Travel Historian: Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery

A Trip To The Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery, Alexandria, Virginia

Alexandria Contrabands & Freedmen Cemetery served as the burial place for about 1,800 African Americans who fled to Alexandria to escape from bondage during the Civil War. A Memorial opened in 2014 on the site of the cemetery, to honor the memory of the Freedmen, the hardships they faced, and their contributions to the City. ( via website)

After the civil war many escaped and former enslaved people sought protection from camps and fortresses that helped them in their pursuit of freedom. They were referred to as "contraband".

The memorial was established in February 1864 by the Union military commander of the Alexandria District for use as a cemetery for the burial of Africans who had escaped slavery, known as contraband and freedmen. ( wikipedia)

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The path of thorns and roses by Mario Chiodo, is symbolic of their experience and the names of people buried at the site that were recorded in the "Book of Records" are etched into bronze plaques.