Venable in Charlottesville, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
C.B. Holt Rock House
Photographed By J. J. Prats, May 9, 2010
1. C. B. Holt Rock House Marker
Inscription.
C.B. Holt Rock House. . African American Charles B. Holt owned a carpentry business in Charlottesville’s Vinegar Hill neighborhood. The son of former slaves, Holt built this Arts and Crafts-style house in 1925-1926, during the era of segregation when blacks were more than a quarter of the city’s population but owned less than one-tenth of its private land. He lived here with his wife, Mary Spinner, until his death In 1950. Later Holt’s stepson, Roy C. Preston, and his wife, Asalie Minor Preston, moved in. After a distinguished career teaching In Albemarle County’s segregated black public schools, Asalie Preston endowed the Minor Preston Educational Fund to provide college scholarships.
African American Charles B. Holt owned a carpentry
business in Charlottesville’s Vinegar Hill neighborhood. The son of former slaves, Holt built this
Arts and Crafts-style house in 1925-1926, during
the era of segregation when blacks were more
than a quarter of the city’s population but owned
less than one-tenth of its private land. He lived
here with his wife, Mary Spinner, until his death
In 1950. Later Holt’s stepson, Roy C. Preston,
and his wife, Asalie Minor Preston, moved in.
After a distinguished career teaching In Albemarle
County’s segregated black public schools, Asalie
Preston endowed the Minor Preston Educational
Fund to provide college scholarships.
Erected 2008 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number Q-28a.)
N, 78° 29.5′ W. Marker is in Charlottesville, Virginia. It is in Venable. Marker is on Preston Avenue just south of 10th Street NW, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1010 Preston Avenue, Charlottesville VA 22903, United States of America. Touch for directions.
. Brochure published by the Legal Aid Justice Center. “The legacy of the Holt House endures beyond the lifetime of Charles B. Holt. Asalie Minor Preston (c. 1904-1982), a schoolteacher in Albemarle County’s “colored” schools, married Holt’s stepson and lived here after Charles B. Holt died in 1950. In 1877 Asalie Preston’s grandfather had purchased land north of Charlottesville for $300. Her father, a farmer and schoolteacher, worked the land and slowly accumulated over 66 acres. In the 1970s, suburban expansion along Route 29 North made the land valuable. Asalie Preston and her siblings sold the land for over $500,000 and later established a scholarship fund. By 2006, the Rives C. Minor and Asalie M. Preston Educational Fund was providing between $150,000 and $200,000 a year in scholarships for Charlottesville area children.” (Submitted on May 9, 2010.)
Photographed By J. J. Prats, May 9, 2010
3. C. B. Holt Rock House
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 3, 2021
4. Virginia Historic Landmark plaque for the house
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 3, 2021
5. National Register of Historic Places plaque for the house
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 9, 2010, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,684 times since then and 51 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on May 9, 2010, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 4, 5. submitted on April 4, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
