GW's slaves
We continue our trek through 1757 in this year of 2021. We find this letter about slave purchases for Colonel George Washington. Fielding Lewis writes to GW about a slave with the skill of carpentry. This slave might be attached as part of the lien of the Mortgage on the house. If this is so, then the owner Mrs Buckner might not be able to sell him until the mortgage is paid off. We are documenting this because rarely does the history discuss when and where GW purchased slaves at the same time of his other duties and actions receiving attention.
Who is GW at this time?
He is 25 years old, 6 feet 3 inches tall and he is head of all of the military forces in an entire colony. He has just seen horrific warfare in the summer of 1755 in the failed Braddock Expedition. The year before that, he was captured at your Fort Necessity He is well known for a book of his diary entries published in London about his trip to serve notice to the French to leave. Fast forward to now, a point in time where he is managing a plantation (Mount Vernon), and preparing to meet the supreme allied commander of all North American forces in Philadelphia, Lord Loudoun.
Where is GW during this time?
Previously, he was ordered to Fort Cumberland and stayed there December 20, 1756 to January 25, 1757. While there in Fort Cumberland, GW wrote to Lord Loudoun 10 Jan 1757. He then travelled to Fort Loudoun Winchester VA and stayed there from January 26, 1757 to possibly 2 February 1757 when Lt Gov Dinwiddie, again but grudgingly gives permission to GW to go to Philadelphia to see Lord Loudoun. Sometime after Feb 2 GW heads to Mount Vernon and from there on Feb 13 leaves for Philadelphia to see Lord Loudoun who is expected there on Feb 17. Lord Loudoun doesn't arrive, though, until March 14, 1757.
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While at Mount Vernon, GW is preparing and packing.
Five Days after GW leaves Fort Loudoun, Winchester VA, Fielding Lewis writes GW about purchasing this slave carpenter on Feb 7, 1757. GW is now at Mount Vernon. He is preparing and packing for Philadelphia. His purpose? To have an audience with Lord Loudoun, supreme commander of all North American forces.
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Who is helping GW pack?
Captain Robert Stewart and Thomas Bishop, are helping him. They will travel with him to Philly. Thomas Bishop is a white servant, GW hired almost immediately after General Braddock died 3 days after that Battle on the Monongahela, 9 July 1755. Captain Robert Stewart was also in the battle as Captain of the Light Horse Company, and who has a street in Winchester VA named for him, since he spent a good portion of time sharing command of Fort Loudoun in Winchester VA.
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So why in this letter is there urgency to obtain this slave carpenter?
Colonel George Washington is expanding the building of Mount Vernon. From Founders Online footnotes - In the spring of 1757 GW ordered from England a number of carpenter’s tools and 222 pounds of paint (see GW to Richard Washington, and enclosed Invoice, both 15 April 1757, and Richard Washington’s Invoice, 20 Aug. 1757).
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Some more slaves are listed here:
Founders Online footnote documents some other slaves: Besides renting one slave carpenter in 1756 GW bought a slave carpenter named Kitt in February 1755 at a sale of one of the Buckners of Caroline County (ibid., 19, 37). In 1764 GW also bought a slave from the estate of the deceased Samuel Buckner
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What's Fielding Lewis to GW?
After his first wife died, he married George Washington's sister, Betty Washington. Fielding Lewis's son by the same name inherited Braddock's Sash. He gave it to his daughter married Colonel E. G.W. Butler of Louisiana and Butler asked Edmund Pendleton Gaines (March 20, 1777 – June 6, 1849) to send it out to General Zachary Taylor after his early victories in the Mexican-American War whose daughter Betty Dandridge inherited it, finding it at the bottom of a trunk while living on Braddock Street in Winchester VA. Sources for this in Notes at end of this blog.
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Now to the letter on purchasing this slave carpenter:
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To George Washington from
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Sir
. I recd yours by Mr Buchanan
with the Cash to purchase
Mrs Buckners Carpenter,
but as I am apprehensive
there is a Morgage,
or some other incumberance
as I well know that Estate is much indebt,
it will be prudent to Act cautiously
least there should be any dispute hereafter;
I have already enquir’d
about the Carpenter
and have been inform’d
that he will be sold
some time hence
but who has the Selling of him
I know not,
shall be as speedy
as possible in letting You know
how I succeed.1
. Yours by Lieutent Williams I recd with the Cash inclos’d;2
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if I fail in the purchase of Buckners Carpenter,
I will immediately send mine
to your House to carry on your Building
till another can be got.3
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I am Yr most Humble Servant Fielding Lewis.
. John & his Lady went from hence Yesterday on their way to Mr Bushrods.4
. ALS, PHi: Gratz Collection.
