Belmont Slave Cemetery, Loudoun Freedom Center

This is a pretty moving experience. I know it's being worked on currently. I only knew about this place because of an article in the local paper. It made me curious to learn more about the area. I hope in the future there will be information added for those that don't know about it.

Sad, yet lovely piece of history in Loudoun County.

It is such a peaceful and awesome place to visit even though there are no historical and interpretive signs available to read by the way. They do need to come in with some rakes and blowers to take care of the fallen leaves ASAP,

Beautiful and moving. Hopefully we can learn more about the history of enslaved people of Loudoun County

Poignant and important reminder of the difficult life led by those forced into servitude.

Unpretentious but moving

Contemplative

Peaceful 🙏

Although it may seem weird to give a Memorial and burial ground (for the enslaved nevertheless) anything but five stars, the place must not be completely finished because it seemed rather odd. They had a nice little gate over the entrance pathway to the trails, and then signs posted everywhere saying no trespassing and that you’re being filmed. I wasn’t sure if I was okay to be there or not, even though there were signs on Harry Byrd Highway/ Route 7 and on Belmont Ridge Road/VA-629 directing you to the burial ground. Furthermore, to get to the area, you must drive down a narrow bumpy road that had lots of construction vehicles and ended in a small circle where the entrance was, so I left my car there.

As for the burial ground itself, it a had a nice little loop trail around .1 miles, and passed by things such as the school house (that could not be entered), the preacher’s rock, and the stone quarry, which was essentially a dip in the rocks. The rocks are neat and the trees are tall and old, and I hope they have work to go to improve this, because I believe Loudoun has come far short as a county of where they should be in terms of historical preservation and interpretation. I hope in the future this becomes a place where schoolchildren may visit in order to learn more about the enslaved that were a large part of the county’s agricultural past until the 1860s.