Williamsburg in James City County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Lightfoot Home
Freedom Park
Photographed by Brandon D Cross, June 21, 2023
1. Lightfoot Home Marker
As an artisan with marketable skills, Juba Lightfoot earned more money than some of his neighbors and was able to make his home more comfortable. His one-room house has refinements such as wooden floors, plastered walls, a brick chimney and an attic. The exterior is covered with clapboards and has a shingled roof.
Lightfoot was a bricklayer and plasterer. Though not one of William Ludwell Lee's ex-slaves, he spent much of his adult life on the Hot Water property. He and his wife, Betsy, a laundress, shared their home with several children. Lightfoot was able to buy land and was living elsewhere in 1835. However, within a year's time he returned to his home at "the Hotwaters" where he probably spent the rest of his life. Juba and Betsy Lightfoot would have had enough income to purchase fashionable goods such as a spit for roasting meats, a painted bedstead and additional clothing.
(caption)
Image from Strother, D.H., One of the Best Draughtsmen the Country Possesses. West Virginia University
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 1835.
Location.
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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: Brown Home (within shouting distance of this marker); Jackson Home (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Free Black Settlement (about 400 feet away); Welcome to the Hot Water Tract (about 700 feet away); Welcome to Freedom Park (about 800 feet away); Engagement at Spencer's Ordinary (approx. 0.2 miles 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. Lightfoot 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 595 times since then and 41 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.