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Founders Online footnotes:
Fielding Lewis (1725–1781) of Fredericksburg was married to GW’s sister Betty.
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The letter “by Mr Buchanan” has not been found. Buchanan may be James Buchanan, a Falmouth merchant who was a member, along with GW and Lewis, of the Fredricksburg Lodge of Masons. GW sent Lewis a total of £107 10s. “to purchase a Carpenter” (General Ledger A, folio 35). This Mrs. Buckner is probably Mary Timson Buckner (d. 1787), widow of the Thomas Buckner of Caroline County who died c.1756. She later married Samuel Buckner (d. 1764), also of Caroline County. Besides renting one slave carpenter in 1756 GW bought a slave carpenter named Kitt in February 1755 at a sale of one of the Buckners of Caroline County (ibid., 19, 37). In 1764 GW also bought a slave from the estate of the deceased Samuel Buckner (ibid., 173, 174).
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GW’s letter “by Lieutent [John] Williams” has not been found.
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When GW signed the lease for Mount Vernon in December 1754 the home house was a 1½-story frame building measuring 33 × 47 feet with a chimney at either end. It had four rooms and a main hall on the first floor and at least four bedrooms on the second. In 1758 the house was “raised” to 2½ stories and was extensively refurbished. In the spring of 1757 GW ordered from England a number of carpenter’s tools and 222 pounds of paint (see GW to Richard Washington, and enclosed Invoice, both 15 April, and Richard Washington’s Invoice, 20 Aug. 1757).
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On the cover of the letter, Lewis wrote: “I have given your Express Ten Shillings wch I have charg’d You with, he applying for it being out of Cash.” John Bushrod, the father of John Augustine Washington’s bride, Hannah Bushrod Washington, lived at Bushfield on Nomini Creek in Westmoreland County.
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Source of Letter and Footnotes:
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Compiled by Jim Moyer 2/27/2021, 1/27/2024
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Below are related notes
in the course of doing the above research:
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See blog posted last month of Jan 2021
of a January 1757 a story related to GW's slaves:
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New Years Day – Slave Auction Day?
While Colonel George Washington was headquartered in Winchester VA, there are references to his purchase of slaves in the letters of 12 January 1756 and 22 January 1757. .
. John Carlyle writes Colonel Washington, 12 Jan 1756 Expected before this Mr Lewis Woud Wrote Me he had purchased Negro’s for You At Col. Lomax Sale,3 but As he did Not, I Yesterday purchased Two Men & a Woman for You & a boy for Myself & yr Brothr John thought yours a Good Bargin at 86£ Sterling, to be paid the 1st of March . . John Carlyle writes Colonel Washington a little over a year later, 22 Jan 1757 . Yr Brother Mr John Washington See the Negro’s When I purchased & Liked them & the Owner woud not Take Virginia Paper money at More than Maryland & I dare Say you may Gett Bills at 35 ⅌ Ct.2 . . We mention these 2 letters of January because we ran across this article claiming that New Year’s Day was Heart Break Day when slaves were split up from their families by being sold on New Years Day. . That article is cited here: The Slaves Dread New Year’s Day the Worst’: The Grim History of January 1 — Time Magazine article by BY OLIVIA B. WAXMAN UPDATED: DECEMBER 27, 2019 8:57 PM ET . To find the source cited in that article, Ctrl F for the string, "New Year": Of all the days in the year, the slaves dread New-Year's day the worst or any. For folks come for their debts then; and if anybody is going to sell a slave, that's the time they do it; and if anybody's going to give away a slave, that's the time they do it; and the slave never knows where he'll be sent to. Oh, New-Year's a heart-breaking time in Kentucky!" That article sites this source: LEWIS CLARK. Leaves from a Slave’s Journal of Life Lydia Maria Francis Child, 1802-1880 FROM The Anti-Slavery Standard, 20 and 27 October 1842, p. 78-79, 83. . We could find no repeating of that claim in the 2 books listed below. . But sometimes I notice as a diary writer myself there are some things so widely known I never even mention it. . I did a search string for New Year in the 2 huge books listed here and found no reference. But again, absence of evidence is not proof -- not evidence of absence: 1. Frederick Douglass' book 1855 — An Autobiography. Bond and Free: or, Yearnings for Freedom, from My Green Brier House. Being the Story of My Life in Bondage, and My Life in Freedom: From archive.org - https://archive.org/details/DKC0119 . . 2. William Cooper Nell's book Services of Colored Americans in the Wars of 1776 and 1812. New York: Printed by Prentiss & Sawyer. 1851 . . . . . . . Compiled by Jim Moyer 1/12/2019, updated 1/17/2021 . . . . Sources on Lomax who sold slaves to Washington . https://books.google.com/books?id=LMc9AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA145&lpg=PA145&dq=Lunsford+Lomax+(1705%E2%80%931772)&source=bl&ots=pFuN0zcxLv&sig=ACfU3U10H-oxnmzr2HmkrrmbYuCtLJPskg&hl=en&ppis=_c&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjtkKze_PfmAhXIzlkKHb1JChsQ6AEwBnoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=Lunsford%20Lomax%20(1705%E2%80%931772)&f=false . https://www.geni.com/people/Lunsford-Lomax/6000000017809323412 . .
