Amelia Court House in Amelia County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Rosa L. Dixon Bowser (1855-1931)

Photographed by Jeremy Marc Dukes, August 23, 2024

1. Rosa L. Dixon Bowser (1855-1931) Marker

Inscription. Rosa Bowser, educator and social reformer, was enslaved at birth at Clay Hill plantation in Amelia County. Educated in Richmond's public schools, she taught school, supervised teachers, and helped form the first African American teachers association in Virginia, which she later served as president. As a leader in women's clubs and African American reform organizations, Bowser sought improvements in health care, legal aid, support for young mothers, and education for disadvantaged children. She helped found the National Association of Colored Women, which worked against lynching and segregation and for women's suffrage. The Richmond Public Library's branch for Black patrons was named for her.

Erected 2022 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number W-116.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education • Women.

Location. 37° 21.371′ N, 77° 58.363′ W. Marker is in Amelia Court House, Virginia, in Amelia County. It is at the intersection of Patrick Henry Highway (U.S. 360) and Grub Hill

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Church Road (Virginia Route 609), on the right when traveling west on Patrick Henry Highway. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 15820 US-360, Amelia Court House VA 23002, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Piedmont

and in Central Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in 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: Lamkin’s Battery (approx. 1.1 miles away); Amelia Court House (approx. 1.1 miles away); Confederate Dead (approx. 1.1 miles away); Philip F. Boepple Building (approx. 1.1 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 1.1 miles away); Marion Harland (approx. 1.1 miles away); William Branch Giles (approx. 1.1 miles away); a different marker also named Mrs. Samantha Jane Neil

Photographed by Jeremy Marc Dukes,

2. Rosa L. Dixon Bowser (1855-1931) Marker

(approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Amelia Court House.

Other markers no longer nearby. Amelia Court House (was approx. 1.1 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Mrs. Samantha Jane Neil (was approx. 1.2 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Rosa L. Dixon Bowser image. Click for more information.

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain), 1893

3. Rosa L. Dixon Bowser

Credits. This page was last revised on March 9, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 24, 2024, by Jeremy Marc Dukes of Farmville, Virginia. This page has been viewed 797 times since then and 142 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 24, 2024, by Jeremy Marc Dukes of Farmville, Virginia. 3. submitted on March 9, 2025. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.