In the 1800s, William Gooding farmed and operated a tavern in Annandale, Virginia. In Mr. Gooding’s will, he indicated that a section of his farmland was to be used as a “burying ground.” The original cemetery measured 35 feet by 550 feet. Through the years, the Goodings, Gooding relatives, neighbors, and subsequent owners have been buried there. At least five families had plots in the cemetery and had surrounded their own section with a fence or brick wall. Family members have described that African Americans and slaves were buried in the northern section of the cemetery near the stream branch.
On May 23, 2009, Memorial Day weekend, scouts, parents, and FCCPA members started clearing the cemetery, led by future Eagle Scout Collin Lester. New markers were found and lost ones were rediscovered. In the future, the group will return to clear more.
