Capitol District in Richmond, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Mary Richards Bowser Denman

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 18, 2023

1. Mary Richards Bowser Denman Marker

Inscription. Mary Richards Bowser Denman was born enslaved in Virginia ca. 1840. Given de facto freedom by Elizabeth Van Lew, whose family enslaved her, she was educated in New Jersey and sent to live in Liberia before returning to Richmond in 1860. During the Civil War, she participated in a secret network of free and enslaved African Americans and pro-Union whites, including Van Lew, who assisted federal prisoners of war and passed intelligence to the U.S. Army. Denman, who used various names throughout her life, later taught in schools for the formerly enslaved in Virginia, Florida, and Georgia, gave lectures in the North, and was an activist for equal rights and full citizenship for black Americans.

Erected 2021 by Department of Historic Resource. (Marker Number SA-129.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Communications • Education • War, US Civil • Women. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1840.

Location. 37° 32.357′ N, 77° 25.898′ W. Marker is in Richmond, Virginia. It is in the Capitol District. It is on East Broad

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Street (U.S. 250) east of North 11th Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1111 E Broad St, Richmond VA 23219, 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: Birthplace of Cardiac Transplantation (within shouting distance of this marker); Loving v. Virginia (within shouting distance of this marker); Virginia Civil Rights Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Richmond, Virginia Bicentennial (about 300 feet away); Ratification of the Constitution (about 300 feet away); The Executive Mansion of Virginia (about 300 feet away); Virginia’s Executive Mansion (about 400 feet away); Old City Hall (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Richmond.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), February 18, 2023

2. Mary Richards Bowser Denman Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on July 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 19, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 1,138 times since then and 56 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 19, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.