Blacksburg’s history reaches far beyond our local newspapers. A search of The Richmond Planet archives reveals decades of letters and news from our community, reminding us that Blacksburg was part of important conversations across Virginia, and that one of America’s most influential Black newspapers preserved those stories for future generations.
Did you know Blacksburg appears in the pages of The Richmond Planet?
Edited by the legendary John Mitchell, Jr., The Richmond Planet was one of the nation’s most influential Black newspapers. We know people in Blacksburg subscribed to it—in the October 5, 1895, edition, C. A. Miller of Yellow Sulphur Springs wrote to the editor about raising funds here for the defense of two women.
A search of the archives reveals years of letters and news from Blacksburg, including coverage of the 1917 trial of Virginia Tech mathematics professor Charles E. Vawter’s murder of Stockton Heth, Jr.
These stories remind us that Blacksburg was connected to important conversations taking place across Virginia—and The Richmond Planet preserved that history.
5 October 18955 October 1895
Want to read The Richmond Planet? Newspaper.com (paid service) is the easiest to search. Virginia Chronicle, Library of Virginia, is free but not as easy to search.
The North Fork Valley Rural Historic District spans nine miles and 10,200 acres in Montgomery County, Virginia. Along scenic Route 785, this ArcGIS tour explores geology, farming, social and architectural history—plus schools and churches—across a multi-generational rural landscape.
The North Fork Valley Rural Historic District spans nine miles and 10,200 acres in Montgomery County, Virginia. Along scenic Route 785, this ArcGIS tour explores geology, farming, social and architectural history—plus schools and churches—across a multi-generational rural landscape.
Search the terms “African American” or “enslaved” to uncover information connected to the enslavement of men, women, and children.
Alonzo Feadore (Fearno) Freeman, Sr. was born on March 10, 1889, in Statesville, North Carolina, to John (b. circa 1864) and Adeline Freeman (b. circa 1864). By the 1900 U.S. Census, John, a day laborer, and Adeline were living with their three children: Nannie B. (b. June 1883), Earnest (b. October 1886), and Alonzo Sr. (b. July 1888, student).
Alonzo F. Freeman (1889-1953)
On April 5, 1917, Alonzo married Bessie Virginia Briggs (1899–1976) in Cambria, Virginia. Just a few months later, on July 31, 1917, their first son, Alonzo Freeman Jr., was born in Cambria, Virginia. According to his birth certificate, Alonzo Sr. worked as a waiter and clothes presser at Mountain Lake Resort, Virginia, while Bessie was a cook. During this time, they may have been living with Bessie’s mother and stepfather, who resided near the railroad tracks in Cambria.
By the 1920 U.S. Census, the Freeman family had settled in Blacksburg, Virginia, on Jackson Street (originally Smithfield Road). Alonzo and Bessie were raising their two children, Alonzo Jr. and Nannie Bell (1919–1987). Also living in the household were Bessie’s siblings, Willie B. Muse and Edward Muse. At this point, Alonzo Sr. owned his home and operated his own pressing and cleaning shop. Their next-door neighbor was Nellie Anderson.
In the 1930s, the Freeman family were living in the same home, now valued at $1,600. They were part of a growing Black community on Jackson and Bennett Streets, surrounded by neighbors such as Wade Sears, Charles Saunders, Lev Collins, John Stolt, Yola Young, Emmett Meade, William Turner, Floyd Meade, Louise Anderson, and Leonard Price. The 1932 Blacksburg City Directory lists Alonzo Sr. as the proprietor of the Blacksburg Press Shop at 302 E. Jackson Street.
Freeman house is to the left of Christ Episcopal Church, Church and Jackson Streets, prior to 1930s.
By this decade, the Freemans had expanded their family with three more children: Ernest Linwood (b. 1922), Haywood (1924–1984), and Beatrice (1926–2013). Alonzo Sr. continued to run his cleaning business—the first of its kind in Blacksburg—while Bessie worked for the Episcopal priest, Rev. Richard Martin, and his wife, Jean in the church’s office.
