North Newport News , Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Master and Slaves
Richard Lee inherited 7 male slaves in 1844. As he prospered, he purchased or rented more slaves. By 1860, Lee owned 38 slaves and held a man and woman in guardianship for his stepsons. They ranged in age from 65 years old to 2 months old. The 1860 census records 8 slave houses on the property. By the outbreak of the Civil War, Lee was one of the largest slaveholders in the county.
Sidebar: The Confederate Army needed laborers on the Peninsula between 1861-1862. In the summer and fall of 1861, Richard Lee rented 8 males (John, Bob, Moses, Jerry, Jim, Peyton, Henry, James and Jack) for earthwork construction on Mulberry Island. Lee also rented three male slaves to Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder before abandoning his home in March 1862. During their exile in Richmond and Danville, the Lee family may have retained some of their slaves until the end of the war. In September 1865, Richard Lee returned to Lee Hall and found several freedmen living on his property. The Federal government had confiscated his property in February 1864 and tried unsuccessfully to establish a colony for former slaves. Lee regained his property from the Freedmen’s Bureau on November 24, 1865.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • War, US Civil. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1864.
Location. 37° 12.017′ N, 76° 34.535′ W. Marker is in Newport News, Virginia. It is in North Newport News. Marker can be reached from Yorktown Road (Virginia Route 238), on the left when traveling north. Marker is located on the grounds of Lee Hall Mansion. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Newport News VA 23603, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Homestead by the Main Road (within shouting distance of this marker); Largest and Most Valuable Estate in the County (within shouting distance of this marker); A Large Brick Kitchen (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); An Earthwork In Front (about 300 feet away); Lee Hall (about 400 feet away); a different marker also named Lee Hall (about 600 feet away); Lee Hall Village (approx. half a mile away); C&O "Peninsula Extension" (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newport News.
More about this marker. The sidebar on the left of the marker features a photograph of “Contrabands at Cumberland Landing, New Kent County.” Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Markers located at Lee Hall.
Also see . . . Lee Hall Mansion. (Submitted on March 1, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 1, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,698 times since then and 269 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 1, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.