Blackhead Signpost Road

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, May 25, 2023

1. Blackhead Signpost Road Marker

Inscription.
In Aug. 1831, following the revolt led by enslaved preacher Nat Turner, white residents and militias retaliated by murdering an indeterminable number of African Americans—some involved in the revolt, some not—in Southampton County and elsewhere. At this intersection, where Turner's force had turned toward Jerusalem (now Courtland), the severed head of a black man was displayed on a post and left to decay to terrorize others and deter future uprisings against slavery. The beheaded man may have been Alfred, an enslaved blacksmith who, though not implicated in any revolt killings, was slain by militia near here. The name of this road was changed from Blackhead Signpost to Signpost in 2021.

Erected 2021 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number U-29.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1831.

Location. Marker is missing. It was located near 36° 41.129′ N, 77° 6.958′ W. Marker was in Courtland, Virginia, in Southampton County. It was at the intersection of Meherrin Road

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(Virginia Route 35) and Signpost Road ( Route 658), on the right when traveling north on Meherrin Road. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 24499 Meherrin Road, Courtland VA 23837, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker was in Coastal Virginia

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It was also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it found 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 4 miles of this location, measured as the crow flies: Nottoway Indians (approx. 1.2 miles away); Original Site of Southhampton County Training School (approx. 2 miles away); Buckhorn Quarters (approx. 2.1 miles away); Dred Scott And The Blow Family (approx. 2.1 miles away); Confederate Memorial (approx. 3.3 miles away); Not Forgotten (approx. 3.3 miles away); John Brown (approx. 3.3 miles away); Cypress Bridge (approx. 3.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Courtland.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Old Indian Reservation (was approx. 2.6 miles away but has been permanently removed).

Also see . . . Ceremony Celebrates Change and Preservation of History. (Submitted on May 26, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, May 25, 2023

2. Blackhead Signpost Road Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on March 22, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 26, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 3,766 times since then and 342 times this year. Last updated on March 22, 2026, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 26, 2023, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.