News Archives

RICHMOND'S SLAVE TRAIL COMING TOGETHER:


  • Reconciliation Statue Unveiled
  • Unearthing Richmond’s Slave History: Lumpkin’s Jail
  • Archaeological Survey Unearths Significant Findings

 

RECONCILIATION STATUE UNVEILED ON THE RICHMOND SLAVE TRAIL

Richmond's Reconciliation Statue was unveiled as part of the Slave Trail - a walking trail  that chronicles the history of the slave trade of Africans brought to Richmond until 1865.  Unveiled to a crowd of more than five thousand on March  2007, the Reconciliation Statue installation here in Richmond completes the triangular trade route of countries involved in slave trading.  Now, identical statues installed in Liverpool England and Benin, West Africa completes what has been termed the "Reconciliation Triangle.  Below are images from the installation of Richmond's Reconciliation Statue.

All Photos: Maurice Duke, photo 4 - Ron Mitchell

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PHOTOS:

1) Dignitaries from around the world address the crowd.

2) Woman contemplates the meaning of the Reconciliation Statue

3) Councilwoman & Slave Trail Commission member Delores McQuinn

4) Reconciliation Statue unveiled

5) Reconciliation Statue

6) Children pose at the dedication

SIGNIFICANT FINDINGS AT THE LUMPKIN'S JAIL SITE!

Read the RTD Article on the launch of this effort
FOUND!  Pottery, glass, nails, wood, slate shingles were among the artifacts found in the April 2006 archaeological survey!  The long
awaited Phase I archaeological survey has been completed at the site where Lumpkin’s slave jail once stood - just north of the
Main Street Station, adjacent to the elevated railroad tracks. This city-owned parking lot was located through the use of 1835 map of Richmond's lot locations superimposed onto the modern landscape to come up with very accurate survey coordinates. City surveyors
located the lot lines in the city-owned parking lot behind Main Street Station, overlooking

I-95.  This survey was sponsored by the City of Richmond, the Richmond Slave Trail Commission, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, the A.C.O.R.N., and businesses in Shockoe Bottom.  This Phase I survey was conducted by James River Institute for Archaeology (JRI) and has produced significant artifacts that have indicated this site is indeed the location of the Lumpkin Jail - one of the largest slave auction sites at the time of the Civil War.  While standing on the site, Dr. Matt Laird, partner and senior researcher with JRI, commented, “It was quite exciting to stand on the location of the jail (give or take a few feet!)”
In the near future, JRI will continue with Phase II of this urban archaeological endeavor that will hopefully produce historic relics to help bring this significant piece of Richmond's history to the forefront.

PHOTOS OF THE GROUND BREAKING:
All Photos: Maurice Duke

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PHOTOS:

1) Slave Trail Commission Members break ground

2) Councilwoman Delores McQuinn addresses the attendees

3) Groundbreaking attendees receive soil samples

                                                                                  
PHOTOS OF THE LUMPKIN'S JAIL ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG:
All Photos: Maurice Duke

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PHOTOS:

1) Lumpkin's jail dig site near Main Street Station
2) Dr. Matt Laird at the site

3) JSI archaeologist at work

4) Artifacts from Phase One of the archaeological dig

5) Foundation of building on jail site

6)1865 Map of Lumpkin's jail site

ABOUT LUMPKIN’S JAIL



Called the “Devil’s Half Acre,” during the time of slavery, Lumpkin’s Jail was where tens of thousands of Africans not only were imprisoned, whipped, sold and shuttled out on ship, railroad or by foot to plantations throughout the Deep South, but died as a result of inhumane conditions and treatment. Robert Lumpkin was the owner of this piece of hell where he kept the men, women, and children he purchased before selling them.  The Lumpkin's Jail complex was the biggest and most notorious jail in the city that operated the largest slave export business in the United States in the decades prior to the Civil War.  Lumpkin died shortly after the Civil war; and his African-American widow and former slave, Mary Lumpkin, inherited his estate.  In 1867, she leased the jail to Reverend Nathaniel Colver who established a school for freed slaves at the site. Founded by the American Baptist Home Missionary Society and the National Theological Institute, the school grew into what is called today Virginia Union University. It expanded and moved from the site of the Lumpkin's Jail in 1870.  The transformation earned Lumpkin’s a new nickname, “God’s Half Acre.” The former site of Lumpkin’s Jail is now a parking lot bordered by Main Street Train Station’s Train Shed, East Main Street,

I-95 Interstate and E. Broad Street.

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PHOTOS:

1) 1850 Daguerreotype showing Lumpkin's jail in Shockoe Bottom

2) Daguerreotype detail (red outline) showing location of Lumpkin's jail


ABOUT THE SLAVE TRAIL COMMISSION


MISSION STATEMENT:

To promote awareness of the history and legacy of slavery in Richmond primarily in the geographical area where the slave trade
flourished prior to the Civil War; to publicly acknowledge Richmond's enslaved Africa Americans as well ad their impact on the
development of the city; to assist, where possible, in the preservation of historical materials, sites, structures and artifacts related to
this aspect of Richmond history for the purpose of gaining wider understanding and education about the role of slavery in human history.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND GOALS
* The Night Walk Along the Slave Trail was established and is now part of the annual Junteenth Celebration.
* The Slave Trail along the James River and Manchester Docks has been designated as a Historic Landmark
* The Historic Winfree Cottage will be placed near the Lumpkin's Jail site, refurbished and used as an informational
   Center along the Slave Trail
* The Lumpkin's Jail Site has been identified and the Archaeological Survey of the site has begun
* The Reconciliation Statue has arrived in Richmond and will be placed at the corner of
   15th and E. Main streets in partnership with the Commonwealth of Virginia

TYPICAL SLAVE AUCTION IN RICHMOND

QUOTES FROM SLAVE TRAIL PROJECT SPONSORS:

“Only by exploring the corridors of our past can we find the keys to our future. As we continue discussions regarding the economic development of Shockoe Bottom, serious consideration must be given to this area’s historical richness. The potential findings of this project can not only provide us with additional information about this area’s past, but can be instrumental in our determinations of  its future,” said Rev. Delores L. McQuinn, 7th District Councilwoman and Chair of the Richmond Slave Trail Commission.” 

“For more than a century, the history of Lumpkin’s jail has been buried—literally,” said Jennie Dotts, Executive Director of A.C.O.R.N.“We are excited to be a part of this opportunity to discover important and long-neglected remains of Richmond’s past that may  shed new light on both local and world history.” 

“Archaeology is an often forgotten and overlooked aspect of City planning--out of sight, out of mind,” noted Kathleen S. Kilpatrick, Director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. “We applaud the City’s leadership in setting a high standard for stewardship
in an area that resonates with history.  This study will tell us whether there are still physical remains in the ground that can help tell an important story.”                                                                 

A.C.O.R.N. in partnership with the City of Richmond, the Slave Trail Commission and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources has begun a archaeological survey on the site in Shockoe Bottom that was once Lumpkin’s Jail, the largest and best-known slave pen and boarding house located in antebellum Richmond.