Richmond still has no visitation plan for mass Confederate gravesite on DPU property
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- It's been nearly nine months since Richmond officials revealed that hundreds of Confederate soldiers were buried beneath a city-owned property in Manchester, and no plan has yet been put in place to allow researchers or families to visit. The city also continues to use the property for utility-related purposes.
In late May 2025, Richmond officials released a report regarding 472 probable and 270 possible grave sites — totaling 742 -- that had been located underneath a city-owned property at 2313 Wise St. using ground-penetrating radar.
Historical evidence suggests that the mass burial site was used as a municipal cemetery prior to the establishment of the nearby Maury Cemetery in 1874. It's believed that many of the internments are Confederate soldiers who died at military hospitals during the Civil War, though records relating to their identities are limited.
According to the report, the site's burial pattern is dense, with many people appearing to have been buried on top of one another -- something described as "a common occurrence in burial grounds used over a long period or intensively."
Potential graves on Wise Street in Richmond's Manchester neighborhood. The small black rectangles are probable graves and the dotted-lined white rectangles are potential graves. The larger shapes are structures. (Photo: City of Richmond)
At the time, the city said a plan was being developed to allow visitation at the site for both genealogical researchers and those who want to visit loved ones believed to be buried there.
Several months later, in mid-February, a city spokesperson confirmed to 8News that this plan remains in development.
"We are actively considering proposals which would provide access to the site for visitors and look forward to announcing those plans soon," the spokesperson said on Feb. 18.
The spokesperson added that the property, on which sits a Department of Public Utilities (DPU) gas booster substation facility, is still seeing active use. A gas booster substation facility is meant to boost the pressure of gas flow from a lower level to a higher level, which is necessary for efficient gas use by households.
The city has no plans to demolish any buildings or discontinue using the facility.
Photos from 2313 Wise Street in Richmond, as provided in a May 2025 report about a mass Confederate gravesite. (Photos: City of Richmond)
Photos from 2313 Wise Street in Richmond, as provided in a May 2025 report about a mass Confederate gravesite. (Photos: City of Richmond)
Photos from 2313 Wise Street in Richmond, as provided in a May 2025 report about a mass Confederate gravesite. (Photos: City of Richmond)
Photos from 2313 Wise Street in Richmond, as provided in a May 2025 report about a mass Confederate gravesite. (Photos: City of Richmond)
Photos from 2313 Wise Street in Richmond, as provided in a May 2025 report about a mass Confederate gravesite. (Photos: City of Richmond)
"In keeping with recommendations from last year’s site report commissioned by the city and provided by geophysical research firm TerraSearch, the city will try to avoid any future ground disturbances to the site," the spokesperson said. "Continued use of the facility, which is located on a portion of the site, is essential to service delivery and does not constitute additional ground disturbance."
As the spokesperson said, the facility itself is located on the bottom left portion of the lot, with the majority of the graves surrounding it.
Within the report, vendor TerraSearch does say that "future ground disturbance should be avoided if possible," but it does not make a statement either way on the potential impacts of continuing to operate the facility on the gravesite.
TerraSearch does, however, note that previous construction of the facility and roads surrounding it has already disturbed at least some of the graves.
Per the report, the soil near and south of the substation, as well as on the slope where the container is located, "appears to have been stripped or altered for construction purposes" and many of the graves in these areas are "much shallower." Some are just a half-foot below the surface.
TerraSearch also discovered that the city was aware of at least "several bodies" buried beneath the lot as early as 1934.
When excavating the site to build the facility, workmen reportedly found several bodies, "indicating that even though some may have been moved, others were overlooked and it is still believed that many are still buried in the immediate vicinity of the huge tank."
A site located on 2313 Wise Street in Richmond, where more than 700 graves were identified following a survey. (Photo courtesy: Brad Vassar, 8News)
(Photo courtesy: Brad Vassar, 8News)
(Photo courtesy: Brad Vassar, 8News)
The report states that it's this disturbance that may have prompted the United Daughters of the Confederacy to push for a historical marker at the site, which was erected in 1939. Per its inscription, it honors "more than one hundred South Carolina soldiers who died in the hospital in Manchester, Va." between 1861 and 1685.
Notably, TerraSearch stressed that the site survey -- while “comprehensive” -- is “not likely [to] represent all potential graves within the gridded survey area."
"An accurate count of graves within the fenced-in area was difficult due to natural (i.e., groundhog tunnels and dens) and anthropogenic disturbances (i.e., roads, previous construction activities, lot grading) likely obscuring many more," the report reads. "It should be noted that it is clear from the geophysical data and the drone imagery that graves likely exist outside the bounds of the lot."
Once the city announces its plan for visitation at the site, 8News will provide an update.
