Mathews in Mathews County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Flights to Freedom
Photographed by Kathy Dennehey, June 15, 2024
1. Flights to Freedom Marker
People enslaved in Mathews County and environs repeatedly seized opportunities to escape, taking advantage of the area's long shoreline and access to deepwater shipping. Some who fled to British ships during the Revolutionary War received certificates of freedom, served with the British forces, and later settled in Nova Scotia. Enslaved people fled during the War of 1812, and at least 70 found freedom with the British in March 1814. During the Civil War, self-emancipated people boarded Union vessels, and some enlisted in the U.S. Navy. These recurrent flights from bondage, made at great risk, defied the system of slavery and demonstrated the depth of enslaved peoples desire to be free.
Erected 2022. (Marker Number N-51.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • War of 1812 • War, US Civil • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical month for this entry is March 1814.
Location. 37° 27.129′ N, 76° 19.781′ W. Marker is in Mathews, Virginia, in Mathews County. It is on Buckley Hall Road (Virginia Route 14/198) 0.1 miles south of Glebe Road, on the right when traveling
this page online
Regionally, this marker is on the Middle Peninsula and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. 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 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Kingston Parish Glebe (approx. 0.9 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.9 miles away); Thomas Hunter (Rosenwald) School (approx. 1.1 miles away); Mathews County Courthouse Square (approx. 1.3 miles away); Captain Sally L. Tompkins, C.S.A. (approx. 1.3 miles away); Mathews County Confederate Monument (approx. 1.4 miles away); Civil War In Mathews County (approx. 1.4 miles away); Fort Cricket Hill (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mathews.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 22, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 5, 2024, by Kathy Dennehey of Newport News, Virginia. This page has been viewed 338 times since then and 21 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on July 5, 2024, by Kathy Dennehey of Newport News, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. A wide shot of the marker in context. In other words - A wide view photo of the marker and its surroundings showing its location in context. • Can you help?
