The Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial was established in 2014 at 1001 S Washington Street Alexandria. In 1864 Superintendent of Contrabands declared that the site be used as a cemetery due to the numerous death of many African Americans who fled to Alexandria after escaping from the Civil War. The burial of many African American troops was later moved to the Alexandria National Cemetery and as such the last burial at Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery was done in January 1869.
After the last burial the cemetery began deteriorating and the site was used as a gas station in 1955 followed by an office building some years later. After many years the cemetery was later rediscovered by Archaeologists who later confirmed the presence of graves on the site which brought about the birth of the Friends of Freedmen's Cemetery which was formed to advocate for the preservation for the site as a memorial. On May 12 2007 a re-dedication ceremony was held to honor the forgotten burial place of the 1800 freedmen who escaped the bondage of slavery and fled to Alexandria contributing to the prosperity and cultural heritage of the City. In 2014 the Friends of Freedmen's Cemetery in association with the City of Alexandria, the Federal Highway Administration and the Virginia Department of Transportation opened the site of the cemetery as a Memorial. In 2015 the National Park Service approved the Office of Historic Alexandria's request for the Freedmen's Cemetery to be included in the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.
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