Prior to the Civil War, Dinwiddie County was home to several private academies for those who could afford to pay for their education. While it was mostly affluent males who were educated, Pegram's Academy, Female Academy, Girard Heartwell's . . . — — Map (db m180010) HM
Dinwiddie's Southside High School was started in 1908 as Dinwiddie Normal and Industrial School and was owned by the operated by the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Church. The only school in the area for African Americans for several . . . — — Map (db m180012) HM
The War of 1812. Impressment of Americans into British service and the violation of American ships were among the causes of America’s War of 1812 with the British, which lasted until 1815. Beginning in 1813, Virginians suffered from a British . . . — — Map (db m78064) HM
Established in 1869 in temporary quarters at Howard's Grove near Richmond. In 1870 it came under control of the State. In 1885 it was moved to the present location, the site of "Mayfield Plantation", which was purchased and donated to the State by . . . — — Map (db m19000) HM
Central State Hospital traces its origins to a mental health hospital for African Americans established ca. 1866 by the Freedmen's Bureau at Howard's Grove, near Richmond. The Commonwealth of Virginia assumed control of the facility in 1870. In 1882 . . . — — Map (db m180087) HM
This cemetery is the final resting place for thousands of patients treated at the nation's first stand-alone psychiatric hospital for African Americans, originally known as the Central Lunatic Asylum and later renamed Central State Hospital. The . . . — — Map (db m180083) HM
The design of this building is typical of slave quarters built on Virginia plantations during the 1840s and 1850s. Each side provided space for one slave family, with a room downstairs for living and working and a loft for sleeping. The right side . . . — — Map (db m15444) HM
In 1938 the Virginia Assembly chartered a residential care facility for mentally retarded African-American males between 8 and 21 years of age. The Petersburg State Colony for the Negro Insane, as it was named, was located on the present site . . . — — Map (db m23455) HM
In 1938 the Virginia General assembly chartered a residential care facility of African American males aged 8-21, with mental disabilities. The Petersburg State Colony for the Negro Insane, as it was named was located on the present site of . . . — — Map (db m180086) HM
This landscape re-creates elements of a typical Southside Virginia plantation during the mid-nineteenth century. Tudor Hall, an original nineteenth-century building, was at the center of a farm that supported the owner, his family, and their slaves. . . . — — Map (db m15438) HM
Life was a lot simpler back then…or was it? You are standing near the center of a once successful and productive mid-19th century farm. To your right is the main house, Tudor Hall, built in two stages before the Civil War. When the armies arrived . . . — — Map (db m69928) HM
In 1911 a group of Dinwiddie County’s African-American residents established the Rocky Branch School in Sutherland. The school was a typical two-room schoolhouse. It had been moved from original location across from Ocran Methodist Church on . . . — — Map (db m26833) HM
In 1911 a group of Dinwiddie County's African American residents established the Rocky Branch School in Sutherland. The school was a typical two-room schoolhouse. It had been moved from its original location across the Ocran Methodist Church . . . — — Map (db m180077) HM
The Greensville County Training School (GCTS) began sometime before 1912 as a small wood-frame building and went on to contribute to African American education in Emporia for more than 50 years. An addition in 1929 resulted in GCTS being one . . . — — Map (db m180459) HM
John Day, a free African American cabinetmaker and brother of Thomas Day, cabinetmaker and builder, was born in Hicksford (present-day Emporia) on 18 Feb. 1797. Licensed in 1821 as a Baptist minister, he sailed in December 1830 to Liberia, where in . . . — — Map (db m18950) HM
In commemoration
of the
Shiloh
Baptist Church
Emporia, Virginia
Shiloh was one of the
first Black churches founded
in Greensville County
It was founded in 1866
under the leadership of
Rev. Ephriam Royal
Shiloh moved . . . — — Map (db m41511) HM
Thomas Washington, an African American man, was lynched on 23 March 1896 for allegedly attempting to assault the young daughter of a prominent white citizen. A boy found Washington’s body hanging from a tree about 1/8 mile southwest of here. A . . . — — Map (db m191126) HM
Angel Visit Baptist Church, one of the oldest African American churches in Essex County, was formed in 1866 when African American members withdrew from white-led Ephesus Baptist Church after Emancipation. The congregation purchased land here in 1867 . . . — — Map (db m194986) HM
