Richmond's Landscape of Enslavement, 1790s-1860s

Race-based slavery was introduced in the British colonies in 1619 when “20. and odd” African captives from the Kingdom of Ndongo in what is now Angola were brought to Virginia aboard the White Lion, first landing in Point Comfort, in modern-day Hampton Roads.

As the trade grew, enslaved Africans were forced to work on large plantations in the state, enriching white enslavers who traded primarily in tobacco. Laws regarding slavery and the regulation of enslaved persons were refined throughout the 17th century, culminating in the first Virginia slave code in 1705.

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, settlements and tobacco plantations were established up the James River valley and surrounding areas. In 1737, William Mayo laid out the plan for the town of Richmond on land at the fall line of the James River inherited by William Byrd II from his father 1704. The plan incorporated both the area that would become known as Church Hill, where wealthy landowners would settle, and down at the foot of the hill in Shockoe Bottom, where poor residents and early industry were found. 

In 1780, during the American Revolution, the capital of Virginia was moved from Williamsburg to Richmond because it was seen as being less vulnerable to attack by water. After the Revolution, Richmond continued to grow. 

After Congress prohibited the Transatlantic Slave Trade in 1808, the Shockoe Bottom area of Richmond in Shockoe Valley became a center for domestic slave trading. It is believed that between 1800 and 1865, 300,000 slaves were sent from Virginia, a majority of them from Richmond's Shockoe Bottom markets and auctions, to work in the deep south. Richmond was then second only to New Orleans as a slave-trading center.

And yet, the story of Shockoe Bottom and its landscape of enslavement is all too often invisible to modern Richmonders and visitors to the city. Floods, development, and re-development have dismantled or (sometimes literally) buried many of the sites and stories associated with this dark era of Richmond’s history. 

But with some digging, and combining the seen and unseen, it is possible to bring to life Richmond’s landscape of enslavement in the first half of the 19th century.

Grab your bicycle and join in on the journey. 🚲

. . . but you may wish to take some time to think about the histories—hidden and still visible—that you have just explored. You might park your bike and walk over to the overlook where we started and think about all the places and stories that fill Shockoe Bottom below you.

Or you may wish to step into Richmond Hill, the historic monastery and retreat center through the gate in the brick wall. If you wish to go in to visit the enslaved dwelling and grounds, Richmond Hill is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on weekends by appointment.

Or a third option would be to explore the  Transcending Walls project , a 500-foot mural painted on the wall outside the far side of the Richmond Hill property facing the James River. To access that, return to the overlook at the end of Grace Street (stop #1) and follow the dirt path down to your left to Taylor's Hill Park.

Finally, some exciting news to share: on February 28, 2024, the City of Richmond unveiled  a master plan for a 10-acre Shockoe commemorative site  that will by 2037, Richmond's 300th birthday, incorporate the sites of Lumpkin's Jail/the Devil's Half-Acre and the African Burial ground, and interpret the history of the slave trade in the area that you just toured.