Westlake Corner in Franklin County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Booker's Lifelong Love of Animals
Booker T. Washington National Monument
| | National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | |
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 26, 2026
1. Booker's Lifelong Love of Animals Marker
Booker took an interest in farm animals as a result of his required daily chores. He gathered chicken eggs as one of his first morning tasks, fed the pigs, visited the cows, and cleaned out animal stalls and enclosures.
"I have also, from my earliest childhood, been very fond of animals and fowls. When I was but a child, and a slave, I had close and interesting acquaintances with animals." -Booker T. Washington
At Hampton University, Washington formed a local chapter with the Bands of Mercy, a group that promoted wildlife conservation and sought to prevent cruelty towards livestock and pets.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Agriculture • Animals • Education. In addition, it is included in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities series list.
Location. 37° 7.128′ N, 79° 43.803′ W. Marker is in Westlake Corner, Virginia, in Franklin County. It can be reached from Plantation Trail east of Plantation Trail Spur, on the left 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.
this page online
Other markers no longer nearby. Freed Here, At Last (was about 400 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); How Tobacco Farms Used Slavery (was about 400 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The Landscape of Slavery (was about 500 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Slavery on the Plantation (was about 500 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), April 26, 2026
2. Booker's Lifelong Love of Animals Marker
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.
