm,, no telling how many others have been mowed down to make way for east access or shopping.
The land is now owned by the “Joint Authority” of Danville and Pittsylvania County headed by Mayor Saunders, Harville, Luther, Barber, Snead etc. It does NOT belong to the County even though millions of taxpayer money went into this project.
2 questions. 1.When did they learn about the graveyard , before or after the purchase from the Klutz-Hairston descendents? and 2. If after, why would they undertake such a mega transaction without surveys, appraisals, legal opinions, etc and risk the taxpayer money?
If the cemetery is in the middle of the mega park, it certainly cannot be used for industrial or other commercial purposes. It would be illegal. And if the descendants of the slave traders who owned the land knowingly sold it to the Harville,Saunders group, they should return that portion of the more than generous sales price to the authority or face legal action.
Apollo that is a shame. I really tried to find someone interested in the head stones. No one responded though. The man responsible for that has passed away. I will look to see if the stones might still be visible, but I think they were buried last month under concrete debris.
I saw the morning newspaper, and it pictured a gravestone with the dates of around 1870-1930. Those dates don’t seem to fit slave periods. Perhaps it isn’t as old as it appears, or the reporter just took a picture of one of the more recent stones.
To RandallD, Yes thats the one,, I wasnt going to mention the family name that lived there,,my grandmother also lived there for a while,,, right beside the graves,, guess the deceased didnt get moved or even respected.
What I would like to see is for someome to finally stand up and say no more. Cedric would be a good one for that. The Hairston Family is well known in the area and they should stand for what is right. Let’s see what the PCBS will say about this matter.
Apollo, are you talking about the old Rube Frazier farm, between Fas Mart and 265? If so, I knew where there were piles of tombstones, just pushed down a hill by bulldozers. I ran ads in the Piedmont Shopper with the names, looking for interest. Last month I believe the tombstones were covered up by fill dirt. I think it was a tragedy. I hope the remains weren’t destroyed.
Agreed TommyO, when the Danville by-pass was built,,, and connected with route 86 south,,, there was a cemetary located on a farm,,, I knew it well,, my mother was best friends with the owner until she passed,, but the home and the share cropper homes were torn down as well as the cemetary ,,, there was never a story of what happened with their remains,,, I guess when it comes to history,,, it’s just a d—- shame that progress overtakes final resting places.
anyone who knows the area history or has hunted the land knows of this cemetery..its not unknown..just to those in this story ..the old Hairston Plantation(Oak Hill)built in 1823 had well over 100 slaves at any given time..no one has bothered the old cemetery in all these past years why should they start now..the county is dotted with graves everywhere..some with just stones..for new owners of land you should always survey every foot of the property before its cleared if you dont know its history..this cemetery as any should be protected..no one in their right mind should fool w/the dead because they will be waiting for you when you die..
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