The 1940s marked a pivotal time for the Freeman family, as all the male members registered for the 1942 World War II Draft. These records provided Alonzo Sr.’s full name, Feadore, and documented his business, Modern Dry Cleaners (featured on an early 1950s map of Blacksburg). During this time, Alonzo Jr. served as the principal of the Clay Street Graded School, Linwood worked at the Radford Ordnance Works, and Haywood was employed by Ray Taylor.
1921 Sanborn Fire Map
According to the 1940 U.S. Census, all of Alonzo and Bessie Freeman’s children were still living at home. Nannie Bell worked as a private housemaid, while Linwood was employed as a pin setter at the college bowling alley. Alonzo Sr. continued running his cleaning business, and Bessie worked as a private cook.
Nannie Bell Freeman Snell (Courtesy of Montgomery Museum of Art & History, repaired image)
On November 19, 1947, Nannie Bell, now a beautician, married Sidney Grant Snell (1921–1975), a mechanic from Radford. The Snells raised six children and lived at 404 Jackson Street, just down the street from Nannie Bell’s parents, Alonzo and Bessie, who resided at 202 Jackson Street. Only the Snell’s home remains standing today, but the Freeman residence was located at the same corner of Jackson and Progress Streets where the town’s 1958 firehouse now stands. Blacksburg named a frog to honor Nannie Bell.
By the 1950 U.S. Census, Alonzo Sr., now in his 60s, was working at Virginia Polytechnic Institute’s Cleaning Plant. Nannie Bell and her daughter, Doris Ann, were living with her parents at the family home. By this time, all three Freeman sons had moved to Washington, D.C., with Linwood living alongside Haywood. Alonzo Jr. had married and was serving as the principal of the Clay Street segregated school before becoming the principal of an elementary school in Baltimore.
Bessie Virginia Briggs Freeman (1899 to 1976)
Bessie’s mother, Nancy Sweeney, was born in 1872 in Christiansburg, Virginia. Her father, Noah Briggs, was the son of George and Jane Briggs. Nancy and Noah were married on February 14, 1894. By the 1900 Census, the Briggs, Green, and Sweeney families—several generations of the same extended family—were living as neighbors in Cambria.
By the 1910 Census, Nancy Sweeney Briggs had married Harvey (Harry) Muse of Cambria, a laborer at the lime kiln. Together, they had four children: Willie B. (b. 1902), Grace (b. 1904), Connie (b. 1906), and Edward (1909–1950). Edward Muse later married Bessie Lynch (b. 1911), and they settled in New Town, where they raised five children: Jean (b. 1932), Constance (b. 1934), Shirley Ann (b. 1936), Edward Jr. (b. 1938), and Harold A. (b. circa 1940). By 1940, Edward Muse was working at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute Monogram Presser Plant alongside his neighbor, John Green, and Alonzo Freeman Sr.
In 2013, Beatrice Freeman Walker, the youngest daughter of Bessie and Alonzo Freeman, participated in an oral history interview now archived at Virginia Tech University Libraries. In this interview, she shared valuable insights into her mother’s work in the homes of prominent community members and her leadership in the Independent Order of St. Luke’s (St. Frances Council #235), which operated out of the shared building in New Town alongside the Odd Fellows and the Household of Ruth. Beatrice also highlighted her mother’s important role in coordinating the return of soldiers for family funerals through the Red Cross.
Beatrice Freeman Walker (courtesy of Virginia Tech University Libraries)
Additionally, the interview sheds light on her father, Alonzo Freeman Sr., and his contributions to the Black community in Blacksburg. Among these was his creation of a weekend retreat for African Americans, called Paradise View, located on land he owned off Grissom Lane—now known as Nellie’s Cave. Beatrice’s recollections provide a crucial window into the history of Black life in Blacksburg and the legacy of her parents.
