Deltaville in Middlesex County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Stingray Point Contraband

Photographed by Cherlanda Sidney-Ross, July 17, 2021

1. Stingray Point Contraband Marker

Inscription. Six enslaved men (Alexander Franklin, David Harris, John Hunter, Miles Hunter, Peter Hunter, and Samuel Hunter), fearing impressment into Confederate service, sought refuge in the Stingray Point Lighthouse near here on 15 July 1861 and hailed the USS Mount Vernon. Similar escapes followed. The U.S. Secretary of the Navy, following the contraband theory established at Fort Monroe, authorized the employment of self-emancipated men and, in Sept. 1861, approved their enlistment in the U.S. Navy, nearly a year before black men could enlist in the U.S. Army. After serving in the Navy, Harris is the only one of the six men known to have returned to this community, where he had been enslaved.

Erected 2020 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number OC 38.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is July 15, 1861.

Location. 37° 33.263′ N, 76° 20.431′ W. Marker is in Deltaville, Virginia, in Middlesex County. It is on General Puller Highway (Virginia Route 33) east of Jackson Farm Road, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 17147 General Puller Highway, Deltaville VA 23043, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Middle Peninsula.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

and in the Chesapeake Bay Region.

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

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walking distance of this marker: Stingray Point (a few steps from this marker); F.D. Crockett (approx. ¾ mile away); Captain John Smith’s Shallop (approx. 0.8 miles away); Explorer (approx. 0.9 miles away); Deltaville Dollies (approx. 0.9 miles away); Marine Railway (approx. 0.9 miles away); Boarding Cutter (approx. 0.9 miles away); Oyster Tongs (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Deltaville.

Photographed by Bessida Cauthorne White, May 29, 2024

2. Stingray Point Contraband Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on August 12, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 18, 2021, by Bessida Cauthorne White of Jamaica, Virginia. This page has been viewed 675 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 18, 2021, by Bessida Cauthorne White of Jamaica, Virginia. 2. submitted on August 9, 2025, by Bessida Cauthorne White of Jamaica, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.