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

Inscription. 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 (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1818.

Location. 37° 0.829′ N, 77° 40.462′ W. Marker is in Dewitt, Virginia, in Dinwiddie County. It is at the intersection of Boydton Plank Road (U.S. 1) and Karla Drive, on the left when traveling south on Boydton Plank Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Dewitt VA 23840, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Piedmont,

in Southside Virginia,

and specifically in Central 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.

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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); a different marker also named 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).

Other markers no longer nearby. Campaign of 1781 (was approx. 5.1 miles away but has been reported to have been replaced with another marker now near it); Sallie Jones Atkinson (was approx. 5½ miles away but has been confirmed missing); Chamberlain's Bed (was approx. 5½ miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . . Elizabeth Keckley. Virginia Historical Society (Submitted on November 22, 2014.)

US 1 at Sappony Creek (facing south) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, November 22, 2014

2. US 1 at Sappony Creek (facing south)

US 1 (facing north) image. Click for full size.

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 1,027 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 22, 2014, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.