March / April 2022 UAiNSIGHT publication
The City of Upper Arlington and Upper Arlington Schools are partnering to build a park-like memorial on the site of the new Upper Arlington High School in recognition of the Pleasant Litchford family cemetery that had been located on that site.
Pleasant Litchford was a master blacksmith who had been enslaved in Virginia in the 1800s, bought his own freedom and went on to settle in the area that is now Upper Arlington. He built a successful business and purchased the land that is now home to the high school as well as Northam Park and Tremont Elementary School. Among Mr. Litchford’s many contributions to the area were establishing a school for African-American children and being a founding member of the Second Baptist Church, which provided an important voice in the anti-slavery movement.
November / December 2021 UAiNSIGHT publication
As demolition work has continued on the old Upper Arlington High School this summer, so have investigations into the Pleasant Litchford family cemetery site.
Pleasant Litchford was a master blacksmith who had been enslaved in Virginia. After buying his own freedom and settling in the area that is now Upper Arlington, he built a successful business and purchased the land that is now home to the high school as well as Northam Park and Tremont Elementary School. Among Mr. Litchford’s many contributions to the area were establishing a school for African-American children and being a founding member of the historic Second Baptist Church, which provided an important voice in the anti-slavery movement.
DECEMBER 21, 2020 — Upper Arlington Schools is continuing to work with descendants of Pleasant Litchford and other community volunteers to determine the next steps for honoring the history of the Litchford family cemetery site adjacent to the current Upper Arlington High School building. This includes the possibility of additional archaeological work on the site and the creation of a formal memorial near the site of the cemetery.
November / December 2020 UAiNSIGHT publication
Upper Arlington Schools is continuing to work with descendants of Pleasant Litchford to determine appropriate next steps following the discovery of human remains during a planned investigation of the Litchford family cemetery site adjacent to the current Upper Arlington High School.
In late August, an archaeological team found one fully intact grave with a complete set of remains, along with two partially exhumed graves and three fully exhumed graves. The archaeological team carefully removed the remains, which are being safely held in its lab while the district works with descendants of the Litchford family and families who may have had ancestors buried at the site to determine how to properly honor those individuals and to commemorate the site.
AUGUST 25, 2020 — An archaeological crew has located human remains during its investigation of the site of the Litchford family cemetery in an area adjacent to the current Upper Arlington High School.
AUGUST 22, 2020 — An archaeological crew will be continuing their delicate work today to thoroughly investigate the site of the Litchford family cemetery in an area adjacent to the current high school.
AUGUST 20, 2020 — As construction crews continue work on the new Upper Arlington High School, an archaeological crew is helping the school district continue its research into the history of the school site.
In late July, the crew pulled back the asphalt and top layers of soil in an area of the parking lot adjacent to the existing building in order to learn more about a cemetery that once served as a final resting place for the family and friends of Pleasant Litchford.
The team has returned to the site and is excavating an adjacent area. If soil anomalies are found, they will be recorded for the next stage of the project, which could include feature excavation, exhumation, and relocation.