Preserving Cemeteries and Their Histories: Lessons from Cedar Hill & Pine Grove at Harpers Ferry
Schedule
Sat Mar 21 2026 at 10:30 am to 01:00 pm
UTC-04:00Location
100 W Piccadilly St, Winchester, VA, United States, Virginia 22601 | Winchester, VA
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Join us for a compelling program with Cynthia M. Gayton, who will share her ongoing preservation work at Harpers Ferry’s historic Cedar Hill and Pine Grove cemeteries. Since beginning her research in 2019, Cynthia has uncovered stories long overlooked and has documented preservation efforts through public records, interviews, photography, and film.This presentation will feature clips, still images, and materials from her documentary: 🎥 Hidden in Plain Sight – Revealing the Concealed Harpers Ferry Cemeteries
Cynthia’s work explores why these cemeteries—despite Harpers Ferry’s deep historical significance—were ignored for so long. Her discoveries include the resting places of local African American residents, an African American Union soldier at Cedar Hill, and Union soldiers at Pine Grove, a cemetery established by the United States Armory in 1852. Recent preservation efforts include memorial repairs at Cedar Hill and ground‑penetrating radar surveys at Pine Grove that revealed previously unidentified graves. In the mid‑2020s, a commemorative bench was installed at Pine Grove, marking an area where only a child’s foot-stone remained.
Come learn about the preservation of these powerful historic sites, the stories they hold, and what has been uncovered...literally and figuratively...since Cynthia’s research began.
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Where is it happening?
100 W Piccadilly St, Winchester, VA, United States, Virginia 22601Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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