 Kempsville Baptist Church CemeteryVirginia Beach,
VA
This cemetery lies in the heart of the modern day Kempsville borough of Virginia Beach. It is directly adjacent to a small office park. Ironically the nearest neighbor to the cemetery is the office of Exis Net, a local internet provider. Can you imagine how baffled the cemetery's occupants would be by the technology that has overshadowed them. The cemetery sits extremely close to Overland Road. In the midst of the tombstones was a huge beautiful tree approximately 250 years old that was felled by Hurricane Isabel. You can view its stump in the pictures below. Overland Road is a short road that runs between Witchduck Road, just south of the I-264 overpass, and Princress Anne Road. Its intersection with Princess Anne Road is between Pleasant Hall, a colonial era building, and the current Kempsville Baptist Church. The McLin family graves sit slightly apart, to the east, of the other burials. They may actually be a separate family plot, rather than a part of the larger cemetery. But their very close proximity, combined with the fact that this photographer has no knowledge of any buildings or fences that might have been the original separator, causes me to include them in the larger enumeration. Further information from family/church members regarding this issue would be greatly appreciated. Kempsville Baptist Church began as a separate church in 1826 in the old Princess Anne Courthouse building on Overland Road. The building had been abandoned in 1824 when the courthouse moved to Princess Anne. The cemetery was located north of the courthouse/church building. Cemetery Photographed May 8, 2004 |