Notes to Further Explore – Mountain Lake Connection
In her book Kentland at Whitethorne (Walpa Publishing, Blacksburg, VA, 1995), historian Patricia Givens Johnson mentions a “Mrs. Freeman,” who worked as a chambermaid at Mountain Lake Hotel shortly after emancipation. According to Johnson (p. 53), Mrs. Freeman married Bob Jackson, who had been enslaved by James Randal Kent (1792–1867), the owner of Kentland Plantation. Some of their children took the Jackson surname, while others retained the Freeman name. Johnson identifies their children as Flemish Jackson, Bessie, Bob, Qu, and Irene Freeman, noting that they were employed by the hotel well into the 1900s.
This connection warrants further research, but it raises an interesting possibility—when Alonzo Freeman married Bessie Briggs in 1917, he was working at Mountain Lake Hotel as a waiter and clothes presser. Could this employment have been influenced by family ties to the hotel? Further exploration may help clarify the Freeman family’s long-standing connection to Mountain Lake.
In the winter of 1929, in Blacksburg, Virginia, Alonzo Freeman did something remarkable. While running his clothes-cleaning business during the era of government sanctioned segregation, he took time to solve a practical problem he faced every day.
Working with coats, suits, and trousers, Freeman designed a better garment hanger. His invention included a removable bar for trousers and a simple latching mechanism that held the bar securely in place while still allowing it to be quickly removed.
On January 9, 1929, Freeman filed for a patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Later that year, on August 6, he was granted U.S. Patent 1,723,980.
Freeman’s hanger is a reminder that innovation often grows out of everyday work. Even in the face of segregation, Black entrepreneurs and tradesmen were imagining new ideas, improving tools, and shaping their communities.
Gallery
Location of the Freeman’s Home (postcard of Blacksburg prior to 1913, courtesy of Jody Booze-Daniels)Map of Blacksburg prior to 1957 with the families noted. Freeman’s home located west of Wade Sears’ Home prior to 1957, date the firehouse was built. (Martha Shupp Phillips masters thesis, 1948, VPI)The two houses in the background.The Freeman’s home is behind the church (people unknown) to the left of the image. The 1940s town water payment ledger (courtesy of BMCF)West-facing façade of Blacksburg Fire Station #1. The original 1957–58 building appears on the left side of the image, marked by the smaller doors. The Freeman family home once stood on the site where the newer vehicle bays are now located.South-facing façade of Blacksburg Fire Station #1, on the site where the Freeman family’s home once stood.North-facing façade of Blacksburg Fire Station #1. The original 1957–58 building extended about halfway along the brick wall that runs parallel to Stroubles Creek, near the location of Nannie Bell’s frog.Alonzo Freeman, Sr from 1922 Bugle Yearbook. Alonzo Freeman, Sr (source unknown) Freeman family Lee Street Cemetery (now called Southview Memorial Gardens)Alonzo Feadore Freeman WWI registration card. Alonzo Freeman Death CertificateAlonzo and Bessie Marriage Record information.Alonzo and Bessie Marriage Record 1917Alonzo Freeman in Statesville, NC in US Census 1900.Freeman family in Blacksburg, Va on Jackson St (1st St) in US Census 1920Freeman family in Blacksburg, Va on Jackson St (1st St) in US Census 1930Freeman family in Blacksburg, Va on Jackson St (1st St) in US Census 1930. Willie Thomas included, boarder. Freeman family in Blacksburg, Va on Jackson St (1st St) in US Census 1940. Freeman family in Blacksburg, Va on Jackson St (1st St) in US Census 1950Bessie Briggs Freeman obituaryBeatrice Freeman Walker obituaryAlonzo Freeman, Jr WWII registration cardAlonzo Freeman, Jr birth certificateNannie Bell Freeman Snell was featured in a 2022 exhibit at the Montgomery Museum of Art & History titled “Making a Difference: Women Who Changed Montgomery County.” The exhibit recognized women whose leadership, work, and community impact helped shape the history of Montgomery County.Nannie Bell Freeman Snell was featured in a 2022 exhibit at the Montgomery Museum of Art & History titled “Making a Difference: Women Who Changed Montgomery County.”Nannie Bell Freeman Snell was featured in a 2022 exhibit at the Montgomery Museum of Art & History titled “Making a Difference: Women Who Changed Montgomery County.”Alonzo Freeman, Sr WWI registration Card
In April 1904, an African American man known only as Alexander was abducted and brutally beaten by Virginia Polytechnic Institute cadets in Blacksburg, Virginia. Publicly justified in a contemporary newspaper account, the attack forced Alexander to flee under threat of death.
