Pasture Point in Hampton, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Mary Smith Kelsey Peake
Photographed By Sarah erlandson, November 11, 2017
1. Mary Smith Kelsey Peake Marker
Inscription.
Mary Smith Kelsey Peake. . Born free in Norfolk in 1823, Mary Peake devoted herself to the education of African Americans. About 1850, she founded the Daughters of Zion to aid the poor and the sick. A seamstress by day, Peake violated state law to teach her fellow blacks at night. During the Civil War, protected and encouraged by the occupying Union army and prominent local leaders, she taught openly in the shade of the Emancipation Oak in Hampton and at Fort Monroe. She founded the first black school in Hampton, a forerunner of Hampton University, at Brown Cottage in September 1861. Peake died on 22 Feb. 1862.
Born free in Norfolk in 1823, Mary Peake devoted herself to the education of African Americans. About 1850, she founded the Daughters of Zion to aid the poor and the sick. A seamstress by day, Peake violated state law to teach her fellow blacks at night. During the Civil War, protected and encouraged by the occupying Union army and prominent local leaders, she taught openly in the shade of the Emancipation Oak in Hampton and at Fort Monroe. She founded the first black school in Hampton—a forerunner of Hampton University—at Brown Cottage in September 1861. Peake died on 22 Feb. 1862.
Erected 2008 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number W-97.)
Location. 37° 1.917′ N, 76° 20.678′ W. Marker is in Hampton, Virginia. It is in Pasture Point. Marker is at the intersection of Poplar Avenue and Wine Street, on the right when traveling west on Poplar Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Hampton VA 23669, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 11, 2017, by Sarah erlandson of Hampton, Virginia. This page has been viewed 707 times since then and 74 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on November 11, 2017, by Sarah erlandson of Hampton, Virginia. 2. submitted on February 10, 2019, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
