Under the Highway: North Jackson Ward

A look into one chapter of Richmond, VA's complex history

Today North Jackson Ward, otherwise known as Gilpin Court, hardly resembles the same area in the early 20th century.

With countless businesses, homes, and a bustling cultural scene, Jackson Ward was full of life in the early 20th century, earning the titles of "Black Wall Street" and the "Harlem of the South." For instance, photographed in 1907, to the left stands tall the home of Dr. Sarah Garland Boyd Jones and Dr. Miles Jones, two prominent Jackson Ward community members.

2022 imagery of the exact same location in North Jackson Ward tells an entirely different story. Separated from the loud highway by only a measly chain-link fence, an empty lot and a desolate street now sit where the Jones family home and countless others once presided. The segment of North 3rd street where they lived no longer even exists, erased by the highway long ago.

To understand why North Jackson Ward differs so much from its past form, it's crucial to return to the Richmond of the late 1800's.


Black Suffrage

In March 1867, the US Congress passed the first Reconstruction Act, granting Black men the right to vote. In Richmond, the widespread increase in suffrage meant that registered Black voters outnumbered white voters from 1867-1869 (Campbell 134).

To the white conservative majority on Richmond's City Council, this constituted their greatest fear--- a Richmond government responsive to Black voters. Though Richmond then annexed land from Henrico County in 1867, increasing the number of white voters, in 1870 there were still 6,220 registered Black voters for 6,868 registered white voters. A political realignment was a very real possibility.

To maintain their hold on city government, in 1871 the conservative City Council created a new gerrymandered voting district-- Jackson Ward --to pack the majority of Richmond’s Black voters into one district in order to guarantee a white majority in the other 5 wards (Campbell 134).

Use the slider below to see the difference between the original 1871 boundary and the current boundary. However, it is necessary to note that North Jackson Ward is also known as Gilpin nowadays.

The gerrymandering inhibited Black Richmonders' ability to affect City Council's actions at a large scale, since they could essentially only elect Black representatives from one ward out of six. However, it did also ensure at least some Black representation in the local government. Between 1870 and 1900, 33 Black representatives served on City Council and in Jackson Ward "there was never any shortage of individuals who wanted to run for office" (Hoffman 118).

Below are a few of the key Black representatives that served on City Council in the late 19th century. These councilmen used their positions to bring impactful changes to Jackson Ward, such as $20,000 for a new school building in the neighborhood and the installation of street lights.

Black Representatives on City Council

However, despite the advancements the Jackson Ward representatives were able to achieve through their civic participation, they were also vastly outnumbered on City Council. Consequently, they were unable to stop some discriminatory practices, such as when in 1891 City Council approved the construction of an incinerator to burn the city's trash in the middle of the densely populated Jackson Ward.

Despite numerous protesting speeches from City Council member John Mitchell Jr., the incinerator was installed in Postletown, a sub-neighborhood of North Jackson Ward that gained its title for its streets named after the apostles, such as St. John and St. Paul.

For years following the incinerator's construction, John Mitchell Jr. tried to stop its use to save the neighborhood from the pollution and "nauseating smells" it produced (Alexander, 2002, p. 82). However, his votes were consistently overruled and the incinerator stayed in use until the 1920's.

Richmond Planet article from April 20, 1895, Photo Courtesy of the Library of Virginia

Disenfranchisement

Unfortunately, soon the ability of Black Richmonders to serve on City Council at all was taken away via blatant political maneuvering by the white Democrat majority in the Virginia General Assembly.

In 1884, the Virginia General Assembly passed the Anderson-McCormick Elections Law, which authorized the public to elect three officials who would then choose the election officials. Consequently, the white Democratic majority was able to hand pick election officials that could stuff the ballot boxes to suit their needs. As described by the Richmond Dispatch at the time, "the Anderson-McCormick bill was passed in the interest of the white people of Virginia" and was intended to "perpetuate the rule of the white man in Virginia" (Hoffman 125).

The General Assembly doubled down on their efforts in 1894 with the passage of the Walton Act, which essentially turned the ballot into a literacy test by removing any indication of which party candidates belonged to, shuffling the order of candidates on the ballot, and imposing a 2 ½ minute time limit in the voting booth. With a literacy rate of approximately 50% in Virginia's Black population at the time, this law directly attacked the Black electorate (Alexander 83-84).

