Located in the 1000 block of South Washington Street, the cemetery was abandoned by the federal government in 1869 after almost five years of use. Although there was some memory of the cemetery through oral history, the cemetery was rediscovered through historic newspaper sources and burial records in the last decade. Archaeologists have identified that destitute African American "contraband," or freedmen, were buried here by the military authority during the Civil War. About 1800 individuals, 50 percent children, may be buried under the Mobil Gas Station parking lot, along the bluff overlooking the Beltway and under Washington Street. Plans are to protect the publically owned section and construct a memorial park as as part of the improvement of the Washington Street "urban deck." The Friends of the Freedmen Cemetery can be contacted through the Alexandria Black History Museum, (703)-838-4356.