Surry in Surry County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

A History of Silence

Chippokes State Park

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

1. A History of Silence Marker

Inscription. In 1619, Captain William Powell obtained 550 acres of what would become Chippokes Plantation. That same year, the first Africans to inhabit Virginia were taken by Ship to Point Comfort, site of modern day Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia. Initially, historians believe African people in Virginia were treated as indentured servants. That is to say, they worked a certain amount of years and then were freed. Little by little, law by law the General Assembly began gradually reducing the freedoms of African peoples. By the late 1600s slavery was a legally regulated practice in Virginia that continued until the end of the Civil War.

The little that we know about the enslaved people who worked, lived, and died in Chippokes comes from tax and census records. We know nothing of their lives, thoughts, or feelings. All that we have are their names and generations of silence.

Quarter Lane is the name of the road connecting the River House and the Jones-Stewart Mansion. Quarter referred to the row of houses or quarters that enslaved African Americans lived in during the 1800s. This 20th century aerial photo shows the houses,

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their original uses, and the approximate dates they were built. The surviving slave quarters on Chippokes Plantation were built by Albert Jones in the mid-1800s. After the Civil War the buildings were used to house sharecropper families, and later tenant farmers.
(captions)
Quarter Lane Structures
1. River House Kitchen & Slave Quarters (mid 1800s) 2. River House (1830s) 3. Slave Quarters (mid 1800s) 4. Tenant Farmer House (1910) 5. Slave Quarters (mid 1800s) 6. Tenant Farmer House (1910) 7. Barns (early 1900s)

United States Slave Trade 1830
An 1830 print by an abolitionist society depicting the slave trade in America. Print courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Inventory of Lucy Ludwell Paradise's Property in Chippokes taken in 1812. Included are the names of 8 men, 13 women, and 10 children.

Erected by Chippokes State Park.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Colonial Era. A significant historical year for this entry is 1619.

Location. 37° 8.453′ N, 76° 43.483′ W. Marker is in Surry, Virginia, in Surry County. It can be reached from

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

2. A History of Silence Marker

Quarter Lane 0.1 miles south of Plantation Road, on the left when traveling north. The marker is located on the grounds of Chippokes State Park near the Jones-Stewart Mansion. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 695 Chippokes Park Road, Surry VA 23883, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Coastal Virginia

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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: An Agricultural Legacy (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); The River House (about 700 feet away); Chippokes Plantation (approx. 0.2 miles away); Steam: The Great Connector (approx.

Chippokes State Park Sign image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

3. Chippokes State Park Sign

0.2 miles away); A Mansion of Many Colors (approx. ¼ mile away); Packard Garage (approx. 0.3 miles away); Paradise Garden (approx. 0.3 miles away); Enslaved Laborers Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Surry.

Also see . . .
1. Surry County: Chippokes Plantation. (Submitted on December 26, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
2. Chippokes State Park. (Submitted on December 26, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 26, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 26, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 283 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 26, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.