This act of racial terror was intended to intimidate Black residents and enforce white supremacy. Naming what occurred—and remembering Alexander—is essential to understanding Blacksburg’s history.
“Stripped to the waist and bound to a tree…” Lexington Gazette, page 1, April 23, 1904
Content Warning
This page contains descriptions of racial violence, including abduction, torture, and threats of lynching. The language quoted from historical sources reflects the racist ideology of the time and is presented for the purpose of documentation and interpretation, not endorsement. Note that “lynching” is defined by the Emmett Till Antilynching Act of 2021. Readers are encouraged to proceed with care.
On April 20, 1904, an African American man identified only as Alexander was abducted, tortured, and nearly killed by cadets from Virginia Polytechnic Institute (then V.P.I.) in Blacksburg, Virginia. The attack was not hidden or denied. It was publicly described and justified in a first-person letter written by a cadet and published in The Roanoke Times on April 23, 1904.
The letter recounts how V.P.I. cadets organized, detained Alexander without legal process, removed him from town limits, tied him to a post, and beat him for approximately forty-five minutes. The author explicitly frames the violence as a “lesson” meant to terrorize Black residents and enforce white supremacy under the pretext of protecting white women. Though lynching was discussed among the attackers, Alexander survived and was forced to flee the area under threat of death if he returned.
We do not know Alexander’s full name or what ultimately happened to him. “Alexander” is the only name recorded, but the letter states that he lived in Blacksburg and had family there. The absence of fuller identification reflects a broader pattern in the historical record, where Black victims of racial terror were often deliberately anonymized while their attackers were named, defended, and celebrated.
The letter was authored by R. S. Royer, a V.P.I. student from Roanoke who was 19 years old at the time and a member of the Class of 1905. Royer later served as president of the German Club, editor-in-chief of The Bugle yearbook, and sergeant-at-arms for his class. Though a junior at the time of the attack, his language and position suggest leadership and ideological commitment to the violence he described.
This account is preserved here not to repeat its justifications, but to confront them. The 1904 attack on Alexander was an act of racial terror carried out by young men acting with confidence, coordination, and impunity. Remembering this event is essential to understanding the lived reality of Black life in Blacksburg at the turn of the twentieth century—and the institutional and communal forces that enabled such violence to occur without consequence.
Help Us Remember Alexander
We do not know Alexander’s full name, age, occupation, or what became of him after he was forced to leave Blacksburg. His partial anonymity reflects a painful truth: Black victims of racial terror were often left unnamed in the historical record, while their attackers were identified and defended.
We invite community members, descendants, researchers, and local historians to help us recover more information about Alexander and the Black community of Blacksburg in the early twentieth century. Family records, oral histories, church records, cemetery information, or other sources may hold pieces of this story.
If you have information or would like to assist with research, please contact us. Remembering Alexander is an act of historical justice.
Historical Note: Contemporary newspapers described the 1904 attack on Alexander as a “whipping,” a term that minimizes what occurred. Alexander was abducted by a mob, taken out of town, tied to a post, beaten for nearly an hour, and threatened with death if he returned.The attackers discussed lynching during the assault. Although Alexander survived, historians recognize this violence as part of the broader system of lynching and racial terror used to intimidate Black communities and enforce white supremacy.
