Virginia history is more than we have been taught. Many know Virginia as the mother of Presidents, but it is also the place where at least 500,000 enslaved people lived and worked. Their presence and contributions have shaped the Commonwealth of Virginia in a variety of ways.
This blog explores Black history across time and space, coming from a native and a resident of Virginia; my work as a historian explores public spaces with attention to visitor education and community engagement. There's plenty to learn, see, and do when you Come Home to Virginia.
Booker T. Washington National Monument

The Booker T. Washington National Monument commemorates the life of a leader, college president, orator, and statesman who was born enslaved.
When you visit the 200+ acre farm and park, you’ll appreciate rural life from a different perspective. An 1850 tobacco farm has been reconstructed with demonstrations of farm life occurring regularly. Washington’s early life was centered on work and more work. He walked to Hampton Institute with the hopes of being admitted, his perseverance was noted, and he entered and completed the course of study to become an educator.
When Washington was asked to direct a new institution, Tuskegee Institute, he became a leader in the larger American narrative. When I visited, Carla Whitfield, Superintendent of the Booker T. Washington National Monument expressed the significance of learning about Booker T. Washington and the historic site.
“There is truth in the axiom, ‘those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’ The reality is that too few schools are educating American youth on the realities of slavery, and even more so on the Reconstruction Era, which is one of the most influential and fascinating times of United States history," Whitfield said.
The Booker T. Washington National Monument offers a wide breadth of information pertinent to the plantation Washington was enslaved to, as the site includes several reconstructed 19th century buildings from the original property, including a tobacco barn which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Visitors also receive a concise exposure to the accomplishments of Dr. Washington, as well as a deep knowledge of his philosophies and other civil rights-related information.
Anyone can benefit from their experiences at this park, which is the only federally-recognized emancipation site in Virginia. Visitors begin at the visitor center by viewing an award-winning video introduction to the life of Booker T. Washington. They then continue to solidify their education by participating in interactive modules, listening to audio recordings, and viewing quotations and visuals all located within the exhibit area.
Passionate and knowledgeable volunteers and park rangers are available to answer any questions or assist with additional accommodations. The staff is also happy to engage in discussions regarding Booker T. Washington to help further the visitors’ understanding of Washington’s significance in American History. The bookstore offers numerous books and items related to the visit, and resources and reference materials are also available at the front desk.
Mount Vernon

Learn about the enslaved people who lived and worked at the home of George and Martha Washington on a special tour of Mount Vernon.
The exhibition Lives Bound Together: Slavery at George Washington’s Mount Vernon chronicled the lives of families who worked the land, lived in the main house, and eventually established communities in the surrounding area. Initially conceived for one gallery, the curatorial staff spread its wings and created a stunning exhibition which encompasses seven galleries. It can now be explored virtually.
The details in the exhibition flesh out the documentary evidence and helps us appreciate the interconnected, yet unequal, lives of the enslaved people and those who owned them. Much of what we learn in this exhibit comes from the collections at Mount Vernon. The various lists of enslaved people made by members of the Washington and Custis families open the door so that we may glimpse into the lives of the people who were enslaved at the plantation.
Enslaved people raised families, formed communities, and shared hopes and dreams that later manifested beyond the confines of the plantation. You canlearn about Doll, Caroline Branham, Frank and William Lee, Hercules, Ona (Oney), Sambo Anderson, Priscilla and Penny, Judge Staines, Kate, Caesar, George, Davy Gray, Edmund Parker, Christopher Sheels, Kitty, and Nancy Carter Quander.
When I spoke with Mary Thompson, a historian who has worked at Mount Vernon since 1980, we talked about the decades of research she conducted to learn about the enslaved people at Mount Vernon. Davy Gray, for example, arrived at Mount Vernon when he was nearly sixteen years old. He had been enslaved at Martha Custis’ plantation. When she married George Washington, Davy Gray was taken to Mount Vernon, where he worked as a field worker, supervisor, and eventually became an overseer. When Washington implemented dietary changes for the workforce in 1793, Gray advocated for his fellow laborers to Washington, recommending an improved diet rather than the barely sufficient amount in the new plan.
There is also Priscilla, who ran away twice—once while six months pregnant and another time nine months after giving birth. What conditions drove her to attempt not one but two escapes? Though the records do not provide answers, their fragmentary existence suggests the different experiences of enslaved women.
Mount Vernon commemorates the community of enslaved people at the Slave Memorial site. A wreath-laying presentation is offered daily and is included with the general admission ticket. Visit in mid-September and enjoy the annual Colonial Market & Fair.
Monticello

