In response to growing health concerns and the need for a non-denominational municipal burial ground, Alexandria’s Common Council appointed a committee in August 1795, composed of Colonel Francis Peyton, George Deneale, and James Keith, to select a suitable site. The committee was instructed to purchase land “not less than two acres, nor exceeding four acres—not nearer to any part of the town than half a mile from the west line of Washington Street.”
The committee reported on September 22, 1795, that they had selected and acquired a parcel of land from Spring Garden Farm, which was officially conveyed to the city in two transactions on May 6 and May 24, 1796. This new site, located inland along what is today South Payne Street, became known as Penny Hill Cemetery, established to replace the original Penny Hill burial ground situated at the extreme southern end of Royal Street near Hunting Creek and surrounded by marshland.
The new Penny Hill Cemetery served Alexandria’s poor and unclaimed deceased residents, playing a critical role during public health crises—most notably as the burial ground for many victims of the yellow fever epidemic of 1803. This location continued to function as the city’s primary potter’s field for over 180 years.
It is estimated that over 1,800 individuals were interred at Penny Hill, most in unmarked graves. Today, only a few gravestones remain, serving as modest yet poignant reminders of Alexandria’s civic responsibility toward its most vulnerable residents.