Newspaper Accounts and Transcriptions
Virginian-Pilot, Fri, April 22, 1904, page 1:
Cadets Resent Insult Richmond, Va., Stripped to the waist and bound to a tree, a young Negro was beaten into a state of semi consciousness this evening by the cadets of the Virginia polytechnic Institute at Blacksburg.
The Negro was accused of making insulting speeches to white girls. He was locked up for several hours by the town authorities. When he was released, the cadets captured him. He was taken to the outskirts of the city, whipped the switches and told to leave.
He did not move fast enough to suit the cadets. Then came the severe punishment, inflicted with sticks and ropes. A number of Negroes watched the punishment with anger, and trouble between the races may result.
The Roanoke Times, Fri, April 22, 1904, page 1: Cadets Beat Negro Blacksburg, Va., April 21. A Negro accused of insulting some young white girls was yesterday arrested and locked up this afternoon. He was released and a large number of the cadets of the Virginia polite Institute entered by force a house into which he was seen to go, drag the Negro out, carried him out of town, tied him to a tree, stripped him to the waist and beat him with ropes and heavy switches until he was nearly insensible.
The old Dominion Sun, Fri, April 29, 1904, Page 5: Stripped to the waist and bound to a tree, a young Negro was beaten into a state of semi consciousness Thursday evening by the cadets of Virginia Virginia Tech Institute at Blacksburg. The Negro was accused of making insulting speeches to white girls.
The Roanoke Times, Sat, April 23, 1904, page 2: Adopted Stern Measures Story of Whipping of a Blacksburg Negro by V.P.I. Cadets The following letter gives fuller particulars of a whipping of a Negro at Blacksburg by the students there, a brief account of which appeared in yesterday mornings times: To the editor, Roanoke Times: Below, I shall attempt to give an accurate account of punishment of a Negro by the VPI cadets. We by no means intend to claim credit for having done anything of a credible nature, but in what we did, we only wish to teach a needed lesson to the Negroes of this section, and to show our determination to demand the proper respect to the white ladies of our town.
At 9 o’clock last night information was received by the cadets that a Negro had insulted several young ladies of Blacksburg ( by exhibiting his person to them and making indecent proposals to them.) Promptly, the cadets investigated the matter in a quiet, orderly manner. Owing to the refusal of several witnesses to give evidence, no positive proof was secured, and the cadets returned to barracks. Today, however, the Negro (whose name was Alexander) confessed to the charges. Not wishing the young ladies to appear in court the relatives refused to swear out a warrant for the Negro. After being held by the authorities for 12 hours, he was released. However, two of the cadets were on hand and followed him to his father‘s house. The house was surrounded by the cadets, while at barracks, a crowd was silently being formed. At 5:30 PM, the cadets appeared at the house and demanded the Negro. Two cadets were selected to search the house and found the Negro brute concealed under the kitchen table. He was brought out and taken out of the corporation limits. He was tied to a post and beaten for 3/4 of an hour. When untied he did not have a square inch of skin upon the upper portion of his body. A discussion took place at whether lynching was not even then the best thing to do. However, he was started towards Christiansburg with a warning never to return to Blacksburg where he would be killed.
No excitement prevailed at any time, and while the act may be considered by some to be unbecoming to cadets, and Virginia‘s, they do not look at it in that way, and are determined to continue to give protection to the white women of our state when it is necessary. The lesson was much needed, and it was the third time this Negro had committed an act of this kind. The cadets in no way feel sorry for the action they took and hope this case will be a lesson to the Negroes of the section. The action of the cadets throughout were like clock-work, and the leaders directed everything that was done. Order has been perfect and no excitement is prevailing. Blacksburg, Virginia, April 21. R.S.Royer
Lexington Gazette, Wed, May 04, 1904, page 1. stripped to the waist and bound to a tree, a young Negro was beaten into a state of semi consciousness Thursday evening by the cadets of the Virginia polytechnic Institute, at Blacksburg. The Negro was accused of making insulting speeches to white girls.
