Newtown Cemetery (Harrisonburg, Virginia)

 cemetery, NRHP - National Register of Historic Places

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Historic cemetery listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

- Established: 1869
- Areas of significance: African American Ethnic Heritage
- Area: 3.9 acres
- Interments: 900+
- Also known as: Colored Cemetery (fell out of use for obvious reasons)
- Date added to NRHP: 2/17/2015

The Newtown Cemetery is locally significant for its role in the development of Harrisonburg’s African American community. Newtown, which arose soon after the Civil War, was located on the then-edge of northeast Harrisonburg amidst the farm fields of a former plantation. Founded in 1869, Newtown Cemetery got its start when the cemetery’s five original trustees, members of the emerging community, purchased three lots for the express purpose of creating a graveyard “for all persons of color.” Coinciding with the growth of Newtown and Harrisonburg, the cemetery expanded with the trustees’ purchases of additional lots in 1898, 1907, and 1920, resulting in a 3.9-acre property, which contains the graves—dozens now unmarked—of more than 900 individuals.

NRHP #15000014