Welcome to Freedom Park

Welcome to Freedom Park. . You are walking on historic ground! This 601-acre park includes a 17th-century James City County homesite, an 18th-century graveyard, and America's earliest known free black settlement, dating to 1803. In addition Continental, French and British troops camped and engaged here and nearby during the Revolutionary War Battle of Spencer's Ordinary in 1781., Today, this historic land has been preserved as a park that also hosts the Williamsburg Botanical Garden, as well as many miles of mountain bike and multiuse trails., The original 478 acres of Freedom Park were purchased by James City County in 1995 after citizens approved a 1994 bond referendum to fund the project. In 1996, adjacent parcels known as the Hot Water/Cole tract were added. In 1997, a Master Plan for the site was prepared. In September 2002, the park opened., The name Freedom Park was inspired by the freedom granted to the slaves of William Ludwell Lee. It honors those who lived in this free black community., The planning and design of Freedom Park was a community effort. A volunteer Historical Advisory Team comprised of representatives from the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the Jamestown/Yorktown Foundation, the College of William and Mary, and local authors and residents provided guidance. The latter are descendants of the Hot Water/Cole community whose stories, momentos and guidance were of key importance to the development of an interpretive plan., (inserts) , Magazine illustrations and photographs of 19th-century homes, located here and elsewhere in Virginia, were studied to learn details of architecture and everyday living., Seventeenth-century Virginia Governor William Berkeley lived at Green Spring, located about four miles south on Centerville Road. A descendant of Berkeley's second wife, William Ludwell Lee owned the home and land in the nineteenth century. Lee, who died in 1803, bequeathed freedom to his slaves upon his death. He also gave them a tract of his land and provided for them in his will. The land was called the Hot Water tract, today's Freedom Park. Some descendants still live in the Centerville Road area and other locations within the County., (captions) , Enjoy recreation and nature at Freedom Park. Hike and ride on multipurpose and mountain bike trails, learn about historic sites, and watch seasonal beauty unfold at the Williamsburg Botanical Garden. Step inside the Interpretive Center to see archaeological fragments and displays about the park's natural environment., “A Spring Scene Near Richmond, Virginia” Harper’s Weekly, May 21, 1870