This volunteer event is now at capacity – thank you to everyone who signed up!!

Evergreen Cemetery is a historic African-American cemetery, created in 1891 and located in Richmond’s East End. It is the resting place for many of Richmond’s African-American leaders of the 19th and 20th centuries, including Maggie L. Walker, John Mitchell, Jr., and Rev. J. Andrew Bowler. There are an estimated 5,000 plots in Evergreen, most of which have become overgrown after over 40 years of neglect.

Due to the delicate nature of the headstones, use of heavy equipment is very limited and clean up by hand is necessary to preserve this part of our region’s history. Your volunteer time is crucial to the success of this project as we reclaim and maintain the cemetery.

Volunteer tasks: Clearing overgrowth and debris from pathways and grave markers. For those with limited physical abilities: recording grave markers for our records.

Tools will be provided. Volunteers should dress for being outside the entire time and wear long pants, closed toe shoes, and bring gardening gloves. Volunteers should bring their own water.

Carpooling is strongly encouraged–parking is limited. Volunteers must sign a waiver liability form.

Contact Crystal with questions or to be included in our volunteer database.

Before and After volunteer work at Evergreen: