Church Hill in Richmond, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Emancipated Community at Chimborazo Hill

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), September 7, 2024

1. Emancipated Community at Chimborazo Hill Marker

Inscription. Formerly enslaved African Americans found community at this site following the Civil War. Under the direction of the Freedmen's Bureau, the Chimborazo Hospital buildings abandoned by the Confederates became a refugee camp in mid-1865, providing limited food, shelter, clothing, and support. Schools within the community were well attended, and by July 1865 the camp was home to more than 2,500 people. Throughout the year, freedpeople faced violent harassment from white Richmonders. After confrontations in March 1866, the Freedmen's Bureau ordered able-bodied men to vacate the camp by 1 April 1866. Some residents remained at the camp until the City of Richmond cleared the site for a park in 1877.

Erected 2022 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number SA-133.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Education • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 1, 1866.

Location. 37° 31.557′ N, 77° 24.668′ W. Marker is in Richmond, Virginia. It is in Church Hill. It is on North 34th Street south of East Broad Street,

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on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3215 E Broad St, Richmond VA 23223, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

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: Richmond's Civil War Hospitals (within shouting distance of this marker); Confederate Hospital (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); 3420 East Broad Street (about 400 feet away); Chimborazo Hospital (about 400 feet away); Powhatan Stone (about 600 feet away); Strengthen the Arm of Liberty (about 600 feet away); a different marker also named Chimborazo Hospital (about 700 feet away); a different marker also named Chimborazo Hospital (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Richmond.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), September 7, 2024

2. Emancipated Community at Chimborazo Hill Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on September 9, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 9, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 271 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 9, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.