Dewitt in Dinwiddie County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley (1818-1907)
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, November 22, 2014
1. Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley (1818-1907) Marker
Born near here in Dinwiddie County in 1818, Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, or Keckly, was a
dressmaker and abolitionist. She lived as a slave in Virginia and North Carolina but
eventually bought her freedom in 1855. By 1860 she had relocated to Baltimore and then
to Washington, D.C. Because of her dressmaking skills, she became a seamstress,
personal maid, and confidante to Mary Todd Lincoln, President Abraham Lincoln's wife.
In 1868, Keckley's account, Behind the Scenes; or, Thirty Years a Slave, and Four Years
in the White House, appeared and met with criticism from Mrs. Lincoln for its candor.
Keckley died in 1907.Erected 2011 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number S-85.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Industry & Commerce • Women. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1818.
Location. 37° 0.829′ N, 77° 40.462′ W. Marker
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, November 22, 2014
2. US 1 at Sappony Creek (facing south)
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Sapony Episcopal Church (approx. 4.2 miles away); Campaign of 1781 (approx. 5.1 miles away); Origins of 4-H in Virginia (approx. 5½ miles away); Birthplace of Roger Atkinson Pryor (approx. 5½ miles away); Birch's Bridge (approx. 5.9 miles away); Dinwiddie County / Brunswick County (approx. 5.9 miles away); Brunswick County, Virginia (approx. 5.9 miles away); Dinwiddie Courthouse (approx. 6½ miles away).
Also see . . . Elizabeth Keckley. Virginia Historical Society (Submitted on November 22, 2014.)
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, November 22, 2014
3. US 1 (facing north)
Credits. This page was last revised on July 6, 2021. It was originally submitted on November 22, 2014, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 541 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 22, 2014, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.