Article by the Richmond Planet in Photo Courtesy of the Library of Virginia

Moreover, in the 1896 congressional elections, ballots in Republican leaning districts -- such as Jackson Ward -- were crafted to be intentionally confusing, including multiple fake candidates that were not actually running for office. For instance, the false name "John Mitchell" appeared on the ballot to confuse voters away from the real "John Mitchell Jr." and likewise, the false name "W.H. Lewis" to distract from the real option, "L. L. Lewis", and so on. Again in 1900, the same manipulation of ballots occurred. With only 2 ½ minutes in the voting booth due to the Walton Act, the Black vote was effectively diminished by such tactics.

Giles B. Jackson

Giles B. Jackson

The final nail in the coffin was administered in 1901 when a Virginia Constitutional Convention assembled. The convention amended the state constitution to include a poll tax, despite the speeches made by Jackson Ward resident and famous lawyer Giles B. Jackson pleading convention delegates to spare the Black vote from such obstacles.

A few exceptions to the poll tax were added to allow Confederate veterans and their descendants, anyone who had paid taxes on $300 worth of property, or anyone who could demonstrate understanding of the constitution to vote. Because delegates intended that Black voters attempting to register through the understanding clause would face much harder examinations, these clauses allowed poor whites to vote while still deterring Black voters. In fact, one delegate, Carter Glass, said about the new constitution, "Discrimination! Why, that is precisely what we propose; that exactly is what this convention was elected for" (Alexander, pp. 114). With the new constitution enacted in 1902, the Black vote was almost entirely erased. Statewide, the number of eligible Black voters fell to 21,000 by 1905, whereas just four years prior there had been 147,000. In Jackson Ward specifically, the number of Black registered voters fell from 2,983 in 1896 to 347 in 1902 and a mere 33 in 1903. After 1898, there were no more Black members of City Council until 1948 when Oliver Hill was elected.

Savings Bank of the Grand Fountain United Order of True Reformers

In addition to this disenfranchisement, most banks in Richmond wouldn't give out loans to Black people. These discriminatory practices along with the philosophies of those like Booker T. Washington that argued for the economic advancement of Black society effectively encouraged the development of a separate Black economy, with its heart in Jackson Ward.

In 1888, the True Reformers, a fraternal group founded by Reverend W.W. Browne, made history by establishing the first Black bank to be chartered in the United States-- the Savings Bank of the Grand Fountain United Order of True Reformers. Other Richmond-based fraternal groups followed suit, with John Mitchell Jr.'s Knights of Pythias opening the Mechanics Savings Bank in 1902 and Maggie Walker starting St. Luke's Penny Savings Bank in 1903, making her the first Black woman to charter a bank in the country (Nerney, National Park Service).

Guests at the Eggleston Hotel

With the rise of banks, businesses also soon popped up all over Jackson Ward. In Richmond there were 453 Black-run businesses in 1907 and by 1920 this number jumped to 797. Such businesses offered "everything from financial services and real estate to food, clothing, and furniture" (Campbell, pp. 145). Many of these businesses brought national attention to Jackson Ward, such as the Hippodrome Theater and the Eggleston Hotel, two establishments on Second Street which many celebrities frequented such as Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Jackie Robinson, and the Temptations. Martin Luther King Jr. actually stopped by the Eggleston Hotel for breakfast on the way to his famous "I Have a Dream Speech" in Washington D.C., as attested by Neverett Eggleston Jr., the son of the hotel's founder. Second Street, also known as "The Deuce", became famous for its concentration of businesses, earning it the name of "Black Wall Street."

While the segment of Second Street that contained most of its businesses fell into what today would be considered South Jackson Ward, North Jackson Ward was also the location of numerous influential businesses and individuals. Use the arrow on the right edge of the map below to navigate through a virtual tour through many of these locations.

Skipwith-Roper Cottage 400 West Duval Street

Abraham Peyton Skipwith was the first Black man to own property in what would become Jackson Ward. He was born into slavery but purchased his own freedom later on in life and built a house on Duval Street in February 1793. He also was one of the first Black Virginians to execute a will and pass down property to descendants.

Bojangles Robinson's House 915 North Third Street

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson earned fame nationwide for his career as a dancer and performer. He was reveled for his unique tap-dancing technique, but also for his rebellion against segregation barriers by dancing in theatres typically restricted to only white performers. He also lived charitably, once even paying for the installation of traffic lights in Jackson Ward after he saw children struggling to cross the hazardous intersection on their way to school.

St. Luke Hall 900 St. James Street

St. Luke Hall served as the main headquarters for the Independent Order of St. Luke, which was a fraternal organization that offered many services to the Jackson Ward community, such as insurance. The group also founded a bank that was based out of St. Luke Hall for two years before it moved into its own building. Additionally, the Independent Order of St. Luke ran a newpaper that was printed out of St. Luke Hall.

