Protection Of Vienna's Carter Family Cemetery Sought By Fairfax Supervisors

VIENNA, VA — The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will seek options for preserving and protecting the Carter Family Cemetery, which is associated with a historic multiracial family in Vienna.

Hunter Mill Supervisor Walter Alcorn introduced the board matter Tuesday with Chairman Jeff McKay asking county staff to explore "options for addressing safety concerns and long-term stewardship of the Carter Family Cemetery property."

The Carter Family Cemetery is associated with the Carters, a multiracial family who lived in the historic Black community of Freedom Hill with ties to the indigenous Tauxenent people of Fairfax County.

In 1842, Carter family matriarch Keziah Carter purchased 50 acres. The area became known as Cartersville and Freedom Hill, and her family lived and farmed there for decades.

Today, the 50 acres are the Carter’s Green subdivision, as well as parts of Raglan Road Park and the Tysons Towers Senior Apartment Community. The Carter Family Cemetery is considered one of the remnants of Freedom Hill, one of Fairfax County's earliest Black communities.

The Carter Family Cemetery includes a headstone for Millie Carter Whales, who was born in 1867 and died in 1916. At least four other burial sites are located in the cemetery, and Alcorn said the family believes there are more.

When the Carter's Green subdivision was developed in the 1970s, the developer kept the family cemetery lot, but did not maintain it.

According to Alcorn's board matter, the family cemetery has been affected by vandalism and landscaping waste dumping in recent years. A neighbor has also expressed concerns about a mature tree overhanging their property.

"Carter descendants remain in the area and continue to have a vested interest in the final resting places of their ancestors," the board matter said. "They approached county staff for assistance in preserving and protecting the cemetery property that has been abandoned."

The cemetery is located next to Raglan Road Park, which could affect how the county could decide to manage the property.

"The park authority owns the property next door and takes care of that," said McKay. "So there are some strategic reasons why this lift may not be that significant."