About Fielding Lewis son
His son inherited Braddock's Sash
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And this Fielding Lewis who is looking into this purchase of a slave carpenter? His son is Fielding Lewis Jr who
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Katherine Glass Greene’s 1926 local history Winchester, Virginia, and Its Beginnings, 1743-1814:
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Mary Glass Greene quotes Mary Spottiswoode Buchanan who states:
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George Washington gave the sash to his nephew Fielding Lewis 1751-1803 (son of Fielding Lewis , 1725-1781) whose daughter married Colonel E. G.W. Butler of Louisiana
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and Butler asked Edmund Pendleton Gaines (March 20, 1777 – June 6, 1849) to send it out to General Zachary Taylor after his early victories in the Mexican-American War. .
Mary Spottiswoode Buchanan lived with Bettie Taylor Bliss Dandridge who found the sash in a trunk after getting a tip from her friend Dr Daniel B Conrad to look for it in her house on 116 N Braddock St in Winchester VA and Mary Spottiswood Buchanan continued to live there after Bettie died. .
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About Thomas Bishop and John Alton
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Last Night Jno. Alton, an Overseer of mine in the Neck—an old & faithful Servant who had lived with me 30 odd years died of an imposthume in his thigh after lingering for more than 4 Months with it, and being reduced to a mere skeleton—and this evening the wife of Thos. Bishop, another old Servant who had lived with me an equal number of years also died.
Thomas Bishop’s wife, Susanna, had served as midwife for slaves and servants on the Mount Vernon plantations.
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"Davy a Mulatto Man who has for many years looked after my Muddy hole Plantation, went into the Neck to take cha[rge] of the River Plantation in the room of Jno. Alton deceased. "
John Alton was GW’s body servant in Braddock’s campaign and remained in his service until his death in 1785. At different times Alton was overseer of one or another of the Mount Vernon farms. 1. GW got permission to leave the House of Burgesses on 2 April in order to return to Mount Vernon. See Cash Accounts, April 1759, n.4.
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Updated February 28, 2017 | Infoplease Staff
Servants Washington by no means restricted himself to slave servitors. Early in life he took into his service John Alton at thirteen pounds per annum, and this white man served as his body-servant in the Braddock campaign, and Washington found in the march that "A most serious inconvenience attended me in my sickness, and that was the losing the use of my servant, for poor John Alton was taken about the same time that I was, and with nearly the same disorder, and was confined as long; so that we did not see each other for several days." As elsewhere noticed, Washington succeeded to the services of Braddock's body-servant, Thomas Bishop, on the death of the general, paying the man ten pounds a year. These two were his servants in his trip to Boston in 1756, and in preparation for that journey Washington ordered his English agent to send him "2 complete livery suits for servants; with a spare cloak and all other necessary trimmings for two suits more. I would have you choose the livery by our arms, only as the field of the arms is white, I think the clothes had better not be quite so, but nearly like the inclosed. The trimmings and facings of scarlet, and a scarlet waist coat. If livery lace is not quite disused, I should be glad to have the cloaks laced. I like that fashion best, and two silver laced hats for the above servants."
For some reason Bishop left his employment, but in 1760 Washington "wrote to my old servant Bishop to return to me again if he was not otherwise engaged," and, the man being "very desirous of returning," the old relation was reassumed. Alton in the mean time had been promoted to be overseer of one of the plantations. In 1785 their master noted in his diary, "Last night Jno Alton an Overseer of mine in the Neck?an old & faithful Servant who has lived with me 30 odd years died?and this evening the wife of Thos. Bishop, another old Servant who had lived with me an equal number of years also died." Both were remembered in his will by a clause giving "To Sarah Green daughter of the deceased Thomas Bishop, and to Ann Walker, daughter of John Alton, also deceased I give each one hundred dollars, in consideration of the attachment of their father[s] to me, each of whom having lived nearly forty years in my family." Of Washington's general treatment of the serving class a few facts can be gleaned. He told one of his overseers, in reference to the sub-overseers, that "to treat them civilly is no more than what all men are entitled to, but my advice to you is, to keep them at a proper distance; for they will grow upon familiarity, in proportion as you will sink in authority if you do not." To a housekeeper he promised "a warm, decent and comfortable room to herself, to lodge in, and will eat of the victuals of our Table, but not set at it, or at any time with us be her appearance what it may; for if this was once admitted no line satisfactory to either party, perhaps could be drawn thereafter."