Hall of the Knights of Pythias, 301 East Preston Street

The Knights of Pythias, a fraternal organization whose Richmond chapter was led by John Mitchell Jr., used this building as their headquarters starting in the 1890's. The group engaged in political activism and also ran a bank out of Jackson Ward.

John Jasper's Residence, 1112 St. James Street

Reverend John Jasper led the congregation of Sixth Mount Zion Church for 34 years as the pastor. He was known nationwide for his famous sermons, such as one called "The Sun Do Move" that was "probably as widely known as ever preached in the whole country” according to scholar Mary Wingfield Scott.

Sarah Jones's Office 915 North Third Street

Sarah Jones was the first Black woman licensed to practice medicine in Virginia. She opened a medical office out of her home on North Third Street, where she saw patients from around the city. The Richmond Planet raved about her abilities, saying that her expertise "won her way into the hearts of the people and to-day all classes of patients seek her medical advice." She also was an active member of the Richmond Women's League, which helped free three Black women who were falsely accused in 1895 of murder by a man that later admitted he had actually committed the crime. The group fundraised $690 to hire three attorneys to defend the women and they were released from death row successfully in 1896.

Richmond Hospital and Training School for Nurses 406 East Baker Street

Sarah Jones also helped found the Richmond Hospital Association, which opened a hospital for Black patients on East Baker Street in North Jackson Ward. Additionally, the hospital was used as a training school for nurses.

Shockoe Hill African Burial Ground

The Shockoe Hill African Burial Ground can be seen in the distance in this photo circa 1900. The cemetery was founded in 1816 and operated until 1879. During its sixty years of use, 22,000 Black Richmonders were buried there, which likely qualifies it as the largest cemetery for free and enslaved people of color in the US. Unfortunately, the location has been desecrated over the years and a railroad was built through the cemetery in 1900. Since then, a bridge, city dog pound, a gas station, and an Interstate 64 overpass has been built upon the land. However, in 2018 Lenora McQueen, a woman with ancestral ties to the burial ground, advocated for the land and was able to get it placed upon the National Register of Historic Places on June 16, 2022. For more information, see this article by the  Cultural Landscape Foundation .

Urban Renewal

The term "urban renewal" has been scattered throughout American history, starting in the mid 20th century. Most governments that have bolstered such urban renewal projects, whether through local, state, or federal programs, use the term as a flashy description of what historians Pfau, Hochfelder, and Sewell describe as, "the process of seizing and demolishing large swaths of private and public property for the purpose of modernizing and improving aging infrastructure" ( Pfau et al. ). While urban renewal projects typically are claimed to be for the betterment of the inhabitants of so-called "blighted" areas, the less glamorous truth remains that such projects displace residents, and throughout history have been disproportionately aimed at Black neighborhoods.

In Richmond, the story is no different.

Urban renewal projects first got attention in the city in 1933 when Mayor J. Fulmer Bright brought together a group of white businessmen under the name Sunshine Housing Corporation to determine how to best handle Richmond's "blighted" areas. The group proposed using public funds to clear away land just north of Jackson Ward to construct 228 units of public housing. The move drew strong public opposition, particularly from affected Black Richmonders (Alexander 130-137). As one Black real estate developer, Samuel P.B. Steward wrote,

Quote from P.B. Steward

Funding fell through and the Sunshine Housing Corporation's plan went by the wayside, but only in name. Mayor Bright shortly after founded the Advisory Housing Committee to carry on the same mission via funding from the Public Works Administration. This time, the urban renewal project focused specifically on North Jackson Ward, much to the outrage of residents of the area. George W. Howell, the chairman of the neighborhood's Homeowners Committee, said the following in response to the proposed demolition for the sake of public housing projects:

Richmond's Urban League, a civic organization formed in Jackson Ward in 1913, was also quite vocal about the project ("Urban League of Greater Richmond"). One member, Dr. John Corson, spoke about how many Black residents were welcoming to the idea of public funding to improve housing, but felt that the project had been planned "without taking them into full partnership in the undertaking." Likewise, another member Judge J. Joge Ricks said that many Black residents were receptive to the idea of improving their "present housing" along with addressing infrastructure needs such as better streets and sewers, however did not want to be forced out of their houses to become renters. As with the earlier 1934 plan, the Advisory Committee lost its potential funding and was temporarily dropped (Alexander 130-137).

