As the Curator of African American History and Special Projects, in collaboration with the African American History Committee, continues to conduct research and gather information about African American history in the Fredericksburg Area, this page will serve to provide access to these resources for the general public. Check back often for updated information and additional resources, and reach out to gsims@famva.org for further reading on other topics related to African American history and culture in the Fredericksburg Area.
The City of Fredericksburg’s Timeline of Auction Block Relocation.
The City of Fredericksburg contracted with the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience to complete an initiative that consisted of three phases. The first phase was an audit of the stories that the community tells about African American History and the slave auction block and how community members felt about those stories. The second phase focused more specifically on the “Slave Auction Block” through a series of public brainstorming sessions meant to imagine how the Block could be further interpreted. The final phase focused on public dialogues bringing the community together to talk about major community themes revealed during the first two phases.
Former National Park Service Historian John Hennessy has written extensively about the Auction Block over the years and has gathered together his considerable research in a single post on the National Parks Service blog “Mysteries and Conundrums.”
Visit “The Slave Auction Block at William and Charles” to access his research.
