Woodland Cemetery Volunteers

06/07/2026

It’s staring to get a little muggy out there! Thankfully, we had a breeze and some shade. Two regular volunteers worked to remove ivy from trees. We really enjoyed greeting the visitors today - one of whom is planning to place a large monument to honor a special family in his life, and there were a few of the winged variety. Thank you to everyone who came out today!

06/04/2026

It was a very nice day but busy day at Woodland yesterday. We had up to 7 employees of Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, Inc. (JMT) spend the day with us along with 4 regulars. The JMT folks spent the morning cleaning up around the cemetery entrance and digging out one gravestone. They spent the afternoon back in the shade of the wooded area cutting down vegetation and finding 5 grave markers in the process. They also took some high precision GPS coordinates of some graves and areas of interest. While the JMT folks were doing all of that, Tom was mowing the side areas of the cemetery and then presented a donation of a DR wheeled trimmer to the cemetery on behalf of a family member. We also had a monument company come out and reset 2 gravestones and locate other gravestones to be reset.

Our thanks to everyone who came out and helped at Woodland yesterday and thanks to JMT for providing lunch.

05/31/2026

Today was the perfect day to volunteer at Woodland! The sky was blue, the temperatures were in the 60s, and the birds were singing. We had 2 regular volunteers who trimmed trees, helping to clear the roadway for cars and opening the view of the cemetery. As an added bonus, a bomber flew overhead while we were there.

Before the heat of summer sets in, now is a great time to volunteer at Woodland. No experience is needed, there is a job for everyone, and we provide the tools and gloves. Please come join us as we restore and maintain this special, sacred space!

05/30/2026

It was a very pleasant morning to work at Woodland Cemetery. There was only 1 regular. I discovered 2 gravestones that had not be recorded and found 1 gravestone that was buried which I dug out and cleaned off. We also got to talk to a family member who came for a visit. While talking to the family member, a B-17 bomber flew over the cemetery. It is in the area for an event at the Hanover airport.

05/24/2026

Yesterday’s rainy weather did not deter our friends from The Cabin on 360 from placing flags on all of our veterans’ grave markers. We truly appreciate this special tradition to honor the men and women who served in the armed forces and defended our country and freedom. Thank you, Dennis Estlock, and to all of your volunteers.

Today, we had 2 regular volunteers who took advantage of yesterday’s rain (and softer ground) and probed for hours. We found 2 courtesy markers, 1 covered marker, and many rocks and random pieces of concrete. Thank you to our dedicated volunteers!

05/20/2026

It was a warm morning at Woodland for the 18 volunteers from from the Greater Richmond Convention Center who returned to help us again. Fortunately there was a nice breeze while we worked in the shade. The group worked at clearing spring growth in the wooded area behind the chapel using hand tools and string trimmers and made a big dent in the vegetation in that area. They are planning to return in the fall with more volunteers. We look forward to their help then. Our thanks to everyone who helped this morning.

05/17/2026

It sure was a pretty day to be at Woodland! Three regular volunteers cut English ivy from one of our favorite shade trees, sprayed for poison ivy, located a grave for a family member, and probed for covered markers (but found only rocks and pieces of a planter).

It was also a great day for bird sightings and songs. They hid, flew, and ran away too quickly for photo proof, but we saw a woodpecker, a hawk, and a turkey. The birdsong provided a nice break from the noise of everyday life. Thank you to everyone who came out!

05/14/2026

We had a wonderful afternoon today at Woodland with about 40 industrious students plus staff from Cary Academy out of Cary, NC. We had 3 regulars helping as well. Their visit started out a little damp with some rain just after they got off their bus but after that things went well and stayed dry. Volunteers mainly focused on removing vegetation, picking up fallen branches and cleaning up gravestones. A few of the students cleaned up the military gravestones in our Veterans Memorial. We also ended up finding and digging out 4 gravestones. The staff is already discussing a return trip. We would love to have them again. Our thanks to everyone who helped today.

05/11/2026

We truly appreciate all of our volunteers who come out to help!! Check out this article from last month highlighting some of the schools that aid in the reclamation effort at Woodland Cemetery.

Students from St. Catherine's School, Steward School, St. Christopher's School, VCU and the University of Richmond regularly help keep the Woodland Cemetery in Eastern Henrico looking its best. The historic Black cemetery is shaped like an arrowhead pointing north to recall the direction Black slaves looked for freedom.

https://www.henricocitizen.com/student-volunteers-help-with-upkeep-of-henricos-woodland-cemetery/

05/10/2026

We are so proud to be added to the National Register of Historic Places. This wouldn’t be possible without the help and dedication of thousands of volunteers and the generous donations from so many families, community members, and partners. If you are interested in joining us as a volunteer or donating, please visit our website https://www.woodlandrestorationfoundation.org/.

Woodland Cemetery, founded in 1917 to give Black people in Henrico a place to be buried with dignity, has earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places and is home to African American trailblazers including Arthur Ashe.