Photo Credit: The Detour Duo @thedetour_duo
Monticello has been telling the stories of Black Americans for decades. Since launching its oral history initiative, called Getting Word: African American Families of Monticello, descendants of individuals who lived and worked at Jefferson's plantation are recorded and their ancestors honored.
“I feel more complete as a person because I know a little bit more about my history and my ancestors,” Karen Hughes White said. She is a descendant of Betty Brown and Wormley Hughes, and recorded her family history in 1995 for the project.
Mulberry Row, where many of the enslaved people lived, has been reconstructed, and other restoration projects are ongoing. The discovery of Sally Heming's premises presented new opportunities to interpret the lives of enslaved women on plantations.
Staff members share in the enthusiasm for the work. Niya Bates, Public Historian of Slavery and African American Life said, “Monticello has always been a critical place for people to engage with Thomas Jefferson and his legacy as a founding father, president, and founder of the University of Virginia. In the past couple of decades, Monticello has made a lot of interpretive changes that have allowed us to become a site where people can engage with Jefferson and his involvement with slavery and race."
Aurelia Crawford has been a guide for twelve years. “I can say right now that Monticello is the place where ‘history speaks’ – loudly. There are so many avenues a docent can travel with Jefferson – of course there are certain themes we must touch upon because people are coming from all over the world and not many know his many interests and accomplishments. But also, when it comes to the families of slaves in his holdings (and they were assets), it is fulfilling to be able to project their lives and stories onto the scene.”
On your visit to Monticello, check out these tours and exhibitions that centralize Black history: From Slavery to Freedom Tours, Slavery at Monticello Tours, and the virtual exhibition Paradox of Liberty: Slavery at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. The staff works to incorporate new findings in their tours and interactions with the public and with scholars.
Montpelier

Montpelier, home of Dolley and James Madison, has also been in the process of expanding its history. As the fourth president of the United States, Madison was also known as the Father of the Constitution and architect of the Bill of Rights. He was also a slave owner.
In Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution, Madison avoided using the word “slavery.” Though he and others championed individual rights, they themselves allowed human beings to be bought and sold as chattel. As many as 100 enslaved people lived and labored at Montpelier. Archeological research and documentary analysis has uncovered a great deal about the lives of Montpelier-born enslaved people.
One person who has been identified through the documents is Catherine Taylor (ca. 1820-1889), an enslaved woman. Although enslaved people could not legally marry, a common practice of marriage was allowed and accepted by slave owners. Catherine married Ralph Taylor, a house slave, and together they had four children. When Dolley Madison moved to Washington, she chose to take Ralph with her to the Capitol, disrupting his family's life. Catherine was left at Montpelier until several months later.
These and other stories help us peek into the past, reflect on American history, and appreciate freedom. An active engagement with the descendant communities has enabled the staff to flesh out the fragments of enslaved peoples’ lives. They began archeological research on the slave dwellings, specifically on the site where they were originally constructed in the South Yard. They have also opened the exhibition The Mere Distinction of Colour, which focuses on the lives of the enslaved people not only at Montpelier but also in the nearby vicinity.
With the images, the sounds, the words, the feeling of being below the big house—the experience is powerful and palpable. I was riveted when I went to visit on Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. The day was hot and the site was filled with visitors, vendors, arts activities, and a slamming band. And of course there was good food!
The staff provided tours and in fact, they were so friendly, and the site is so engaging, I was the last one to leave Montpelier as I went in and out of the reconstructed dwellings in the South Yard. Visit on Constitution Day in September for special events.
Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site

