The Alexandria Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery was built over and removed from maps after 1946, with a gas station and office complex built atop the cemetery. “Rediscovered” in 1987, archaeological surveys used ground penetrating radar to locate graves and excavations took place to find interments. The Friends of Freedmen Cemetery was formed in 1997 to raise awareness of the cemetery and support its preservation. The City of Alexandria acquired the land and hired EDAW Inc. (now AECOM) to create a memorial park through the production of an international design competition. After receiving 200 entries, a design by C.J. Howard of Alexandria was selected. The memorial includes a sculpture called The Path of Thorns and Roses and bronze plaques with the names of people buried at the site.

In August 2012, the cemetery was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery and was added to the National Park Service's National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom in 2015.