Rose Hill Cemetery
Site Brief:
Founded: 1887
Location: Manassas, VA
Additional name(s): N/A
Affiliate group(s): N/A
History:
Rose Hill Cemetery is tucked away in an industrial area today. In 1887, the area was rural and on the outskirts of Manassas. Created at a time when local ordinance segregated burying grounds by race, this was one of the cemeteries in Prince William County that exclusively served the Black community.
The Rose Hill Cemetery Association, run by members of the African American community, was the early steward of this cemetery. Like other African American cemeteries of the time, Rose Hill received no public support from the White community or local government. Care and maintenance, including the opening and closing of graves for funerals, were provided by members of the Black community.
The first burials likely included men and women who were born enslaved. In 1978, after nearly a century of operating privately, the Cemetery Trustees approached the City of Manassas about taking over Rose Hill. After two years of negotiations, an agreement was reached in 1980, and the City accepted ownership. Today, Rose Hill is closed to new burials, but the cemetery remains an important connection to the people who helped make Manassas what it is today.
