Petersburg, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Corling's Corner

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, March 29, 2009

1. Corling's Corner Marker

Inscription. By the 1820s, Petersburg was developing into a major industrial city. The backbone of the city's workforce was enslaved labor. At this highly visible downtown intersection known as Corling's Corner, local manufacturers, railroad companies, building contractors, and private individuals inspected and rented enslaved people to work for one-year terms in their businesses and homes. Petersburg's tobacco factories were probably the largest users of rented labor. At the end of every year, enslaved men and women were hired under a legal contract that set forth the renter's obligations to the owner. The rental of bondspeople was quite common in the South before the Civil War.

Erected 2005 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number QA-26.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Industry & Commerce • Law Enforcement • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list.

Location. 37° 13.907′ N, 77° 24.287′ W. Marker is in Petersburg, Virginia. It is at the intersection of North Sycamore Street and West Bank Street, on the right when traveling south

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on North Sycamore Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Petersburg VA 23803, 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: Elizabeth Keckley (within shouting distance of this marker); Exchange Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Lt. Col. Howard Baugh, Tuskegee Airman (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Courthouse (about 500 feet away); Early English Exploration (about 500 feet away); The Revolutionary War in Petersburg (about 500 feet away); Arts & Recreation (about 500 feet away); African-Americans in Petersburg (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Petersburg.

Additional keywords. human trafficking

Corling's Corner at N Sycamore & W Bank St. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, March 29, 2009

2. Corling's Corner at N Sycamore & W Bank St.

Corling's Corner view up W Bank St. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, March 29, 2009

3. Corling's Corner view up W Bank St.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 4, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,205 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 4, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.