The Fairfax County Park Authority will host a virtual public meeting to present the findings of a survey of Peake Family Cemetery on Thursday, Dec. 11 at 7:00 p.m. Details on how to view and participate the meeting are available online at the Peake Family Cemetery project website.

Following the meeting, the Park Authority will accept public comments on the proposed interpretation of the site until 5 p.m. on January 10. Comments can be submitted online via the project website. 

During the restoration of the Peake Family Cemetery, which began last spring, the Park Authority conducted a ground-penetrating radar survey of the site to identify potential unmarked burials. The project was overseen by archaeologists with specialized training in cemetery care and caused no ground disturbance. Work on the site has included addressing landscape issues and will continue with gravestone cleaning, setting and repair.

This project is part of the Park Authority’s ongoing work to preserve and restore historic cemeteries in Fairfax County. In addition to site restoration, the Park Authority is planning to update the existing interpretive signs at the cemetery and is requesting assistance from the surrounding community and historical organizations. The archaeology team seeks historic records, photographs, and/or family histories, which may help in identifying unmarked graves and contribute to the interpretive history of the site. Potential burials could include members of the Ford, Javins, Brown, Bigsby and Fisher families.

Historic records, photos and histories may be submitted online at the Peake Family Cemetery project website. All materials received will be reviewed by the archaeology team. The researched histories and the results of the ground-penetrating radar survey of the site will inform the narrative and design of interpretive signs later in the year.

For additional project background and information, including a recorded project overview, visit the Peake Family Cemetery project website. The Peake Family Cemetery is located adjacent to Martin Luther King Jr. Park and the Gum Springs Community Center at 8115 Fordson Road in Alexandria.