Fisk University has released its Rosenwald School Digital Collection, preserving and sharing the history of these vital institutions. In Montgomery County, the collection highlights schools built through the determination of African American communities in Elliston, Pine Woods, Shawsville, and Wake Forest.
Fisk University has made its Rosenwald School Digital Collection publicly accessible, a significant step in preserving and sharing the history of these important institutions. For Montgomery County, the collection documents the Rosenwald Schools established through the determination and vision of African American communities in Elliston, Pine (Piney) Woods near Riner, Shawsville, and Wake Forest.
Although only the Wake Forest school remains today—adapted for use as a private residence—the collection ensures that the legacy of all three schools endures. These schools stand as a testament to community leadership, resilience, and the transformative power of education during the early twentieth century.
The Story of Rosenwald Schools
The website (scroll down) offers a wealth of information: the story of Julius Rosenwald and his vision, the purpose of the school fund, the significance of the school designs, and the requirement that African American communities contribute a share of the cost. Visitors will also find maps, photographs, and documentation of schools across the region and beyond.
Elliston School Info1940 School Census Map2002 Image (Courtesy of Meadowbrook Museum, Shawsville)Image of the list of students in 1935 (Courtesy of Meadowbrook Museum, Shawsville, James Earnest Dow document)
Built in 1928–1929, the Elliston Rosenwald School reflects the determination of the local African American community to provide better educational opportunities for their children. Families in Elliston raised $300 toward the project, which was matched by $500 from the Rosenwald Fund and $2,583 from the Montgomery County School Board.
The school stood on two acres of land and housed two classrooms, each with its own teacher. The school was located on Brake Road, in the Allegheny School District. The legacy: the Elliston Rosenwald School was a center of learning, community, and pride during an era when access to education was hard-won.
The Pine Woods Rosenwald School (Piney Woods) was built in a two-teacher design under the supervision of Tuskegee University. The school was sited on Piney Woods Road, in the Auburn School District. While the exact construction date is unknown, records indicate the total cost was $1,075. Of that amount, the Rosenwald Fund contributed $300, the African American community raised $275, and the Montgomery County School Board provided $500.
Unlike white schools of the period, which were fully funded by the School Board, African American families were required to make direct financial contributions toward the construction of their schools. This inequity underscores both the systemic barriers they faced and the extraordinary commitment of the Pine Woods community to ensuring education for their children.
Constructed between 1928 and 1929, the Shawsville Rosenwald School followed a two-teacher design overseen by the Montgomery County School Board. The total cost of $3,383 was shared among the Rosenwald Fund ($500), the African American community ($300), and the Montgomery County School Board ($2,583).
At the time, Shawsville, of the Allegheny School District, was a thriving hub, energized by railroad service and new road (US Route 11) construction projects. These opportunities drew African American laborers and rail workers to the area, many of whom invested their limited resources into building a school for their children. Their contributions—financial and communal—stand as a testament to the determination of Shawsville’s African American families to secure education despite inequities in public funding.
Constructed between 1928 and 1929, the Wake Forest Rosenwald School followed a two-teacher design on a two-acre site, in the Blacksburg School District, overseen by the Montgomery County School Board. The project cost $3,383, with funding shared by the Rosenwald Fund ($500), the African American community ($426 in 1928, about $7,500 in today’s value), and the Montgomery County School Board ($2,457). This school is now a private residence.
The Wake Forest community at this time was made up of independent farmers, farm laborers, boatmen, railroad workers, teamsters, and domestic workers. As coal extraction began to rise and reshape the region’s economy, African American families recognized that education would be essential for their children’s future. By pooling their resources—despite economic hardship—they ensured access to schooling that could open paths beyond the limits of labor and provide new opportunities for the next generation.
