The Ettrick Mill Cemetery began in the 1800's when the Hartley Company designated an area as a burial ground for their workers. Many of their employees were from North Carolina and various places in Virginia, Which made it difficult to ship their bodies home after they died. The cotton mill owned the property but the cemetery was operated as a public cemetery,however, cotton mill workers recieved burials there free of charge.

After the factory closed, the cemetery was not maintained well. Mrs. Sadie Archer Bowman became interested in restoring the cemetery in conjunction with her work with the Home Demonstration Club. In 1949 Virginia State University acquired several acres of the plat which did not contain graves. The money from that was turned over to Mrs. Bowman and was used to restore the cemetery.

In addition to the mill workers Forty-five confederate veterans and one Union soldier are buried in the cemetery. On October 17, 1951, the Chesterfield Chapter of The United Daughters of The Confederacy dedicated a marker in memory of the confederate soldiers.