Hardy in Franklin County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Day of Freedom
Booker T. Washington National Monument
| | National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | |
At 9 years old, Booker took his first breath of freedom here. He described the moment when he and his family were freed from slavery in his autobiography:
"My mother, who was standing by my side leaned over and kissed her children, while tears of joy ran down her cheeks. She explained what it all meant .... This was the moment she had prayed for."
The emancipation of Booker's family, along with nearly 4 million other enslaved African Americans during the Civil War did not result in immediate equality. Despite the continued struggle for social, economic and political equality in American society, Washington was charitable toward his former enslavers in both his writings and his speeches. In 1908 he revisited his birthplace, telling the assembled crowd, "I have never forgotten this spot."
"Finally, the war closed, and the day of freedom came. It was a momentous and eventful day to all upon our plantation."
-Booker T. Washington, Up From Slavery
[Caption:]
This view of the Burroughs' home shows postwar changes including a covered porch and clapboard siding. Washington recalled that on the day of freedom, a U.S. army officer stood at the front of the Burroughs' home and publicly read the Emancipation
this page online
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1908.
Location. 37° 7.101′ N, 79° 43.85′ W. Marker is in Hardy, Virginia, in Franklin County. It can be reached from Booker T Washington Highway (Virginia Route 122) east of Lost Mountain Road ( Route 636), on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 12130 Booker T Washington Hwy, Hardy VA 24101, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southern 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: Animals for Food and Farm Work (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); "No period of my life was devoted to play" (about 300 feet away); Booker's Lifelong Love of Animals (about 300 feet away); Slavery in the Tobacco Kingdom (about 400 feet away); Plantation Trail (about 400 feet away); "On behalf of the United States" (about 400 feet away); Booker T. Washington National Monument (about 500 feet away); Booker T. Washington's Birthplace (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hardy.
Other markers no longer nearby. Freed Here, At Last (was about 400 feet
Credits. This page was last revised on April 30, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 30, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 6 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 30, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
