Williamsburg in James City County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Brown Home
Freedom Park
Photographed by Brandon D Cross, June 21, 2023
1. Brown Home Marker
This small house, with only 288 square feet of living space, has a brick chimney, glass windows, and stairs leading to an overhead loft. A house of this type would have been occupied by Anthony Brown, a farmer and former Lee slave freed in 1805.
Brown spent most of his adult life on the Hot Water tract. He shared a home with his wife, Rachel, a washerwoman. The couple had several children. Although the Browns were never able to acquire land of their own, Anthony earned enough to purchase a horse or mule to help with his farming operations and maximize the land's agricultural productivity. The household furnishings in the Browns dwelling reflect the improvements the family was able to afford.
(captions)
Cabin with brick chimney, Rochester House, Westmoreland County. Virginia Department of Historic Rιsources
A Pastoral Visit, 1881, Richard N. Brooke, Warrenton. Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Erected by Freedom Park.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Parks & Recreational Areas • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1805.
Location. 37° 19.095′ N, 76° 47.916′ W. Marker is in
this page online
Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Peninsula, in Coastal Virginia, and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Tidewater. 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: Jackson Home (within shouting distance of this marker); Lightfoot Home (within shouting distance of this marker); Free Black Settlement (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Welcome to Freedom Park (about 600 feet away); Welcome to the Hot Water Tract (about 700 feet away); Engagement at Spencer's Ordinary (about 700 feet away); Archaeological Analysis of Hot Water Tract (approx. 0.2 miles away); Timeline of the Hot Water Tract (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Williamsburg.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Early Settlement and Cemetery (was about 700 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Photographed by Brandon D Cross, June 21, 2023
2. Brown Home Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on August 17, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 22, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 453 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 22, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