In visiting he feed liberally, good examples of which are given in the cash account of the visit to Boston in 1756, when he "Gave to Servants on ye Road 10/." "By Cash Mr. Malbones servants 4.0.0." "The Chambermaid 1.2.6." When the wife of his old steward, Fraunces, came to need, he gave her "for Charity 1.17.6." The majority will sympathize rather than disapprove of his opinion when he wrote, "Workmen in most Countries I believe are necessary plagues;?-in this where entreaties as well as money must be used to obtain their work and keep them to their duty they baffle all calculation in the accomplishment of any plan or repairs they are engaged in;?and require more attention to and looking after than can be well conceived."
The overseers of his many plantations, and his "master" carpenters, millers, and gardeners, were quite as great trials as his slaves. First "young Stephens" gave him much trouble, which his diary reports in a number of sententious entries: "visited my Plantation. Severely reprimanded young Stephens for his Indolence, and his father for suffering it;" "forbid Stephens keeping any horses upon my expence;" "visited my quarters & ye Mill, according to custom found young Stephens absent;" "visited my Plantation and found to my great surprise Stephens constantly at work;" "rid out to my Plantn. and to my Carpenters. Found Richard Stephens hard at work with an ax?Very extraordinary this!"
Again he records, "Visited my Plantations?found Foster had been absent from his charge since the 28th ulto. Left orders for him to come immediately to me upon his return, and repremanded him severely." Of another, Simpson, "I never hear ... without a degree of warmth & vexation at his extreme stupidity," and elsewhere he expresses his disgust at "that confounded fellow Simpson." A third spent all the fall and half the winter in getting in his crop, and "if there was any way of making such a rascal as Garner pay for such conduct, no punishment would be too great for him. I suppose he never turned out of mornings until the sun had warmed the earth, and if he did not, the negros would not." His chief overseer was directed to "Let Mr. Crow know that I view with a very evil eye the frequent reports made by him of sheep dying;... frequent natural deaths is a very strong evidence to my mind of the want of care or something worse."
Curious distinctions were made oftentimes. Thus, in the contract with an overseer, one clause was inserted to the effect, "And whereas there are a number of whiskey stills very contiguous to the said Plantations, and many idle, drunken and dissolute People continually resorting to the same, priding themselves in debauching sober and well-inclined Persons, the said Edd Voilett doth promise as well for his own sake as his employers to avoid them as he ought." To the contrary, in hiring a gardener, it was agreed as part of the compensation that the man should have "four dollars at Christmas, with which he may be drunk for four days and four nights; two dollars at Easter to effect the same purpose; two dollars at Whitsuntide to be drunk for two days; a dram in the morning, and a drink of grog at dinner at noon."
With more true kindness Washington wrote to one of his underlings, "I was very glad to receive your letter of the 31st ultimo, because I was afraid, from the accounts given me of your spitting blood,... that you would hardly have been able to have written at all. And it is my request that you will not, by attempting more than you are able to undergo, with safety and convenience, injure yourself, and thereby render me a disservice.... I had rather therefore hear that you had nursed than exposed yourself. And the things which I sent from this place (I mean the wine, tea, coffee and sugar) and such other matters as you may lay in by the doctor's direction for the use of the sick, I desire you will make use of as your own personal occasions may require."
Of one Butler he had employed to overlook his gardeners, but who proved hopelessly unfit, Washington said, "sure I am, there is no obligation upon me to retain him from charitable motives; when he ought rather to be punished as an imposter: for he well knew the services he had to perform, and which he promised to fulfil with zeal, activity, and intelligence." Yet when the man was discharged his employer gave him a "character:" "If his activity, spirit, and ability in the management of Negroes, were equal to his honesty, sobriety and industry, there would not be the least occasion for a change," and Butler was paid his full wages, no deduction being made for lost time, "as I can better afford to be without the money than he can."
Another thoroughly incompetent man was one employed to take charge of the negro carpenters, of whom his employer wrote, "I am apprehensive ... that Green never will overcome his propensity to drink; that it is this which occasions his frequent sickness, absences from work and poverty. And I am convinced, moreover, that it answers no purpose to admonish him." Yet, though "I am so well satisfied of Thomas Green's unfitness to look after Carpenters," for a time "the helpless situation in which you find his family, has prevailed on me to retain him," and when he finally had to be discharged for drinking, Washington said, "Nothing but compassion for his helpless family, has hitherto induced me to keep him a moment in my service (so bad is the example he sets); but if he has no regard for them himself, it is not to be expected that I am to be a continual sufferer on this account for his misconduct." His successor needed the house the family lived in, but Washington could not "bear the thought of adding to the distress I know they must be in, by turning them adrift;... It would be better therefore on all accounts if they were removed to some other place, even if I was to pay the rent, provided it was low, or make some allowance towards it."
