For years, people have been leaving plants and signs to commemorate at what’s known as Number Nothing in Court Square. That is one spot around the Albemarle County Courthouse where auctioneers sold people between 1762 and 1865.
On March 3 at 2 p.m., the City of Charlottesville will unveil a historical marker endorsed by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources written by the city’s Historic Resources Committee.
The marker lists other locations such as the Eagle Hotel where 33 enslaved people at the Monticello estate were auctioned off in January 1829 to pay the debts of the late Thomas Jefferson.
“Enslaved Charlottesville residents Fountain Hughes and Maria Perkins recalled Court Day sales as dreaded occasions that separated Black families,” reads a section of the marker. “Such sales were frequent in Virginia, where the domestic slave trade was central to the economy.”
Mayor Juandiego Wade will be on hand to make remarks at the event.
Before you go: This post was originally published in the February 26, 2025 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement, a newsletter powered by Substack since July 2020. The idea is to get as many stories out as possible each day, and then some of the material ends up here. Sometimes stories are posted here first. All of this is an experiment powered by Town Crier Productions, currently a one-person company that seeks to be as prolific as possible.
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