Four images show: a sign for a Roman church burial ground, a small gravestone in dirt, a dark weathered gravestone with rocks around it, and a wooden bench beside a garden and another gravestone.

In 1795 Abraham Shepherd sold one acre and a half and 12 square poles to Clement Pierce and Joseph Clarke as Trustees for the Roman Burying Ground:

“This Indenture made this Twenty fifth Day of February in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven Hundred and Ninety five between Abraham Shepherd of Berkeley County and Commonwealth of Virginia of the one part and Clement Pierce and Joseph Clarke of the same place as Trustees of the Roman burying ground of the other part Witnesseth that for and in consideration of the Sum of Forty Pounds Current Money of Virginia to the said Abraham Shepherd in hand paid by the said Clement Pierce and Joseph Clarke as Trustees for the Roman Burying Ground… ”

Deed Book 12, pgs 77-78, Berkeley Co.

Since 2008, St. Agnes has maintained the property. Within the last two years, a bench has been installed, fencing has been repaired and installed, and the two headstones that were still in the cemetery have been repaired and reset.

Ground Penetrating Radar is being used to locate other graves that we know to be there, but are without headstones. Here is a sample marker that we will place on graves that we locate.

The cemetery is adjacent to Shepherd University. It is reachable from W. High Street and through Rose Hill cemetery.

Read about the known burials in the Roman Burial Ground, as of 1/8/2026.

A gray granite plaque with a black cross on the left and the words KNOWN ONLY TO GOD engraved in large letters; the Roman numeral IV appears in the bottom right corner.