To many others, besides family, friends, and employees, Washington was charitable. From an early date his ledger contains frequent items covering gifts to the needy. To mention a tenth of them would take too much space, but a few typical entries are worth quoting: "By Cash gave a Soldiers wife 5/;" "To a crippled man 5/;" "Gave a man who had his House Burnt 1.;" "By a begging woman /5;" "By Cash gave for the Sufferers at Boston by fire 12;" "By a wounded soldier 10/;" "Alexandria Academy, support of a teacher of Orphan children 50;" "By Charity to an invalid wounded Soldier who came from Redston with a petition for Charity 18/;" "Gave a poor man by the President's order $2;" "Delivd to the President to send to two distress'd french women at Newcastle $25;" "Gave Pothe a poor old man by the President's order $2;" "Gave a poor sailor by the Presdt order $1;" "Gave a poor blind man by the Presdt order $1.50;" "By Madame de Seguer a french Lady in distress gave her $50;" "By Subscription paid to Mr. Jas. Blythe towards erecting and Supporting an Academy in the State of Kentucky $100;" "By Subscription towards an Academy in the South Western Territory $100;" "By Charity sent Genl Charles Pinckney in Columbus Bank Notes, for the sufferers by the fire in Charleston So. Carolina $300;" "By Charity gave to the sufferers by fire in Geo. Town $10;" "By an annual Donation to the Academy at Alexandria pd. Dr. Cook $166.67;" "By Charity to the poor of Alexandria deld. to the revd. Dr. Muir $100."
To an overseer he said, concerning a distant relative, "Mrs. Haney should endeavor to do what she can for herself?this is a duty incumbent on every one; but you must not let her suffer, as she has thrown herself upon me; your advances on this account will be allowed always, at settlement; and I agree readily to furnish her with provisions, and for the good character you give of her daughter make the latter a present in my name of a handsome but not costly gown, and other things which she may stand most in need of. You may charge me also with the worth of your tenement in which she is placed, and where perhaps it is better she should be than at a great distance from your attentions to her."
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About Slave Block moved in Fredericksburg VA
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The Story on that Slave Auction Block in Fredericksburg VA:
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The Slave Auction Block at William and Charles
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By most accounts the block came to be as a common carriage step, intended to serve guests at the adjacent hotel. The hotel rose in 1843, the work of local entrepreneur Joseph Sanford. For its first eight years, under Sanford’s ownership, he advertised the place as the United States Hotel. When he sold it to James Chartter in 1851, it became known as Planter’s Hotel.
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Bear in mind, I have not attempted an exhaustive search for ads related to slave sales or hires at the United States or Planter’s Hotel, but I have identified thirteen sales that took place on the corner. The earliest ad appeared in the November 20, 1846 edition of the Richmond Enquirer–for the sale of 40 enslaved people “near the United States Hotel” in Fredericksburg.
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The Fredericksburg News of January 6, 1854 trumpeted the “success” of the sale:
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Fredericksburg seems to be the best place to sell slaves in the State. On Tuesday, at Charter’s [Planter’s] Hotel, forty-three slaves were sold for $26,000. One bricklayer brought $1,495. One woman and child, 5 or 6 years old, brought $1,350. Several were quite old servants. It was a considered a tremendous sale.
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I have posted most of the known ads for sales at Planter’s hotel at the bottom of this post.
