Courtland, VA: Helping Hand Cemetery Conceptual Site Master Plan

The Helping Hand Cemetery Club has been involved in a number of projects to date to improve the cemetery, including in part, continued maintenance, obtaining a grant through the VA Department of Historic Resources for the upkeep of the cemetery grounds, obtaining a grant through the ‘400 Years of African American History Commission” program for a program called Sharing Their Stories, which will honor those interred in Helping Hand Cemetery by connecting their lives with Courtland’s early 1900s African-American community, and planning for the 125th Anniversary celebration.

The purpose of this project was to work with the Helping Hand Cemetery Club to improve the appearance and pedestrian accessibility of the historic cemetery. CDAC worked with the HHCC to create a site master plan for the cemetery that focuses on enhancing the aesthetic appearance by incorporating low-maintenance landscaping and pedestrian circulation routes. The site master plan includes the approximate location of site amenities such as benches, welcome kiosk, supplemental fencing, etc.