Founded by
Southside Rappahannock Baptist Association
Education - The Hope of a Glorious Future
Original Trustees
Willis Brook • Ned Fitzgerald • C. H. Newman • D.R. Page • Thomas Pollard • J. R. Ruffin • N.A. Wiggins • W. E. Robinson - . . . — — Map (db m191128) HM
The Southside Rappahannock Baptist Association opened the Rappahannock Industrial Academy here in 1902 to provide secondary education for African Americans at a time when no public high schools were available to them in the area. Supported by . . . — — Map (db m198433) HM
On this spot for many years stood the home of William Silas "Bill" Manning and his family. Born into slavery in King George County about 1856, the son of Sampson and Winnie Hampton Manning, William was the pilot of a tugboat on the Rappahannock, a . . . — — Map (db m235823) HM
William “Bill” Moore was born in Georgia in 1893. Nearby stood his home and barbershop. Paramount recorded Moore in Chicago in 1928 and released eight songs, some of the earliest by an African American folk performer from Virginia. They . . . — — Map (db m7411) HM
The Fairfax Rosenwald School or “Fairfax Colored School” was constructed in 1925–26 on this site. It replaced an earlier African-American school on Main Street east of the Fairfax Cemetery. In 1917, Julius Rosenwald, president of . . . — — Map (db m29482) HM
A family farm, a Civil War encampment site, and a country home, Historic Blenheim now welcomes visitors to explore its landscape and many stories. Over 200 years ago, family patriarch Rezin Willcoxon moved here from Prince Georges County, . . . — — Map (db m24662) HM
Local residents recall the period through the 1930s when Mount Calvary Baptist Church regularly conducted baptismal services in the Accotink Branch, in the pool formed at its confluence with the Tussico. White-robed candidates were immersed by the . . . — — Map (db m173605) HM
According to tradition, the earliest congregation, which would become the Bethlehem Baptist Church, was organized circa 1863 by Samuel K. Taylor, a former slave, who preached in the homes of the African-American residents of Gum Springs. Shortly . . . — — Map (db m100708) HM
Gum Springs, an African-American community, originated here on a 214-acre farm bought in 1833 by West Ford (ca. 1785-1863), a freed man, skilled carpenter, and manager of the Mount Vernon estate. The freedman’s school begun here in 1867 at Bethlehem . . . — — Map (db m952) HM
Gum Springs, an African-American community, originated here on a 214-acre farm bought in 1833 by West Ford (ca. 1785-1863), a freed man, skilled carpenter, and manager of the Mount Vernon estate. The freedman's school begun here in 1867 at Bethlehem . . . — — Map (db m210268) HM
Fort Hunt played a key role in military development and defense. It was used as a major fortification during the Spanish-American War, as a logistical/training support center during peacetime, and as a military installation during WWI and WWII. . . . — — Map (db m41172) HM
Rumored to have been a slave cemetery, this burial ground is the final resting place of several white and black residents of Gum Springs.
In 1762, Humphrey Peake inherited three slaves — Caesar, Ben and Allee; a mare named Flower, five . . . — — Map (db m131555) HM
American Indians occupied the region at least 13,000 years ago. They hunted game and gathered nature's bounty while residing in temporary seasonal camps. Approximately 3,000 years ago, they began to grow crops and establish permanent villages. . . . — — Map (db m41174) HM
African Americans in Woodlawn, four miles southwest of here, established Woodlawn Methodist Episcopal Church ca. 1866. The Woodlawn area, formerly part of George Washington's Mount Vernon estate, was home to African Americans who had been free . . . — — Map (db m131212) HM
Before the Civil War, the only full-time Huntley residents were those who worked the land: the enslaved people and the overseers. They labored to raise profitable crops of wheat, oats, rye, and corn for the Masons.
In August 1828, Bob, a . . . — — Map (db m144205) HM
From here, it's easy to see why Betsey Mason wrote that she planned to visit Huntley for much-needed peace and quiet in the 1840s. The view—of the land and of the people who lived and worked here—has changed since then, but thanks to community . . . — — Map (db m198368) HM
In this vicinity a small African-American settlement grew from ten acres of land given to Jane Carroll by her owner, Dennis Johnston, before 1856. Jane's son, George, acquired an additional 121 acres from Johnston's heirs in 1899 and 1903. In 1904 . . . — — Map (db m163) HM
This site is preserved in perpetuity as a park, thanks to the generosity of Olander Banks, Sr. who dedicated it to the memory of his wife, Margaret Lomax Banks.
