A Vibrant but Segregated Community

A Vibrant but Segregated Community. Fredericksburg: Timeless.. , In the aftermath of the Civil War, many formerly enslaved persons came to Fredericksburg where there was an established free black community. Many of them took work as laborers and servants. Others brought artisan skills to their new community. This area became one of several African American neighborhoods in Fredericksburg and included separate schools. The once segregated Walker-Grant School is located six blocks to your right (across the tracks)., As the local economy recovered from the war, many African American small businesses were established in these blocks. Restaurants and boarding houses catered to the local community as well as to travelers. There were also professional offices, retail stores, barber and beauty shops, a grocery store, a funeral home, and two hotels. This area remained Fredericksburg's African American center of commerce until the 1970s, when desegregation opened up opportunities elsewhere., [Captions:] , Jason C. Grant was born free, to a Kentucky slave who had escaped to Canada. He came to Fredericksburg in the 1880s to teach and eventually became the principal of the Fredericksburg Colored School., These students at the Fredericksburg Colored School had their photo taken around 1900., Constructed in 1884, the Fredericksburg Colored School was located to your left, where the fire station now stands.