To the dismay of North Jackson Ward residents, City Council's urban renewal dream once again returned in another form. Authorized by the Housing Act of 1937, in 1940 the Richmond Housing Authority was born and was given $1.97 from the US Housing Authority for slum clearance projects. As documented in the Richmond Housing Authority Annual Report of 1940-1941, they considered the sub-neighborhood of North Jackson Ward, Apostle Town, to be the "worst slum conditions" ("Feasibility Report"). Consequently, it was picked to be demolished by the city so they could build public housing units in its place.

Richmond Times Dispatch article from August 29, 1941

Since the Black vote had been eliminated, there were few means through which residents of Apostle Town could stop city government from destroying their neighborhood and homes. Like many other figures in Richmond's government at the time, Mayor Gordon Ambler praised urban renewal projects as a way to transform impoverished parts of the city--- of course without the input of those living in affected areas. About the Apostle Town plan, Ambler said, "The area on which this slum stands will blossom out and always be a symbol of the sympathetic interest shown by those who are willing to help the other fellow" (Griego).

As said by journalist Tina Griego of Richmond Magazine, "For all the lofty rhetoric, public housing in Richmond quickly became a tool to reinforce segregation.” (Griego). Though residents protested, in August 1941, much of Apostle Town was demolished and 200 houses were torn down.

Gilpin Court in the 1940's

In its place, Richmond's first public housing project, Gilpin Court, was built, containing 297 residential units. However, many of the displaced families found the new bleak Gilpin Court undesirable or unaffordable. Out of the 576 original applications to live in Gilpin Court, only 25 of them were from displaced residents of Apostle Town (Howard and Williamson, 34).

The Highway

Unfortunately, City Council did not stop with the destruction of Apostle Town--- instead they relentlessly pushed for the construction of a highway directly through Jackson Ward, despite resounding resistance from the residents of the neighborhood.

Richmond Times Dispatch article from April 14, 1950

City Council first floated the idea of the highway in 1946 as a result of a plan drawn up by the Virginia Highway Department and the Federal Public Roads Administration. The plan failed to pass in City Council though, and the idea was temporarily put aside. However, in 1949 City Council hired an outside consultant, Ladislas Segoe, to draft a new plan. Segoe's plan envisioned the highway cutting directly through Jackson Ward, which did not sit well with the affected populations. Many staunch opponents of the plan joined together to form "The Citizens Group Against the Expressway Ordinance No. 50-77." After two public hearings about the plan revealed its overwhelming lack of popularity, City Council agreed to a hold a referendum on the matter (Richmond Times Dispatch, 1951).

Reverend W. L. Ransome

In advance of the referendum, the Citizens Group held a meeting to rally opposition against the plan, with speakers such as Reverend W. L. Ransome of First Baptist Church and the former mayor, Fulmer Bright. The group's hopes came true, as the June 1950 referendum shot down the plan by a massive 4,000 vote margin.

Former Mayor J. Fulmer Bright

In January 1951, City Council again brought the highway back onto the docket. However, as critics noted at the time, "There seems to be a tendency among city officials to disregard the referendum...This is the same as the Segoe plan already rejected" (Richmond Times Dispatch, 1951). Richmonders across the city were outraged at City Council's blatant barreling forward with an identical plan in the face of the referendum results. With 6,176 signatures on a petition though -- almost double the required 3,600 -- a group opposed to the proposed route led by J. Fulmer Bright was able to force a second referendum for November 6, 1951.

By an even larger margin of 6,000 votes this time, the referendum defeated the proposed highway plan. As noted by the Richmond Times Dispatch in 1951, majority Black precincts had especially strong margins in opposition of the proposal. For example, a polling place at a Firehouse at 801 North 5th Street that served much of North Jackson Ward collected 492 in opposition of the plan and 30 in support (Richmond Times Dispatch, 1951).

Unfortunately though, City Council did end up bringing their proposed destructive highway plan to fruition through political maneuvering. The very Firehouse on North 5th Street at which 492 Jackson Ward residents voted against the proposal ended up in the path of destruction of the highway years later.

City Council achieved this goal-- in spite of resounding dissent-- by creating a committee that would be under the control of the General Assembly to handle the highway proposal. This way, the public couldn’t force another referendum. Thus, the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike Authority was created and hired a engineering consulting firm to recommend a route. The firm examined 5 different routes -- many which went through sparsely occupied land along the river -- but decided to pick the one going through Jackson Ward as to not harm potential industrial developments that might be built (Alexander 184-190).