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The lawsuits on removing this block:
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https://www.fredericksburgva.gov/1287/Slave-Auction-Block
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SLAVE AUCTION BLOCKFredericksburg City Council asks the Fredericksburg Circuit Court to dismiss the Slave Auction Block lawsuitDecember 30, 2019 – Fredericksburg City Attorney Kathleen Dooley filed the City Council’s response to the petition filed by E.D. Cole Building, L.L.C. and Local Holdings, L.L.C., in the Fredericksburg Circuit Court. The petition alleged that only the Architectural Review Board could order the relocation of the slave auction block, and that the City Council had no legal authority to approve a certificate of appropriateness under the City’s zoning ordinance. The City Council filed an “Answer” generally denying erroneous allegations in the Petition, and a “Motion for Summary Judgment,” (see also Brief in Support of Motion for Summary Judgement) which asks the Circuit Court to decide the matter on the basis of the public record and controlling law. The Motion for Summary Judgment argues that ARB decisions may be appealed to City Council, and “final decisions” of the City Council may be appealed to Circuit Court. Petitioners relied on one subsection of City Code (§72-23.1(D)(3)), but they either overlooked or ignored a following subsection (§72-23.1(F)(1)), which grants City Council authority to hear and decide appeals of ARB decisions. See illustration of omission in this Chart of Missing Subsection (PDF). The relocation plan approved by City Council calls for Public Works crews to undertake the removal of the block from the public right of way under the supervision of professional archaeologists. After removal and cleaning, the auction block will go on display at the Fredericksburg Area Museum, which re-opens to the public on March 1, 2020. City Council has directed the City Attorney to bring the lawsuit to a successful conclusion as soon as reasonably possible. No hearing date is scheduled at this time. The full Answer and Motion for Summary Judgement:
2019 12 27 Answer filed (PDF)
2019 12 27 MSJ filed (PDF)
2019 12 27 Brief filed (PDF)
Ex 1 2019 06 11 CC Minutes excerpt (PDF)
Ex 2 2019 07 02 CM Plan of relocation filed (PDF)
Ex 3 2019 07 09 CC Minutes excerpt filed (PDF)
Ex 4 ARB Minutes filed (PDF)
Ex 5 2019 11 07 City Appeal filed (PDF)
Ex 6 2019 11 12 CC Minutes excerpt filed (PDF)
Ex 7 2019 11 12 Res 19-100 filed (PDF)
Ex 8 2019 11 12 Res 19-101 filed (PDF)
Ex 9 2019 11 12 Res 19-102 filed (PDF)
Ex 10 Charter sec 1 (PDF)
Ex 11 Code 72-34.1 Historic Fredericksburg District filed (PDF)
Ex 12 2019 01 Dovetail Archaeology excerpt filed (PDF)
For more information on the three-year history of Council’s decision to relocate the block please read more below. Please feel free to contact the City Manager’s office directly at 540-372-1010 with questions or concerns. Appeal Filed Against Moving the Slave Auction Block December 13, 2019 – E.D. Cole Building, L.L.C. and Local Holdings, L.L.C. filed a petition in the Fredericksburg Circuit Court on December 10, 2019, appealing City Council’s November 12, 2019 adoption of Resolution 19-100, “Granting a Certificate of Appropriateness for the Relocation of the Slave Auction Block to the Fredericksburg Area Museum.” The filing of the petition stayed the effect of the Resolution, effectively blocking the City’s plans to remove the slave auction block from the corner of Charles and William Streets until the case can be resolved through the courts. E.D. Cole Building, L.L.C is the owner of the commercial building across the street of the slave auction block at 402 William Street. Local Holdings, L.L.C. is the owner of the Olde Towne Butcher shop and The Butcher’s Table restaurant at 401 William Street. The petitioners allege that they will lose business income from what they predict will be a decline in foot traffic and a decline in tourist visits to the corner after the stone auction block is removed. Their petition argues that City Council had no legal authority to order the relocation of the slave auction block, and that only the Architectural Review Board could undertake this action. The approved plan for relocation of the stone auction block called for its removal by Public Works crews under the supervision of the professional archaeologists of Dovetail Cultural Resources, the cleaning of the stone with water and mild detergents at a City facility, and then, after the stone had fully dried, its transport by Public Works crews to the River Gallery of the Fredericksburg Area Museum for display to the public. The Public Works Department had constructed a custom pallet to accomplish this move. The museum is closed to the public during January and February 2020 for its annual reconfiguration of exhibits, and then re-opens to the public on March 1. The plan called for interpretation of the block site after relocation to occur in several phases. Under Phase 1, at the time of the block’s removal, a medallion approximately the same diameter as the block will be placed in the sidewalk to mark the location. The medallion will be level with the sidewalk. Additionally, a wayside panel will be placed at the block site. In Phase 1A, the City will complete infrastructure improvements, including sidewalk bump-outs at each of the four corners of the intersection. This effort will result in an expansion of the sidewalk surface and narrowing of pedestrian crossings, improving the safety of the site and allowing more space for Phase 2 interpretation efforts. The Memorials Advisory Commission is leading a process to design permanent interpretive materials for the site, part of their initiative to help the City “tell the whole story” of African American history in Fredericksburg. “The City Council’s decision to relocate the slave auction block was made after 18 months of public input sessions, including the year-long community collaboration project led by the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience. Hundreds of residents participated in this effort, sharing their personal experiences and perspectives,” said Fredericksburg Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw. Mayor Greenlaw concluded her statement, saying, “City Council has directed the City Attorney