Olander Banks Sr. and Margaret Lomax Banks purchased this property in 1957. It . . . — — Map (db m246045) HM
Mount Pleasant Baptist Church was founded in 1867 during post-Civil War Reconstruction. Freedmen were given one acre of land for religious and educational purposes and a burying ground for colored people. The first church was a one-room . . . — — Map (db m189258) HM
George Washington was very fond of horses and dogs and owned many during his lifetime. Both animals could be found in the forest as part of various activities at the estate, such as foxhunts. The American Kennel Club credits George Washington for . . . — — Map (db m182650) HM
Only members of the gentry used the Necessary, commonly known as an outhouse or privy, and likely only in good weather. Chamber pots were used inside the house in evenings and in cold or inclement weather. Slaves removed, emptied, and cleaned the . . . — — Map (db m140945) HM
A punt is a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow that was designed for use on small rivers or other shallow water. This type of vessel was very common in 18th-century America. George Washington's records show that punts were used by hired and . . . — — Map (db m182619) HM
This cabin represents dwellings inhabited by enslaved people who worked on Washington's outlying farm. Groups of cabins were arranged opposite an overseer's house.
At Dogue Run Farm, where Washington's 16-sided treading barn was originally . . . — — Map (db m182624) HM
There are no records that document the number of enslaved or free African-Americans who are buried in this cemetery. From oral histories and a handful of early 19th-century visitor accounts, estimates range from 100-150 people. Among those . . . — — Map (db m112650) HM
In 1929, the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association placed a marker noting the location of the slave cemetery, believed to be the first commemoration of its kind at a historic site. Despite this recognition, the burial ground lay unattended for decades, . . . — — Map (db m112855) HM
In 1799, this estate was home to a community of 317 enslaved men, women, and children who had no choice but to live here. Most of these enslaved people lived and worked on the four outlying farms as rural laborers. About one quarter of the . . . — — Map (db m112852) HM
"The sun never caught [Washington] in bed, and he was unwilling it should find any of his people sleeping."
Former Washington slave, quoted in Parley's Magazine, 1838
In 1799, most of Mount . . . — — Map (db m182623) HM
"The planters, to be sure, are rich in lands, and having so many negroes to labor for them live in all the luxury, ease, and ...affluence."
Thomas Hill Hubbard, December 29, 1817
Visitors in the early 1800s would have . . . — — Map (db m140935) HM
George Washington had several horse-drawn vehicles. Slaves, including Joe, a driver, and Jack, a wagoner, took care of the Mount Vernon vehicles. Travel during the 18th century was difficult. Poorly maintained roads meant that even short journeys . . . — — Map (db m112850) HM
"A most beautiful site for a Gentleman's seat..."
George Washington, December 1793
Washington presented 2000 acres of his Mount Vernon estate to his nephew Major Lawrence Lewis and Eleanor "Nelly" Parke Custis. . . . — — Map (db m140931) HM
This 152-acre historic district was part of George Washington's Mount Vernon estate. In 1799 Washington gave the Woodlawn tract to his step-granddaughter Eleanor Park Custis and her husband, Lawrence Lewis. Northern Quakers bought the property in . . . — — Map (db m140950) HM
Ilda, a community located at the intersection of
Guinea Road and Little River Turnpike, came into existence after the Civil War and lasted into the first half of the twentieth century. It originated when two freedmen, Horace Gibson and Moses . . . — — Map (db m37906) HM
Virginia aristocrat William Fitzhugh was granted 21,996 acres in 1694: The Ravensworth tract, which was divided into northern and southern halves in 1701 and subsequently subdivided among Fitzhugh heirs throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The . . . — — Map (db m617) HM
At the turn of the 20th century, a close-knit African American community was established here. The Johnson, Robinson, Sprigg and Collins families were the first to purchase lots. They cleared pine trees to enable truck farming and saw mill . . . — — Map (db m100807) HM
During the Civil War, African American laborers chopped wood and conveyed it to Burke’s Station, a major Federal timber transportation station located here on the Orange & Alexandria Railroad. To supply the Union army and engineers with timber . . . — — Map (db m88520) HM
This structure was used for several purposes through the years following the abolition of slavery, with the primary purpose of storing wood. It is the only one standing out of seven slave houses that were original to the property. Some of the beams . . . — — Map (db m129157) HM
Naming of Newgate Before the town of Centreville was created in 1792, the area was named after places in London. Newgate Tavern may have been named after the infamous Newgate Prison. A property adjacent to the tavern was called Wapping after a . . . — — Map (db m71304) HM
Tranquil today, these woods were once filled with the rhythmic sound of wooden gears, grinding stones, sawing blades and hissing steam.
