Help honor veterans in Knoxville African American Cemetery

Knoxville African American Cemetery in Frederick County, Maryland is the final resting place of more than 130 African Americans, including veterans of the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and beyond. Most of the graves are marked only by simple fieldstones, and many have no markers at all. Their locations known only in the fading memories of loved ones, or the enduring memory of this sacred ground itself.

Thanks to the efforts of dedicated volunteers and descendants, the Department of Veterans Affairs has recently approved official markers for several veterans laid to rest here in unmarked graves. Among them is Warren D. Garner (1840–1918), who served in the 4th Regiment of the United States Colored Infantry during the Civil War, fighting not only to preserve a divided nation, but to secure his rightful place within it. Decades later, he would help safeguard the legacy of his community by signing the original 1893 deed to the Knoxville African American Cemetery as a trustee. Honoring his memory, and the memory of those who served alongside him, is a historic step in preserving this sacred ground and the stories it holds.

Now we need your help.

While the VA provides the markers, it does not fund the materials or labor needed to install them properly. We are raising funds to help purchase concrete, gravel, tools, and other supplies necessary to install these markers with the dignity they deserve.

Funding will additionally go toward much-needed cleanup and maintenance of the cemetery, helping to restore and protect this vital piece of African American cultural history.

Your support will help ensure these heroes are no longer forgotten. Every donation brings us closer to giving these veterans and this important cemetery the recognition they’ve long been denied.

Thank you for standing with us.

Visit the cemetery's findagrave.com page here: https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2644895/knoxville-mountain-cemetery