As a final phase of the Madison County African American Historical Association’s Silent Ground initiative, an interpretive marker has been placed in a cemetery for the enslaved in historic Graves Mill in Madison County. The plaque is displayed on a boulder at the burial site, set along a ridge overlooking the mountains, The site is located on a farm owned by Kemp and Tommy Hill. The Hills, along with farm managers Shannon and Nathan Carter, have partnered with the MCAAHA to preserve and maintain the burial grounds.
A memorial was held in October 2025 to commemorate the site and remember the enslaved persons buried there. The event and the installation of the marker were supported in part by a grant from Virginia Humanities. A special thank you to Nancy Garnett Williams (top photo) for overseeing the development of the plaque, and to James Garnett (lower photo) for its installation at the site.
The text of the marker is available here: Silent Ground Interpretive Marker Text
