Charles City in Charles City County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Stephen Bates
(1842 ~ 1907)
Photographed by Brandon D Cross
1. Stephen Bates Marker
Stephen Bates, the earliest-known Black sheriff in the North, began life at Shirley enslaved as a domestic worker. Along with many other people enslaved in the region, he claimed his freedom during the Peninsula Campaign of 1862. After the Battle of Malvern Hill, he worked for a Union officer at nearby Harrison's Landing and departed with the army in August. Bates became a coachman for VT Congressman Frederick E. Woodbridge in Washington, DC, and in 1869 moved with him to Vergennes, VT.
The city council appointed Bates constable (1875-79), and in 1879 the overwhelmingly White electorate chose him to be sheriff. He was regularly elected sheriff and often appointed chief of police until his death.
Erected 2023 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number V-58.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Law Enforcement. A significant historical year for this entry is 1875.
Location. 37° 20.961′ N, 77° 13.85′ W. Marker is in Charles City, Virginia, in Charles City County. It is at the intersection of Shirley Plantation Road and John Tyler Memorial Highway (Virginia Route
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Coastal Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Tidewater. 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 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Shirley (within shouting distance of this marker); Benjamin Harrison (approx. 0.8 miles away); A Great Escape (approx. 1.2 miles away); Wayside & Granville (approx. 1.9 miles away); Bermuda Hundred Landing (approx. 2.3 miles away); Bermuda Hundred
Photographed by Brandon D Cross
2. Stephen Bates Marker
Other markers no longer nearby. Scene of Jeffersons Wedding (was approx. 1.9 miles away but has been confirmed missing); a different marker also named Bermuda Hundred Landing (was approx. 2.3 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Also see . . .
1. State Historical Marker Dedicated for Earliest-Known Black Sheriff in the North. (Submitted on February 17, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
2. Stephen Bates Vermonts First Black Sheriff. (Submitted on February 17, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 17, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 17, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 140 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 17, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
