Venable in Charlottesville, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
An American Dream: Home Ownership
Poverty and prejudice shaped the lives of African Americans in Charlottesville. In the 1920s African Americans made up 28 percent of the town's population but owned only 6.5 percent of its real estate. Many lived crowded together in very small houses or in subdivided single-family houses. Charles B. Holt would be an exception. In 1917 Hold bought this large building lot in the area called "the western suburbs of Charlottesville." Moving away from camped neighborhoods, Holt built a house surrounded by grass and trees. With his wife, Mary Spinner Holt (1885-1953), he lived on nearly a half-acre of land in a 3,400-square-foot house.
In the neighborhood of 116 8th Street, N.W. where Holt had lived in 1900, the same parcel included three houses with nine families and thirty residents. Nearby, on Cox's Row, nine houses accommodated 37 people in 9 families. At 223 Cox's Row, three generations of the Roberts family, nine people in all, lived in a 600-square-foot house.
Erected by Legal Aid Justice Center. (Marker Number 4.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans •
this page online
Location. 38° 2.377′ N, 78° 29.509′ W. Marker is in Charlottesville, Virginia. It is in Venable. It can be reached from Preston Avenue just south of Rosser Avenue, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1010 Preston Ave, Charlottesville VA 22903, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Virginia. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, 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 walking distance of this marker: Holt In Charlottesville: Work and Success (here, next to this marker); Washington Park: Separate and Unequal (here, next to this marker); Charles B. Holt: Born Into Freedom
Additional keywords. segregation, Jim Crow era
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 355 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 4, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
