HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — On Veterans Day, we reported on a cemetery advocate and the efforts to restore a cemetery at the corner of Mercury Boulevard and Woodland Road in Hampton.  

Author and historian Veronica Davis wrote the book “Here I Lay My Burdens Down: A History of the Black Cemeteries of Richmond.” 

On November 11, Davis called 10 On Your Side to visit the Thornton Cemetery, which she actually named. We interviewed her about the cemetery’s overgrown conditions that were so bad, you could barely see the grave stones. 

“I saw the interview with Ms. Veronica Davis” says Nicholas Key, who is stationed at Fort Eustis and is a Blackhawk Helicopter Mechanic instructor. 

He heard Davis say in our report.

“We should care what happens here because these people, the African American Civil War soldiers, gave their lives for Hampton to exist.” 

Many years ago, Davis organized a cleanup, but volunteers who promised to maintain it abandoned her and eventually the cemetery because it became so overgrown.   

The cemetery was established back in the 1800’s by William Thornton, a former slave, who in 1863 established the Zion Baptist Church Hampton. The church was built on the same site as the current Zion Baptist on County Street.  

Key remembers what he saw when he came to the site after our initial report.

“When I first came out here, I saw the amount of overgrowth which was roughly three years of overgrowth, and I said ‘We have some work to do.’” 

The “We” showed up as the cavalry from Fort Eustis. The soldiers led by Key took pictures to document the mission.

“When I arrived here, this entire place was completely covered in three years of overgrowth. We’ve cut it all down to the ground, and we are going to continue to rake it until we get to the dirt. We want to plant seeds and get grass in here, some flower beds, and make it look like an actual Cemetery,” Key explained.  

Davis recalls what she thought as she arrived after the soldiers put in a day of hard work, and then another — with more days to come.

“When I came and saw the first three stones at the front by the street, and I could actually see them, I was shocked. When I came back over the next three weekends, and I saw all the way back to the end of the cemetery — I was floored!” 

We asked Key why he chose to take charge of caring for the cemetery.

“If there is someone who requested the work, I have two hands, a good back, and a little bit of patience, and I have friends. So, I said, I’ll do it.” 

He did it and his fellow Fort Eustis solders did too as they took pictures of what volunteering is all about. They were answering the call to act — to clean up what is so important. 

Key adds, “My call to doing this is it is something that needs to be done. I am a Catholic, and as a Catholic we have a tenant to bury our dead. It’s one of our corporal works of mercy.” 

Davis is appreciative to Key and all the great soldiers from Fort Eustis for all of their help.

“It is just a blessing, the number of people and volunteers that have come forward to help us and we are so thankful, and we thank you so much,” she said.  

The undergrowth gone and the huge piles of brush have been cleared.

Davis now compares the cleared out grave stones to roses standing at attention, and hopefully a new dignity to the hallowed grounds of the Thornton Cemetery.  

If you would like to help or volunteer or if you have ideas on how to restore the Thornton Cemetery,  visit virginiaroots.org.