Around 1760, James Lane, Jr. and his son William, members of the enterprising Lane family, built a mill to . . . — — Map (db m182504) HM
The Tavern
William Carr Lane established the Newgate Tavern ca. 1768 on what was then a main route to the west. In the early 1800s, the tavern (renamed the Eagle Tavern) had a hallway and four spacious rooms on the first floor and large . . . — — Map (db m69038) HM
Sully's preserved stories, buildings and landscapes give testament to the talent and work of the enslaved community who lived here 250 years ago. The 777-acre farm owned by Richard Bland Lee required many hands to be successful. From historic . . . — — Map (db m229075) HM
Sully's preserved stories, buildings and landscapes give testament to the talent and work of the enslaved community who lived here 250 years ago. The 777-acre farm owned by Richard Bland Lee required many hands to be successful. From historic . . . — — Map (db m198258) HM
Archaeologists found a foundation of a small house. Most likely tenant farmers lived here in the mid-1800s when the Haight family owned Sully. Unlike enslaved laborers, tenant farmers worked and lived on the land and paid rent to the owner. . . . — — Map (db m198300) HM
Finding a 250-year old roadbed and the outlines of three structures was very exciting. Archaeologists found many artifacts, including animal bones and kitchen tools. The location along the roadbed and the artifacts found confirmed that a 16' by . . . — — Map (db m198276) HM
A Farm for Sale.
In 1801, Richard Bland Lee placed an ad in the Alexandria Advertiser and Commercial Intelligencer: "A Garden of two acres containing the most valuable fruits and plants and a spacious yard are inclosed — — Map (db m198281) HM
Willoughby Newton was an 18th century real estate developer.
Newton owned over 6000 acres of land, much of today’s Centreville. He sold land to entrepreneurs who opened businesses along the Mountain Road and he leased land to farmers. . . . — — Map (db m184469) HM
Take A Walk
Along the Cain's Branch Archaeological Trail
The seven panels on this 1.5-mile loop trail will guide you through clues to the past. Ruins of former buildings offer hints about the lives of the people who called Sully home . . . — — Map (db m198262) HM
Under Richard Bland Lee's ownership, Sully transitioned from a tobacco farm into a multi-crop operation. Lee applied nutrients and crushed limestone to the worn soil, and made use of crop rotation to increase its productivity. Wheat, rye, timothy, . . . — — Map (db m129147) HM
The Distinguished Flying Cross was created by an Act of Congress in 1926. Under the initial Act, along with many military aviators and crew, a select group of civilians received the Distinguished Flying Cross for aerial achievement. These included . . . — — Map (db m143130) HM
In spite of adversity and limited opportunities, African Americans have played a significant role in the U.S. military history over the past 300 years. They were denied military leadership roles and skilled training because many believed they lacked . . . — — Map (db m143123) HM
Fairfax County was a rural and agricultural society in the 1800s and for many homes, the barnyard was the center of activity.
Across the road, can you see a pile of stones where once stood the three story barn of Walney? Many barns in . . . — — Map (db m198323) HM
“They have a queer way of building one thing after another, the great point being to have a separate shed or out-house for every purpose…You will find a carpenter’s shop, tool room, coach-shed, pig-house, stable, kitchen, two or . . . — — Map (db m8344) HM
Built in 1871 as the Clifton Old School Primitive Baptist Church, it is the oldest African-American church in Fairfax County. The town of Clifton was initially inhabited by emancipated slaves and the church was built on land donated by one of them, . . . — — Map (db m110265) HM
This burial ground of enslaved people is tangible evidence of the system of slavery which existed in Virginia until the end of the Civil War when the 13th Amendment to the Constitution banned the practice. These individuals were held in bondage . . . — — Map (db m197390) HM
Built on a lot owned by a freed slave. This house was in the Pitkin family for over 60 years. A major addition in 1995 changed the focus to a brick courtyard in the rear of the house. — — Map (db m114179) HM
After the Civil War, a small community of African Americans lived on Route 654, now known as Zion Drive. The Wrights, Hamiltons, Whites, and Pinns were farmers and laborers. In 1904, David R. & Sarah F. Pinn donated an acre of land to build Little . . . — — Map (db m57234) HM
If you had been here on a court day before 1861, you would have witnessed all levels of Virginia society. Crowds of men and women gathered at the courthouse as court justices negotiated county business and settled debts between all classes, . . . — — Map (db m218378) HM
Luther P. Jackson High School, opened in 1954, was the first and only high school in Fairfax County created to serve the African-American community. The school was named after Luther Porter Jackson, a prominent historian, educator and founder of the . . . — — Map (db m176) HM
Welcome to the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum, established in 1987.
