Snowden and Bethlehem Baptist Church Memorial Garden

Here follows an excerpt from the Fairfax Genealogical Society website:

SNOWDEN & BETHLEHEM CEMETERY
Adjacent to Coleman Cemetery, 1900 Collingwood Road (Route 628)
South Alexandria, Virginia USA

Original Information from Volume 5 of the Gravestone Books

The Snowden & Bethlehem Cemetery is situated adjacent to Coleman Cemetery, 1900 Collingwood Road (Route 628), in the Gum Springs community. The smaller church cemetery lies to the west of Coleman; the two cemeteries are divided by a road within the cemetery grounds and a low cable fence.

Snowden & Bethlehem Cemetery* is associated with Bethlehem Baptist Church which stands at 7836 Fordson Road at the intersection of Fordson with Sherwood Hall Lane (Route 626). The church was established by Samuel K. Taylor (1836-1912) who had been a slave on the William P. Taylor plantation in Caroline County, Virginia. After the Civil War, the Reverend Taylor and his congregation built a church and school building with lumber supplied by the federal government. The modern brick sanctuary which stands on Fordson Road today is the fourth church building to serve this congregation, replacing one built in 1930.

In 1986, Loretta Carter Hanes contacted the Gum Springs Historical Society about the significance of the Snowden & Bethlehem Cemetery. Through her efforts, the cemetery was cleared and surveyed. Archaeologists Elizabeth A. Crowell and Norman V. Mackie III volunteered their time to help document this historic Gum Springs landmark.

The cemetery appeared to have two distinct sections. The newer section along Collingwood Road consisted of 106 grave markers arranged in distinct rows. The older section, toward the back and near the trees, was overgrown and difficult to assess. As the area was cleared, surveyors counted approximately 97 graves, most of them marked by fieldstones.

The surveyors completed an index card for each grave marker, noting the type of material, inscription and decorative motif, if any. A photograph was taken and a sketch made of each marker. The graveyard was mapped, showing the location of each grave. For information about this important work, contact the Gum Springs Historical Society, Inc., 8100 Fordson Road, Alexandria, Virginia 22306; (703) 799-1198.

Members of the Fairfax Genealogical Society independently surveyed the Snowden & Bethlehem Cemetery in the spring of 1998. This survey was rechecked in June 1998. Members of the Mount Vernon Genealogical Society also surveyed the cemetery during the summer of 1998. The two surveys were compared and checked against each other. All discrepancies were checked again. Surveyors found the site clean and well maintained.

A sign along Collingwood Road reads:

Snowden & Bethlehem
Cemetery
Bethlehem Baptist Church
Since 1895


No Updates from Volume 6 of the Gravestone Books