Blandford Cemetery
Also known as: VDHR File No. 123-110; See Also:Blandford Church
Why it's listed
Blandford Cemetery occupies Wells's Hill in Petersburg, Virginia, and has been a burial ground since at least 1702, when Richard Yarbrough was buried there. An Anglican church was built on the site in 1735, and in 1819 the town bought the church and adjoining land as its public burying ground. Added purchases expanded it to about 189 acres, and it remains Petersburg's public cemetery. Roughly thirty thousand gravestones record changing attitudes toward death, from plain early sandstone markers and death's heads to Victorian angels, obelisks and mausoleums. Local firms such as Bowie, Wright & Sharpe worked alongside carvers from Richmond, Philadelphia and elsewhere. The cemetery is especially noted for its cast and wrought iron fences and gates, including pieces by Wood & Perot of Philadelphia and J. B. Wickersham of New York, regarded as the finest collection in Virginia and among the best in the country. The Confederate section on Memorial Hill adds further historical weight.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the cemetery is unique in Virginia for its funerary art, with roughly thirty thousand gravestones spanning almost three hundred years of changing attitudes toward death. It holds the largest and finest collection of cast and wrought iron fences and gates in the state and one of the best in the nation. It also contains a large Confederate section, mausoleums and monuments by regional and national carvers.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 92001371, listed October 15, 1992. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 319 S. Crater Rd., Petersburg (Independent City) |
|---|---|
| County | Petersburg |
| Listed | October 15, 1992 |
| Reference number | 92001371 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Architectural style | Early Republic; Mid-19th Century: Gothic Revival, Exotic Revival; Late Victorian |
| Areas of significance | Art |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Continues to serve as the public cemetery of Petersburg; about 110 of its 189 acres are developed. |
| Acreage | 189 |
| Within district | Petersburg National Battlefield |
| Coordinates | 37.22757, -77.37834 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 92001371.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4925011
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.