The replacement gravestone for Pvt. Austin Smallwood, Company I, 14th Regiment, U. S. Colored Heavy Artillery, delivered in 2017, and recently installed in Mount Calvary Cemetery (1879), Portsmouth, Virginia. Austin was born enslaved about 1845 in Bertie County, NC. In 1863, Austin’s owners vowed to shoot and kill any of their slaves that “ran away to the Yankees.” Cognizant of the deadly threat, Austin remained on the plantation to look after his mother, Nancy, and three younger brothers. However, in early 1865, he escaped, and made his way to New Bern, NC, where he enlisted in the Union Army on February 23rd. After his discharge in December, 1865 at Fort Macon, NC, Austin moved to Portsmouth, VA, and soon became an influential member of his community, a devoted husband, and loving father. Although he’d made Portsmouth his new home, Austin never forgot his roots, and kept in close contact with his family in North Carolina. Pvt. Austin Smallwood died in 1894. Rest in power. #africanamerican #historic #preservation #gravestone #historiccemeteries #history #blackhistory #freedom #virginia #northcarolina #cemetery #thisplacematters
The replacement headstone for Pvt Richard Reddick, Co. F, 1st Regiment, U.S. Colored Cavalry, has been installed in Mount Calvary Cemetery. Born enslaved in Perquimans County, North Carolina (some documents note Camden County), he escaped and enlisted on February 22, 1864, at Norfolk, Virginia. He mustered out on February 4, 1866, at Brazos Santiago, Texas. On July 10, 1896, he passed away at his home on Griffin St. His wife, Mary, passed away in 1940, and may be buried in Lincoln Memorial Cemetery with several of their children. #africanamerican #historic #preservation #gravestone #honor #sacrifice #freedomfighter #blackhistory #virginia #northcarolina #ancestry #cemetery
The Robert Russa Moton High School/Moton Museum in Farmville, Virginia. It was recently added to the U. S. Civil Rights Trail. From the historical marker: “On this site 4-23-1951, the students staged a strike protesting inadequate school facilities. Led by Rev. L. Francis Griffin, these students’ actions became a part of the 1954 U. S. Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision, which ruled racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. To avoid desegregation, the Prince Edward County public schools were closed until 9-2-1964.” Photo: June 26, 2016.
#historic #africanamerican #preservation #equality #education #virginia #civilrights #history #respect #thisplacematters #blackhistory #memory
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