By Bonnie Newman Davis

Tommy Edwards, the late R&B vocalist best known for his hit song, “It’s All in the Game,” is buried there.

So are the late state Sen. Benjamin J. Lambert III and his brother, the late Richmond attorney Leonard Lambert, as well as the descendants of Jesse Pryor Sr., a former slave.

Now the property that once was owned by the Pryor family and which now serves as the final resting place for about 400 people in what are known as Quioccasin, Westwood and Pryor memorial cemeteries in Henrico County will be recognized with a historical marker.

The dedication ceremony, which is open to the public, will be 11 a.m. Aug. 20 at Quioccasin Baptist Church, 9011 Quioccasin Road.

The three adjoining cemeteries are located behind a former Toys “R” Us building at 8700 Quioccasin Road.

Two of the cemeteries are final resting places for members of Quioccasin and Westwood Baptist churches.

Brenda Coles Dabney Nichols, a retired Henrico County teacher, is the great-granddaughter of Jesse Pryor. Her parents and husband, the late Rev. Paul Nichols, former pastor of Good Shepherd Baptist Church, are buried there.

Three years ago, Mrs. Nichols and members of Quioccasin and Westwood Baptist churches formed a committee to maintain and improve the status of each cemetery. A sign was placed near the site to direct visitors.

Then, working with the Henrico Department of Recreation and Parks and its Historic Preservation Advisory Committee, the QWP committee raised $1,660 to purchase a marker that the county will place on a median strip on Quioccasin Road.

Representatives from the Henrico County Board of Supervisors will be among the speakers at the dedication ceremony.

“We wanted something positive for the cemetery,” she said. “We wanted to make sure its aesthetic appearance is maintained and we have made strides to that.”

Mrs. Nichols, author of “African Americans of Henrico County: 1863-1963,” said Westwood and Quioccasin churches have shared cemeteries since the 1920s. The churches once were in close proximity to one another, she said, before Westwood moved to its current location on Glenburnie Road.

The J.S. Pryor Sr. Memorial Cemetery was purchased in 1939 by his descendants for family members’ burials.