Site of Columbian Harmony Cemetery
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Now the location of the Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood Metro Station, this place was once an African-American cemetery where 37,000 individuals were buried between 1859 and 1960. In the 1960s, the cemetery was relocated in order to build on the land. Columbian Harmony was one of five DC-area cemeteries that have been for real estate development. The developer moved the burials to Prince George's County, Maryland, but when construction began in the 1970s, human remains were found. More recently, headstones discarded during the cemetery move have turned up in the riprap along the Potomac River. Conservation and restorative justice efforts are working to recover the headstones and highlight this erased history.
Sources
Schneider, Gregory S. A Virginia state senator found headstones on his property. It brought to light a historic injustice in D.C., Washington Post. October 25th 2020. Accessed November 22nd 2020. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/headstones-Black-cemetery-potomac-river/2020/10/25/3586f0d4-0d7a-11eb-8074-0e943a91bf08_story.html?utm_source=pocket-newtab.