Downtown in Norfolk, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Margaret Douglass
Photographed by Sandra Hughes, August 10, 2010
1. Margaret Douglas Marker
"I told the judge to do his duty and put me in prison at once, if he chose, for I would ask no favors at the hands of any man."
Margaret Douglass
Margaret Douglass, a white woman from Charleston, South Carolina, moved to Norfolk with her daughter Rosa in 1845 and lived near here on the former Barraud Court. She was a vest maker by occupation. In June 1852 she and her daughter opened a school in the second story back room of her house to teach 25 free black children, both boys and girls, how to read and write.
Tuition was three dollars a quarter. After she was seen walking in the funeral procession of one of her deceased students, her school was raided, and she was arrested. She argued her own case in court, pointing out that the wives and daughters of several court officials taught black children weekly in Sunday School classes at Christ Church from the same books she used. After being found guilty, she served a month in jail. Later she moved to Philadelphia with her daughter and gained considerable notoriety based on her booklet about her experience in Norfolk that was published in 1854.
Erected by City of Norfolk.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans •
this page online
Location. 36° 50.881′ N, 76° 17.467′ W. Marker is in Norfolk, Virginia. It is in Downtown. It is at the intersection of East City Hall Avenue and Granby Street, on the right when traveling west on East City Hall Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Norfolk VA 23510, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Hampton Roads, specifically in Coastal Virginia, and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area. 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 walking distance of this marker: Monticello Hotel, 1898 (a few steps from this marker); Town Back Creek and Stone Bridge (within shouting distance of this marker); Tripoli Street (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Governor Tazewell (about 400 feet away); Littleton Waller Tazewell (about 500 feet away); Col. Samuel Leroy Slover (about 500 feet away); Granby Street (about 500 feet away); Old City Hall and Courthouse, 1850 (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Norfolk.
Also see . . . Margaret Douglass Taught Free Black Children in Norfolk to Read, 1852.
Photographed by Sandra Hughes, August 10, 2010
2. Margaret Douglas Marker
From The Personal Narrative of Mrs. Margaret Douglass, 1854.
Courtesy of the Library of Virginia.
"I told the judge to do his duty and put me in prison at once, if he chose, for I would ask no favors at the hands of any man."
Margaret Douglas
Photographed by Sandra Hughes, August 10, 2010
3. The Southern Arcus.
Norfolk, Thursday, Feb., 9,1854
Photographed by Brandon D Cross, January 19, 2019
4. Margaret Douglass Marker
Photographed by Sandra Hughes, August 10, 2010
5. Margaret Douglas Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 13, 2011, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 1,452 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 13, 2011, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. 4. submitted on February 5, 2019, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. 5. submitted on October 13, 2011, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
