The Free Union Fire of 1896: Tragedy and Injustices

July 6, 2023

Helice Jones and Alice Cannon will present the story of the Free Union Fire of 1896

One White man died in a fire  in Free Union on a cold January night in 1896 and four Black Men fell under suspicion for his death.  One was hanged, one sent to the penitentiary for 18 years, one sentenced to five years in prison and one testified to the untrue story that convicted the others and he went free.

 Helice Jones is a descendant of Taylor Harmon, who was executed.  Alice Cannon has been researching this difficult narrative since Helice told her about it.

Next Meeting:

  • The Ten Largest Emancipations in Albemarle County with Sam Towler
    May 1, 2025 Ten years ago, Gayle Schulman did a draft index of where the emancipations of Albemarle can be located in the deed and will books of Albemarle. Building on this, Sam picked out the 10 largest emancipations of Albemarle from Gayle’s list and looked at them in detail and will present a summary.
    Read More

Questions?

If you have questions about CVHR, or would like to ask our members a research question, please send us an email using the link at the top of this page.