“To sell at public auction to the highest bidder”: Sales of Enslaved Persons in Charlottesville

April 6, 2023

Jalane Schmidt and UVA Graduate Student Researchers

This presentation investigates the significance of Charlottesville’s Court Square as an Antebellum site of enslavement. Led by Jalane Schmidt, Director of the University of Virginia’s Memory Project and a team of graduate student researchers, the project uncovers the critical role that the Albemarle County Court played as both an arbiter of enslavement and an instrument of dehuminization. By revealing the role this site and and the Court played in trafficking enslaved people, this project aims to investigate the legacy of slavery in Charlottesville, Virginia. In close collaboration with the local descendant community, the project interrogates how historical research can shape public memory and public understanding of the period of enslavement.

April’s CVHR meeting will be IN PERSON at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center !!

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.