Fairfax Station was constructed in 1852 along the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. Formed in 1848, the O&A was the only rail line connecting Alexandria — a major port at the . . . — — Map (db m194560) HM
Bring the family for a day of outdoor fun at Upton Hill Regional Park! Splash, slide and soak at the beach-themed Ocean Dunes Waterpark. Tee up at the deluxe minigolf, practice in one of our batting cages, or take a walk on the trails – our . . . — — Map (db m151009) HM
Little is known about the slaves and slave life at Belvoir. The manor was constructed at a time when wealthy Virginia farmers used slave labor as a diversified agricultural regime. Slaves also worked as skilled tradesmen in the countryside and in . . . — — Map (db m35134) HM
After schooling in England, George William Fairfax returned to Belvoir to live in 1746, and married Sarah Cary, also known as Sally, in 1748. They had no children. Upon his father William Fairfax's death in 1757, George William inherited . . . — — Map (db m35135) HM
The Woodlawn Quaker Meetinghouse was built from 1851 – 1853 by members of The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) who in 1846 purchased the 2,000 acre Woodlawn tract as the means to “establish a free-labor colony in a slave . . . — — Map (db m127843) HM
One of the most progressive farmers of his day, George Washington believed America’s future depended on improvements in agriculture. From 1754-1799, he worked to improve his farming methods at Mount Vernon. Abandoning tobacco, which depleted the . . . — — Map (db m829) HM
In the early 1880s, former slaves organized a congregation and held church services near a grove of laurel on Beulah Road. The trustees, including Middleton Braxton, George Carroll, Thornton Gray, and William Jasper, were focused on educating the . . . — — Map (db m86181) HM
The Moffett family operated a blacksmith shop on this site from 1906 to 1955. William Henry Moffett, a fifth-generation blacksmith, took the shop over from his father after it was burned and rebuilt in 1917. Fairfax County Park Authority bought the . . . — — Map (db m133076) HM
At midday on March 17, 1863, 40 blue-coated cavalrymen ambled into Herndon Station on the Alexandria, Loudoun & Hampshire Railroad in no-man's-land between Confederate and Union positions. The hamlet contained a depot building and steam-powered . . . — — Map (db m214235) HM
The Oak Grove School operated on this site from 1953 to 1964, with educator Earl L. Pulley as principal. The school served African American elementary students from the Town of Herndon and surrounding areas of both Fairfax and Loudoun Counties. . . . — — Map (db m187627) HM
In 1900, the Virginia state legislature passed a law that required separation of races in public spaces. This included schools, restaurants, hotels and public transportation—which at that time was primarily the use of trains. This was nicknamed . . . — — Map (db m214237) HM
This circa 1791 Baptist Church standing on its original site represents a continuous tribute to early religious freedom for slave and free together. — — Map (db m5608) HM
Frying Pan Springs Meeting House was erected c. 1791 on land granted by Robert “Counsellor” Carter to a group of “Old School” Baptists. In addition to local farmers the fundamentalist beliefs of its members also attracted free blacks and slaves . . . — — Map (db m5609) HM
Clover Hill, the residence of Alexander Turley, was built near here ca. 1823 on a high point of Turley's 450-acre farm. The two-story brick house featured Alexander Turley's initials incorporated into the chimney using glazed bricks. Slave cabins . . . — — Map (db m95088) HM
African Americans Annie E. Harper and Gladys Berry, who lived on Fordson Road in Gum Springs, and Curtis and Myrtle Burr, who had previously lived on Fordson Road, filed a federal lawsuit in March 1964 challenging Virginia's poll tax, which . . . — — Map (db m233788) HM
West Ford, born enslaved in the household of George Washington's brother John Augustine, was brought to live at Mount Vernon ca. 1802. Taught to read, write, and do arithmetic, he became a skilled carpenter and was freed at the age of 21. For more . . . — — Map (db m233789) HM
"Forward Out of Darkness," Women on the Margins of a New Nation, 1776 and Prior
“Remember the Ladies… If particular [sic] care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a Rebellion, . . . — — Map (db m196692)
The enslaved community at Gunston Hall lived in at least six different locations. George and Ann Mason's son John remembered that the east yard included “servant houses (in them days called Negroe quarters)…masqued by rows of large Cherry and . . . — — Map (db m134837) HM
