Romney Lane Park

"Small neighborhood park with a single veteran grave and a really nice covered picnic table. A creek borders the back."

"11/2022- For over 50 years, the lot was used as a playground. Till, like, 2015. After the city realized they didn't own the land, and they found out about the bodies. They hired a crew to examine the area and that's when the extra graves were confirmed. Veteran Littleton always had a headstone, although it became smaller with time, because he is a Veteran. It is honestly my belief, that his original, “ledger" type grave monument would have been hard to bulldoze during the 1960's, unlike the others. And there was a tree behind his grave, blocking the direction. (They bulldozed the people's original headstones to the creek in the back of the park, and just left the crumpled headstones back there to disintegrate with time.) He was black, and fought for the Confederacy during the mid 1800's. After, they tore down the playground equipment, built some pathways and picnic tables, and renamed it a "park". 7/2023 Edit from Geocaching(2017), “Steve-n-Kim”: “This old cemetery had a number of family members from the Harrison and Land Families buried here in the 1800's. Sometime after 1894 and before 1903 this property was sold out of the Harrison Family. The new owner (Land) did not mind people visiting the cemetery, however, he did not want any new burials on the property. Therefore, Harrison family members who died after that time who had spouses or other family members buried here were not able to be buried beside them and were buried in other local cemeteries instead. In the 1960’s Frances C. Griffin surveyed this cemetery. There were at least 12-14 adult burial plots and a few infant burial plots still visible.  The cemetery had two rows still visible with 6-7 plots in each row. Towards the back of the property there were a few small infant stones, a couple of them were broken with only the last 3 letters of the last name readable as, “son” and “and” (Harrison and Land). It has long been believed that there are older members of the Harrison and Land families buried here whose stones had already been lost to time by the 1960’s.  They are most likely where the playground sits today.” Info submitted by Susan Griffin, findagrave website: “Littleton Waller Tazewell Land 1845 – 15 Feb 1908 Littleton Waller Tazewell Land was born in Princess Anne County, Va. (now Va. Beach, Va.) On October 9, 1864 in Petersburg, VA, at the age of 19 years old Littleton enlisted in Company F, Virginia 6th Infantry, the Seaboard Rifles. He was captured at Burgess Mil on Oct 1864. Littleton took the oath of allegiance on 13 May 1865 and returned to Princess Anne County. He married twice and had several children. In 1900 Vet Land along with several others became a founding member of Princess Anne Confederate Veterans Camp #96.” Edit 10/10/2023 Susan Griffin- “Aragona Village was owned and developed by John Aragona. In the 1960's F.C. Griffin went to the PA County Courthouse and looked up the plat for Aragona Village and the lot this cemetery is on was listed as a cemetery The info on this cemetery was given to Frances C. Griffin by her grandmother, Virginia Anne Harrison Coleman (1886-1971), who told Frances that her father, Robert Philip Harrison, was buried here. “ Birth dates copied from the Harrison family Bible by Frances C. Griffin in the early 1960's; maintained by Susan Griffin: Land-Harrison Cemetery Romney Lane Park Arthur Harrison 1793 - unknown Arthur James Harrison 5 Jul 1855 - 12 Jun 1857 Elizabeth Jane Kempe Harrison 2 Oct 1823 - 25 Feb 1886 Infant Son Harrison 12 Oct 1831 - 12 Oct 1831 Kitty Lewis Harrison 1793 - unknown Leurenia Harrison 20 Sep 1852 - 12 Aug 1854 Robert Philip Harrison 9 Feb 1858 - 2 Jul 1894 Virginia Anne Harrison 4 Feb 1846 - 4 Mar 1865 Washington Harrison 28 Mar 1823 - unknown M. L. Birth and death dates unknown. Infant Land Aug 1883 - 12 Apr 1885 Littleton Waller Tazewell Land 1845 - 15 Feb 1908 Robert Whitehead Land 14 Jan 1901 - 2 Jun 1913 Arnold James Woodhouse 1866 - 10 Feb 1896 Infant Daughter Woodhouse 10 Jul 1868 - 20 Jul 1868 Mariah Jane Harrison Woodhouse 14 Aug 1848 - 15 Jul 1868"

"This “park” has quite the mysterious past! I heard this land plot was used as a graveyard, early on, before Aragona. Aragona land originated as part of Princess Anne. Then this lot became a playground. Then the city just kinda kept up with the light mowing, for many decades. Then the city realized they didn’t actually own the land? I think there was no deed? Then they found the bodies? Is that how the story goes? 12-15 unmarked graves. The original headstones were bulldozed back to the creek, in the 1960’s. Guess the color of the people buried here. Veteran Littleton Land, Protector of The Park, and his people, even in death. Decades ago, he had one of those big, flat, long, nice headstones. I don’t know what it’s called, but it completely covers the area of where the grave is. It looked impressive. That’s gone now. At one point, his grave was gated off and used as a dog park (tho not anymore). At least he still has a headstone. The Man deserves respect. As do the others. All hidden among the unsuspecting magnolia trees. This is near the old “Jones” memorial park. But that’s another story, for another day. (I will soon be coming forward with what I witnessed there in the 90’s, as a young photography student.) Anyways, Was cool to come here as a kid, when they still had all the playground equipment. Although those memories have become blurred, given the context, with what I know now. I can barely stand to look at the place anymore. Also, kids used to like to come here to pick mulberries in the later summer. I, myself, grew up eating the berries. Be respectful if you come here. Edit: this is all true and can be verified and has been covered in the past, by The Virginian Pilot"