Near Clarksville in Mecklenburg County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Patrick Robert “Parker” Sydnor

(1854’1950)

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 20, 2017

1. Patrick Robert “Parker” Sydnor Marker

Inscription. Born enslaved on one of William Sydnor’s plantations in Halifax County, Patrick Robert “Parker” Sydnor became literate at a freedmen’s school after the Civil War. A preacher and farmer in his youth, he began crafting grave markers in the 1890s and remained active until the 1940s. Sydnor won renown as a skilled stonecutter and engraver who made his work widely accessible. His designs and inscriptions memorialized the lives of African Americans across Southside Virginia His home, the nearby Patrick Robert “Parker” Sydnor log cabin, is listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.

Erected 2014 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number U-95.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Agriculture • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1890.

Location. 36° 39.371′ N, 78° 33.282′ W. Marker is near Clarksville, Virginia, in Mecklenburg County. It is on

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Virginia Route 49 north of U.S. 15, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Clarksville VA 23927, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southern Virginia,

specifically in the Piedmont,

in Southside Virginia,

and specifically in Central Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Prestwould Plantation (approx. 0.3 miles away); Occaneechi Indians (approx. 2 miles away); Mecklenburg County Veterans Memorial (approx. 2½ miles away); Sunnyside School ca. 1870-1908 (approx. 3.1 miles away); West End High School (approx. 3.8 miles away); Buffalo Springs (approx. 6 miles away); a different marker also named

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 20, 2017

2. Patrick Robert “Parker” Sydnor Marker

Buffalo Springs (approx. 6 miles away); a different marker also named Buffalo Springs (approx. 6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Clarksville.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 25, 2019. It was originally submitted on August 25, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 823 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 25, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.