Photo Credit: Big Orange Frame
The Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site is located in the historic neighborhood of Jackson Ward in Richmond. The site commemorates the life of the progressive and talented Black woman and consists of her home of thirty years and adjacent buildings, where the visitor’s center and exhibit hall are housed.
Maggie Lena Walker’s early years included helping her mother with her laundry business. This experience enabled her to appreciate the value of hard work and the earnest desire of working people to lift themselves up through education, economic empowerment, and employment. Her accomplishments include taking over and leading the Independent Order of St. Luke, a beneficial organization, into a profitable and prosperous business, and founding the St. Luke Herald Newspaper, the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank, and the Emporium Department Store.
The Chief of Interpretation at the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site, Dr. Andrea DeKoter, said, “Maggie Walker is someone whose story resonates with people from every walk of life, and I think one reason is because she faced obstacle after obstacle and never gave up. So often historic figures are un-relatable: they inherited wealth or a title or had access to resources that 99% of us will never have. Mrs. Walker, on the other hand, made her own success, experienced setbacks—with family, with her health—and still never flagged in her dedication to equal rights and justice. She was a visionary civil rights leader, a powerful businesswoman with incredible financial acumen, and she was also a colleague, a wife, a mother."
Take advantage of your visit to the Maggie Walker house by stopping by nearby sites, including the statue of Walker at Adams and Broad Street and the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, located on Leigh Street.
For more Black history in Jackson Ward, check out this guide.
Alexandria Black History Museum

Old Town Alexandria
Photo Credit: Ime Umoh @imeumoh_
The Alexandria Black History Museum is comprised of three sites—the museum, the Watson Reading Room, and the Alexandria African American Heritage Park. The Watson Reading Room, open by appointment, is a wonderful site for research, with over 4000 books on Black History. The museum hosts changing exhibitions on Alexandria's Black history and a wide variety of programs from concerts to film screenings and lectures.
When I spoke with Audrey Davis, Director of the ABHM, I asked her what were the two big stories that visitors would most remember. She highlighted two important moments for the expansion of civil rights in Alexandria: an 1864 petition from over 400 United States Colored Troops demanding burial rights for their fallen compatriots, and a 1939 sit-in at the city's public library. The latter led to the creation of the Robert Robinson Library, the historic anchor of the ABHM.
The museum is committed to highlighting the history and culture of the local community within a national context. Public programming as well as travelling and permanent exhibits serve to enlighten and engage visitors about the variety of Black experiences. When visiting the ABHM I found a friendly and engaging staff and a great gift shop with a variety of gifts, books, games and toys related to Black history.
Other nearby attractions include the Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library, where the 1939 sit-in occurred, as well as the Freedom House Museum on Duke Street. The Alexandria National Cemetery and African American Heritage Park are also local standouts.
American Revolution Museum at Yorktown

Photo Credit: Gregory Durieu @globereporter
Formerly known as the Yorktown Victory Center, this museum has been re-imagined and is filled with lots of hands-on experiences for children and families.
Take the time to watch the orientation film, “Liberty Fever.” Through the use of stationary silhouettes and moving shadow puppets, visitors will enter into the lives of five people. It is so well done that it was recognized by the American Alliance of Museums and received the Gold Award for museum films. I really appreciated the personal stories included throughout the sprawling yet well-defined exhibition.
On a recent visit to the new American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, I learned about Billy Flora, a Black soldier who became a hero at the Battle of Great Bridge in 1775, and another subject often omitted in the history books found in schools. James Lafayette, an enslaved man from nearby New Kent County, successfully spied on the British for the American forces, yet spent much of his life after the war seeking his own freedom from slavery.
The museum also displays a number of items from its collections. Artifacts, such as a Wedgwood antislavery medallion, attest to the growing public opposition to slavery. A rare portrait of Ayuba Suleiman Diallo is on view; it is one of two known portraits done from the life of an African person enslaved in the colonies. A recently constructed 12x10 foot building represents quarters for enslaved people. The log walls and wood clapboard eaves and roof, the fireplace and stick and mud chimney, the storage pit and adjacent yard and garden all provide historical context to reference the lived experience of enslaved people during the American Revolutionary period. Costumed interpreters depict life and teach visitors about life in the Revolutionary period through hands-on demonstrations and experiences.
I hope this post has whetted your appetite and enticed you to come home to Virginia.