Sons and Daughters of Ham Cemetery

Description

This historic cemetery was established in 1873 by members of an African American social and beneficial organization, the Sons of Ham. Many of the founders were once enslaved on a nearby plantation. Their purpose was to provide mutual aid and appropriate burial sites for the organization’s members. The cemetery was part of a complex including a meeting hall that stood on the site, Ham Hall. It served families on the nearby property now known as Bandy Field Park, as well as several African American communities that were established on the outskirts of Richmond after the Civil War. Deceased enslaved ancestors are buried nearby.