Fifeville in Charlottesville, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Benjamin E. Tonsler Residence
327 Sixth Street SW
Benjamin Ellis Tonsler (1854-1917) grew up enslaved by the Burnley family of Albemarle County. As a youth, he attended the Freedmen's School. Encouraged by his teachers, he attended and graduated from Hampton Institute in 1874, where he met his lifelong friend, Booker T. Washington. He soon taught at Jefferson School, and became its principal in 1883, remaining in that position nearly thirty years. Confronting the laws of the time that made it illegal to educate African American students past eighth grade, he had his older students after school to prepare them to enter college. Benjamin Tonsler is buried at Daughters of Zion Cemetery next to his wife, Fannie Gildersleeve Tonsler.
Tonsler purchased this lot in 1876, and built the residence in 1879. The property is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1983) and the Virginia Landmarks Register (1981), and is designated an Individually Protected Property by the City of Charlottesville.
Erected 2014 by Charlottesville Historic Resources Committee.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education. In addition, it is included in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1874.
Location.
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. First Baptist Church, West Main Street (approx. 0.2 miles away); Dedicated to You, A Free Citizen in a Free Land (approx. ¼ mile away); Sacajawea (approx. 0.3 miles away); Jefferson School (approx. 0.3 miles away); Daughters of Zion Cemetery (approx. 0.4 miles away); Roosevelt “Rosey” Brown, Jr. (approx. 0.4 miles away); Together We Grow (approx. half a mile away); Barry and Bill Battle (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charlottesville.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 4, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 231 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 4, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