On August 1, 1955 the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike Authority approved the route that cut through Jackson Ward & construction began shortly after. As much as Richmonders were able to delay the project, in the end their resistance was ruthlessly sidestepped by City Council.

Construction of the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike in Jackson Ward

The map below shows the route the highway took through the area, leaving destruction in its wake.

Displacement & Isolation

The highway was devastating to Jackson Ward. Between January 1955 and August 1957, over seven thousand individuals were displaced to make way for the Richmond-Petersburg Expressway. Ten percent of Richmond's Black population was displaced ("Feasibility Report")

Besides destroying countless homes and forcibly removing residents of the eight blocks between Duval Street and Jackson Street, the highway also built a massive dividing blockade directly through Jackson Ward. The neighborhood that had once been one united community was physically split apart.

South Jackson Ward still was connected to the rest of the city, however North Jackson Ward was cut off from the neighborhood and the City of Richmond as a whole, stuck behind six plus lanes of speeding cars. In addition to the churches and community centers and homes of friends and families that lay below the highway, residents of North Jackson Ward were also separated from the bustling Second Street business corridor in South Jackson Ward. With half of their customer base removed, many of these once thriving businesses were also forced to close.

While the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike finished construction in 1958, its impact on the Jackson Ward community has far from dissipated.

To this day, North Jackson Ward still feels the effects of the highway's forced displacement and isolation, as evidenced by the economic differences between North and South Jackson Ward. As seen below, there is a vast disparity between the unemployment rate, percentage below the poverty line, and median income of the two areas.

Statistics Courtesy of the Feasibility Report

Jackson Ward Today

Despite the discriminatory policies enacted by Richmond's government for countless years--- what scholar LaToya S. Gray calls  "planned destruction"  --- members of the Jackson Ward community today are working hard to preserve the area's rich history.

Historic Jackson Ward Association

One of the key organizations doing such work is the  Historic Jackson Ward Association , which is "committed to developing an awareness of [its] history, to preserving a significant Richmond neighborhood, and to integrating [its] history into the modern day experience." Founded in the 1980's, the association has led many key efforts in gaining recognition for Jackson Ward's history, such as by getting the neighborhood listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The boundaries of the current historic district are shown on the map below.

National Historic District

However, as shown in the map, with the exception of the Baker School and Shockoe Hill Burying Ground, North Jackson Ward above the highway is not included in the National Register of Historic Places. Groups including the Historic Jackson Ward Association are working to change this.

JXN Project

The JXN Project is another key organization advocating for Jackson Ward and its history. According to  their website,  the group is "a reparative preservation non-profit organization that is dedicated to driving restorative truth telling and redemptive storytelling by capturing the pivotal role of Richmond, Virginia, in particular Jackson Ward, in the evolution of the Black American experience." Among their many initiatives, the JXN Project has been working towards returning Abraham Peyton Skipwith's historical home to North Jackson Ward. Along with the hundreds of other homes that fell in the path of the highway's destruction in the 1950's, the Skipwith-Roper cottage was affected. Because of its historical value, the cottage was relocated to Goochland where it still stands today.

By moving the cottage back to its original home in North Jackson Ward, the co-founders of the JXN Project, Dr. Sesha Joi Moon and Enjoli Moon, hope to bring back a key symbol of the area's history and importance. As Dr. Sesha Joi Moon said, “We might also be able to use this project to help even change how historic preservation is handled. How do we identify the Black spaces that are worth saving? You know, our history is more than mere markers along highways” ( Burns, 2022 ).

Reconnect Jackson Ward

The Reconnect Jackson Ward project has also been influential in the neighborhood in recent times. Led by the Virginia Department of Intermodal Planning and Investment, the Virginia Department of Transportation, and the City of Richmond with funding from the US Department of Transportation, the project seeks to bridge North and South Jackson Ward by building a cap over top a portion of the highway. With the highway concealed below the land, they could then construct public parks, buildings, and transportation on the parcel. The pictures below offer further details about the plan.

Proposed plans from the Reconnect Jackson Ward Project's  Feasibility Report 

The plan has received support from the Historic Jackson Ward Association, however as noted by the association's president Janis Allen, “If you're going to reconnect Jackson Ward, the wrong was more than just the highway coming through: It’s all that happened because that highway came through” (   Khalil  2022). Consequently, any effort to reconnect North and South Jackson Ward has to go deeper than than just being a symbolic move.