to vigorously defend this action, and to bring it to a successful conclusion as soon as reasonably possible.” Read full the lawsuit filed December 10, 2019: Petition at Law for Declaratory Judgment. Council Moves Forward on Auction Block Preservation, Interpretation The City Council voted on June 11, 2019 to relocate the block from its original location at the northwest corner of Charles and William Streets to the Fredericksburg Area Museum. As the block is an historic object located within the City’s local historic district overlay, a certificate of appropriateness (COA) must be granted for removal from the original site. The Architectural Review Board received an application for a certificate of appropriateness to relocate the Slave Auction Block from its original site to the FAM on July 22, 2019. The Architectural Review Board initially considered the application in a public hearing on August 12, 2019. At that time, the Board did not take action due to concerns over the procedure for an application predicated on a vote of action by the City Council. At the September 9, 2019 meeting of the ARB, the City Attorney requested a work session with the ARB to continue discussion and seek consultation on the proposed action. The work session was held on September 23 and, at that time, the City Attorney gave a brief presentation providing background on the City Council’s process since 2017, including the extensive community outreach conducted in partnership with the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, and a number of considerations for the ARB. A thorough discussion was held regarding Board members’ individual views on the matter, the relevant criteria contained in the City Code, and possible courses of action. At the October 14, 2019 ARB meeting, a motion to deny the relocation was made, but failed with a vote of two in favor, one opposed, three abstentions and one disqualification under COIA. No other motion or vote took place, so the ARB took no action on the application. Public comment was received at all four meetings of the ARB that included this topic. City Code §72-23.1(C)(5) states that the ARB shall act within 90 days of the official submission of the application. As no action was taken, the application was transmitted to the City Council for a decision on appeal. The City Council voted on November 12, 2019 to approve the COA for Relocation of the Slave Auction Block, as well as approval of the Plan for Relocation and the Loan Agreement to the Fredericksburg Area Museum. These decisions by Council followed the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience Final Report. This report, the final of three phases of community engagement work in the City conducted throughout 2018, was received by Council in March 2019. Future Site Interpretation Interpretation of the block site after relocation is proposed to occur in several phases:
Phase 1 – complete by December 31, 2019
Phase 1A – complete by July 1, 2020
Phase 2 – complete in approximately one to two years
Permanent interpretation of the block site will be developed through the efforts of the Memorials Advisory Commission and will take some time to design. This Phase 2 design work is part of an extensive collaborative process that builds on the work of the ICSC and will include many community stakeholders, as well as a liaison from the ARB and technical assistance from the National Park Service. The Phase 1 design is intended to mark the location of the block in the interim and improve the infrastructure (Phase 1A) of the site. Phase 1: At the time of the block’s removal, a bronze medallion approximately the same diameter as the block will be placed in the sidewalk to mark the location. This medallion will be level with the sidewalk surface and its surface will be blank, allowing for inscription, reuse, or replacement later. Additionally, a wayside panel will be placed at the block site. The panel will be the same design as those throughout the downtown so that it can be reused after the permanent interpretive materials are installed. The panel itself will highlight some aspects of the site’s history and describe the current process in which the City is engaged. It is not intended to be comprehensive, but to ensure that the site remains visible and that information is readily available to the public. This work is planned for December 2019. Phase 1A: By the end of the fiscal year, the City will complete infrastructure improvements that include creating sidewalk bump-outs at each of the four corners of the intersection. This effort will result in an expansion of the sidewalk surface and narrowing of the pedestrian crossings, improving the safety of the site and allowing more space for the Phase 2 interpretation efforts. Phase 2: Within the next two years, the Memorials Advisory Commission will oversee a process to design permanent interpretive materials for this site. Future Display at the Fredericksburg Area Museum The auction block will be relocated two blocks from it’s current location to the Fredericksburg Area Museum for purposes of display to the public in a museum exhibit located in the “River Gallery.” FAM has agreed to continue to provide opportunities for free admission and after-hours access to the exhibit. They plan to engage a professional in the field of museum interpretation and design to ensure the final exhibit meets accepted standards for scholarship, accessibility, and design, as well as seek and consider input on exhibit content and design from the Fredericksburg Memorials Advisory Commission and other community organizations as appropriate. The museum display will maintain the association of the block and the larger Planter’s Hotel site at 401-405 William Street. Community Dialogue About the Auction Block from 2017 – 2019 It is important to recognize that the City Council decision-making process, specific to the future of the auction block, has been taking place within the larger context of a community dialogue about race, history, and memory. The residents have been integral to these discussions since 2017 and Council’s actions have sought to reflect the voice of our community. Where did this discussion begin? The City had a lengthy community dialogue in 2017 about the slave auction block. Councilor Frye placed the topic on the City Council agenda for August 22, 2017 