Near Goochland in Goochland County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

The 1936 Virginia Prison Recordings

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, April 26, 2009

1. The 1936 Virginia Prison Recordings Marker

Inscription. In 1936 famed folklorist John A. Lomax visited the Virginia State Prison Farm here and at the Virginia State Penitentiary in Richmond. Working for the Library of Congress's Archive of Folk Song, Lomax canvassed southern prisons in search of traditional African American music. On 13 and 14 June 1936, Lomax, assisted by Harold Spivacke, recorded quartets, banjo tunes, work songs, spirituals, and blues at the State Farm. Among the notable performers were inmates Jimmie Strother and Joe Lee. The Library of Congress first released songs from the sessions in the 1940s and they have appeared on many recordings since. These sessions are among the earliest aural records of Virginia's black folk-song tradition.

Erected 2005 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number SA-70.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Communications • Entertainment. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical date for this entry is June 14, 1936.

Location. 37° 38.896′ N, 77° 50.126′ W. Marker is near Goochland, Virginia, in Goochland County. It is at the intersection of River Road West (Virginia

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Route 6) and State Farm Road, on the right when traveling east on River Road West. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Maidens VA 23102, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Piedmont,

in Central Virginia,

and in the Richmond Metropolitan Area.

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 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Tanglewood Ordinary (approx. 0.6 miles away); James Pleasants (approx. 1.8 miles away); Land Conservation in Virginia (approx. 2.1 miles away); First Union School (approx. 2.3 miles away); Shiloh Baptist Church (approx. 2.7 miles away); a different marker also named James Pleasants (approx. 2.8 miles away); Michaux Grant (approx. 2.9 miles away); Maidens, Virginia (approx. 3 miles away).

River Road West & State Farm Road (facing east). image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, April 26, 2009

2. River Road West & State Farm Road (facing east).

Credits. This page was last revised on January 13, 2022. It was originally submitted on April 27, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,657 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 27, 2009, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.