Many residents are also worried that the Reconnect Jackson Ward Project will fuel the gentrification already occurring in the neighborhood and therefore contribute to the displacement of current residents as living expenses climb in the area. As Kathryn Howell, a professor of urban planning at VCU, said to  Virginia Public Media , transit and public park projects traditionally cause gentrification. Jackson Ward already experiences gentrification, in part due to the constant expansion of the VCU campus and the housing needs of its growing student body. The Reconnect Jackson Ward Project could certainly exacerbate such gentrification.

Additionally, as noted in the Feasibility Report conducted by the Reconnect Jackson Ward Project, many community members are calling for reparations to be included as part of the project. As Janis Allen said in a letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, because of the highway, "A community was stifled, people were destabilized and potential wealth accumulation was significantly interrupted." The effects of this are still visible in Jackson Ward today and reparations would be one step to address the lasting consequences of the decades of disenfranchisement, destruction of Apostle Town, and displacement caused by the highway while also helping preserve and continue Jackson Ward's legacy as an economic and cultural center.


Thank you for reading!

And much thanks to the Historic Richmond Foundation & the Historic Jackson Ward Foundation for their help with this project! I truly could not have created this without them.

Sources

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Richmond Planet article from April 20, 1895, Photo Courtesy of the Library of Virginia

Article by the Richmond Planet in Photo Courtesy of the Library of Virginia

Giles B. Jackson

Savings Bank of the Grand Fountain United Order of True Reformers

Guests at the Eggleston Hotel

Quote from P.B. Steward

Richmond Times Dispatch article from August 29, 1941

Gilpin Court in the 1940's

Richmond Times Dispatch article from April 14, 1950

Reverend W. L. Ransome

Former Mayor J. Fulmer Bright

Construction of the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike in Jackson Ward

Statistics Courtesy of the Feasibility Report

Abraham Peyton Skipwith was the first Black man to own property in what would become Jackson Ward. He was born into slavery but purchased his own freedom later on in life and built a house on Duval Street in February 1793. He also was one of the first Black Virginians to execute a will and pass down property to descendants.

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson earned fame nationwide for his career as a dancer and performer. He was reveled for his unique tap-dancing technique, but also for his rebellion against segregation barriers by dancing in theatres typically restricted to only white performers. He also lived charitably, once even paying for the installation of traffic lights in Jackson Ward after he saw children struggling to cross the hazardous intersection on their way to school.

St. Luke Hall served as the main headquarters for the Independent Order of St. Luke, which was a fraternal organization that offered many services to the Jackson Ward community, such as insurance. The group also founded a bank that was based out of St. Luke Hall for two years before it moved into its own building. Additionally, the Independent Order of St. Luke ran a newpaper that was printed out of St. Luke Hall.

The Knights of Pythias, a fraternal organization whose Richmond chapter was led by John Mitchell Jr., used this building as their headquarters starting in the 1890's. The group engaged in political activism and also ran a bank out of Jackson Ward.

Reverend John Jasper led the congregation of Sixth Mount Zion Church for 34 years as the pastor. He was known nationwide for his famous sermons, such as one called "The Sun Do Move" that was "probably as widely known as ever preached in the whole country” according to scholar Mary Wingfield Scott.

Sarah Jones was the first Black woman licensed to practice medicine in Virginia. She opened a medical office out of her home on North Third Street, where she saw patients from around the city. The Richmond Planet raved about her abilities, saying that her expertise "won her way into the hearts of the people and to-day all classes of patients seek her medical advice." She also was an active member of the Richmond Women's League, which helped free three Black women who were falsely accused in 1895 of murder by a man that later admitted he had actually committed the crime. The group fundraised $690 to hire three attorneys to defend the women and they were released from death row successfully in 1896.

Sarah Jones also helped found the Richmond Hospital Association, which opened a hospital for Black patients on East Baker Street in North Jackson Ward. Additionally, the hospital was used as a training school for nurses.

The Shockoe Hill African Burial Ground can be seen in the distance in this photo circa 1900. The cemetery was founded in 1816 and operated until 1879. During its sixty years of use, 22,000 Black Richmonders were buried there, which likely qualifies it as the largest cemetery for free and enslaved people of color in the US. Unfortunately, the location has been desecrated over the years and a railroad was built through the cemetery in 1900. Since then, a bridge, city dog pound, a gas station, and an Interstate 64 overpass has been built upon the land. However, in 2018 Lenora McQueen, a woman with ancestral ties to the burial ground, advocated for the land and was able to get it placed upon the National Register of Historic Places on June 16, 2022. For more information, see this article by the  Cultural Landscape Foundation .