following the previous Sunday night, when a group of about 100 people had gathered downtown to pray for reconciliation and healing, at the site of the stone block. The Council directed staff to engage the community about the future of the slave auction block. Community Survey and Public Forums 2017 In September 2017 online input was gathered on two options on the future of the slave auction block – for it to remain in place option A, or for it to be removed, option B. Here is the summary of the 602 responses to the questions. Public Comment Summary (PDF) Council held a public forum on Saturday, September 23, 2017 for citizens to speak about the two options. Twenty-six citizens spoke at the forum. Approximately 100 people attended. On September 26, 2017 Council voted to keep the slave block at its current location, by adopting option A, and to focus on better telling a more complete history of Fredericksburg. To help accomplish this, the City engaged the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience to assist in leading the next discussions in three phases of community collaboration sessions. Community Collaboration Sessions and Reports 2018-2019 The International Coalition of Sites of Conscience led Phase 1 sessions were held during April and May 2018 with 140 individuals participating in small focus group settings. Staff from the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience gathered the stories that the community is currently telling about African American History and the slave auction block and how community members felt about those stories. The Phase 1 public report (PDF) details major themes extracted from the interviews and focus groups. Community Collaboration Brochure (PDF) – mailed to every household in 22401 in early July 2018 informing residents of the upcoming community discussions. Community collaboration continued in Phase 2 with a focus more specifically on the slave auction block through a series of public brainstorming sessions. Round 1 occurred on August 23 and 24 with several sessions at The Walker-Grant Center, at 210 Ferdinand Street. These sessions focused on reviewing the findings from the Phase 1 report (PDF) and what the reinterpretation of the slave auction block may look like based on these findings. Round 2 discussions occurred on September 24 and 25 with several sessions at Walker Grant Center. These sessions focused on a design and signage conversation and review of concepts. The Phase 2 report (PDF) was published in December 2018. Phase 3 discussions occurred on October 23 and 24, November 13 and 14 and December 12 and 13 with all meetings occurring at the downtown Fredericksburg Library at 1201 Caroline Street. Topics were the following for October: Telling the Whole Story; for November: Creating Reflection and Connecting Past to Present; and for December: Education and Next Steps. These discussions delved deeper into topics that were heard during the first two phases including ways in which people talk about all facets of our history. The Phase 3 Final Report was released on March 13, 2019 at a special meeting of Council. On May 14, 2019, Council accepted the final ISCS Report, and requested that the Memorials Advisory Commission be tasked to work to tell a more complete City story (which includes a review of City related tourism printed/online material, scripts, signage and to make recommendations as to how the story is told moving forward at Charles and Williams Streets). Community groups such as the NAACP, NPS, HFFI, UMW, Museum Council, City staff, among others, will be included as Council takes steps to put the ICSC recommendations into place. On June 11, 2019, the City of Fredericksburg Council voted 6-1 in favor of moving the slave auction block from its current location at the corner of William and Charles Streets to the Fredericksburg Area Museum. Staff was directed to prepare a plan for removal of the auction block and to execute removal by the end of the 2019 calendar year. The Fredericksburg Area Museum agreed to accept the slave auction block, including coordinating logistics and planning interpretation. The Memorials Advisory Commission began working though materials delivered to them at their meeting on June 5, 2019.Their work is likely to take several years to accomplish.
New Release: Council Moves Forward on Preservation, Interpretation – June 13, 2019
History of Auction Block There is not perfect certainty as to the history of the stone that we refer to as the slave auction block, and this must be acknowledged from the start. In 2010, John Hennessy, Chief Historian of the Fredericksburg-Spotsylvania National Military Park, published a three-part article (see below) that explores the known history of this “block of stone,” which is generally regarded as authoritative from a historical standpoint.
Today, the block remains at the corner of William and Charles Streets, a busy downtown commercial corner. Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc., installed a small, ground level, bronze plaque in 1984, reading: “AUCTION BLOCK, Fredericksburg’s Principal Auction Site in Pre-Civil War Days for Slaves and Property.” City Council’s 2036 Vision Statement, Sharing Our Past, Embracing Our Future: The people of Fredericksburg are building a 21st century urban center on the foundation of this historic city at the fall line of the Rappahannock River. Fredericksburg is the hub of regional economic activity, a city with a multicultural population and thriving cultural scene, a place that works for everyone, a community where the people are writing the next chapters of Fredericksburg’s history. City Council wanted to ensure that the decision-making process for the slave auction block location takes place within the larger context of a community dialogue about race, history, and memory. The community dialogue began, and it should continue, with leadership from the local religious community, business community, historians, academic institutions, and the local African American community and institutions. City Council members wish to support this larger conversation and to participate in it. If you have any questions please contact: Fredericksburg City Manager, Tim Baroody P.O., Box 7447 Fredericksburg, VA 22401 (540) 372-1010Email Tim Baroody . . . . . .
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