Bethel Cemetery, Alexandria, VA: Historic Context
Bethel Cemetery, Alexandria, VA, one of the thirteen cemeteries in the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex, occupies land that was once part of Spring Garden Farm. The Virginia General Assembly incorporated the Bethel Cemetery Company on December 15, 1885, and that month the company’s stockholders bought the property for $4,350.
A green chapel once stood at the northwest corner of Section F. It later fell into disrepair, was used to store tools and equipment, and was destroyed by arson in the mid-1970s.
Frank Entwisle (1856 – October 29, 1924), whose funeral appears in the photograph, is buried in plot A125.
Today the cemetery is managed by James Click, the third generation of his family to oversee it.
With more than 12,000 burials, Bethel Cemetery, Alexandria, VA, is the largest cemetery in the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex.
Notable Burials in Bethel Cemetery, Alexandria, VA
The stories below, arranged by surname, introduce a few of the more than 12,000 people buried here.
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Julius Campbell Jr. (December 5, 1953 – January 25, 2019): High School Football Star Portrayed in the 2000 Disney Film Remember the Titans
Julius Campbell was a leader of the football team at T.C. Williams High School, newly integrated in the early 1970s, and played a pivotal role in its state championship during a season marked by racial tension. His story and those of his teammates were told in the 2000 film Remember the Titans, in which actor Wood Harris portrayed him. The film follows the integration of Alexandria’s high schools and the undefeated season that won the Virginia AAA state championship. After graduating from T.C. Williams in 1973, Campbell attended Ferrum Junior College and went on to a long career with the Prince George’s County, Maryland, Department of Animal Services. He died of organ failure on January 25, 2019, at 65, and is buried in Bethel Cemetery, Alexandria, VA. His story remains a symbol of unity and of triumph over adversity.
Fields Cook (1820 – January 20, 1897): Baptist Minister, Republican Party Leader, Educator, and Advocate for the Rights of African Americans
Born into slavery in King William County, Virginia, Fields Cook had purchased his freedom by 1850. He became an influential figure in Richmond, where he prospered as a businessman, teacher, and cashier for the Freedman’s Savings Bank. As a Baptist minister and political organizer, he fought for the rights of freedpeople, and in 1865 he represented Richmond at the Convention of the Colored People of Virginia, where he stood firm against racist threats. He is buried in Bethel Cemetery, Alexandria, VA.
Read more in our blog post Preserving History and Heritage: the Story of Douglass Memorial Cemetery and Fields Cook’s Enduring Legacy.
| In memory of Rev. FIELDS COOK born 1820 died Jan 20, 1897 Because I live, ye shall live also. |
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George W. Petty (c. 1851–1911): Proprietor, Foreman, and Chief
George W. Petty (c. 1851–1911) was a lifelong Alexandrian whose legacy is deeply tied to both the city’s business life and its firefighting history. Though early records of his childhood remain elusive, Petty first appears in Alexandria’s City Directory in 1876 as the proprietor of a saloon at the fish wharf. Over the decades he ran several businesses, moving from Union Street to Fairfax Street and eventually to Royal Street, where he lived and worked across from City Hall. By 1910, he was listed as the proprietor of a restaurant. He was married twice and had three children with his first wife, Margaret Ennis, who died in 1887 and is buried beside him.
Petty’s firefighting career began with the Sun Fire Company, though the exact date of his enrollment is unknown. When the Sun Fire Company disbanded after the Civil War, he joined the Hydraulion Fire Company and rose to become its foreman by 1876. Known for his bravery and leadership, Petty showed both during a major fire in 1896. Reports praised how he charged into the flames, directing his crew with tireless energy. At one point, he called for an axe to cut through a flooded floor so water could drain, then asked to be sent where the fire was still burning, declaring that he wanted “more to do.”
In 1897, Petty succeeded Edgar Warfield as Chief Engineer of the Alexandria Fire Department. His tenure was marked by professional excellence and public gratitude, with residents frequently publishing letters of thanks in the Alexandria Gazette. Petty often replied with humility and appreciation, reinforcing his reputation as both capable and compassionate.
On April 15, 1911, Chief Petty collapsed from a heart attack while responding to a fire on South Henry Street. He was rushed to Alexandria Hospital but could not be revived. He was the first Alexandria firefighter to die in the line of duty since the Dowell China Shop fire of 1855, which killed seven. His funeral drew more than 200 Alexandria firefighters and dozens from Washington, D.C. His casket was carried on a hose reel, followed by his horse-drawn carriage, draped in mourning and bearing his helmet, coat, and boots.
For many years Petty lay in an unmarked grave at Bethel Cemetery, Alexandria, VA. His grave has since been identified, and a gravestone now marks it. He is remembered as a devoted public servant, a respected businessman, and one of Alexandria’s most distinguished firemen.
Acknowledgment: This story is based on research by Catherine Weinraub, Alexandria’s leading firefighting historian.
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George Washington Whalen (1908–1925): Alexandria’s Boy Fireman
At just 15, George Whalen lied about his age to join the fire department, only to suffer fatal injuries fighting his very first fire. His six-month struggle to survive, and the citywide outpouring of support that followed, left a legacy of courage and community. He is buried in Bethel Cemetery, Alexandria, VA. Read the full story in our blog post Boy Fireman: The Death of the Youngest Fireman in Alexandria.
Acknowledgment: This story was researched by Catherine Weinraub, Alexandria’s leading firefighting historian.
Sources of Information for Bethel Cemetery, Alexandria, VA
Pippenger, W. E. (1993). Tombstone Inscriptions of Alexandria, Virginia (Volume 4). Family Line Publications.
Acknowledgment: Most of the information for the biography of the Rev. Fields Cook was provided by Jim Holloway, Interpretive Program Coordinator at The Lyceum, Alexandria’s History Museum (August 2023).
Page last updated: October 2026