In 1961, Blacksburg High School became the first in Montgomery County to admit African American students, paving the way for full integration of all county high schools by 1966.
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling outlawed segregation, Montgomery County resisted. The school board leaned on “states’ rights” arguments and used tactics from Virginia’s Gray Commission—such as controlling student assignments and offering tuition grants to white families—to delay integration for years.
Amidst this resistance, three students from Christiansburg Institute applied to transfer to the all-white Blacksburg High School, which then enrolled about 900 students. They were siblings Phillip H. Price (15) and Ann Christine Price (13), along with Jacqueline Iris Lewis (14). With support from NAACP attorney Reuben E. Lawson of Roanoke, their applications went before the State Pupil Placement Board. Phillip and Ann Christine were admitted for the 1961 school year, but Jacqueline’s request was denied on the grounds of “academic standards”—a requirement never applied to white students.
On August 23, 1961, Jacqueline and her father, Walter H. Lewis, traveled to Roanoke for the hearing, an intimidating experience for a 14-year-old. The Board delayed its ruling for a week before denying her appeal. That fall, Jacqueline remained at Christiansburg Institute.
That September, Phillip and Ann Christine Price became the first Black students to integrate Montgomery County schools when they walked into Blacksburg High. According to researcher Tracy A. Martin, they were not alone—their white neighbors walked beside them in solidarity. This act of courage followed a chilling warning: on April 29, 1961, a ten-foot burning cross had been discovered on the school grounds, South Main Street.
In 1962, the school board again delayed the application process for two more students seeking admission. Yearbooks from 1961–1964 suggest that the Price siblings were the only African American students at Blacksburg High during those early years. In the years that followed, more students of color began to appear in the yearbooks. By 1966, the school board closed Christiansburg Institute, and all of the county’s white high schools were finally opened to every student.
04 April 1961 Daily Progress04 April 1961 The Free Lance-Star04 April 1961, Roanoke Times04 April 1961 Martinsville Bulletin13 April, 1961 The World-News13 April 1961, Roanoke Times13 April 1961 News & Advance14 April 1961 The World News17 April 1961 The World-News19 April 1961, Ledger-Star30 April 1961 “Cross Burned on Blacksburg School Grounds” Roanoke Times
July 1961
26 July 1961 Richmond News Leader26 July 1961 Danville Register & Bee31 July 1961 The World-News
August 1961
01 August 1961 Roanoke Times10 August 1961 Roanoke Times21 August 1961 The World News23 August 1961, Danville Register & Bee23 August 1961 The World News29 August 1961 The News and Advance
September 1961
05 September The Richmond News Leader05 September 1961 The Ledger-Star06 September 1961 The Richmond Times Dispatch 06 September 1961 The Virginia Pilot06 September 1961 The News and Advance05 September The Ledger-Star
1962 Application of Two Young Women, the Courts Ruling
18 May 1962 Roanoke Times14 July News and Advance08 October 1962 Daily Advance
1979-81 Roanoke Times Reporting on the Desegregation of the Montgomery County Schools
In 1979 and 1981, as Montgomery County marked the tenth anniversary of the first African American students attending previously white-only public schools, The Roanoke Times published a series of articles examining the community’s experiences with school desegregation and the racial issues that surrounded it.
In 1979, reporter Pat Nickinson focused on the memories and activism of Mary Ann Tamarkin Mattus. Mary Ann and her husband, Dr. George Mattus, a pomologist and professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute (now Virginia Tech), moved to Blacksburg in 1949 when he joined the university faculty. They raised their family in Blacksburg, where Mary Ann became a reading specialist in Montgomery County Public Schools and an outspoken advocate for civil rights and educational equity.
Two years later, Cheryl Downey-Laskowitz revisited the subject through a three-part series that examined school desegregation from multiple perspectives.
The first article, “Students, Teachers in Montgomery Schools Recall Smooth Transition,” featured the recollections of former Black students Glen A. Holmes and John Brown; Black educators Joseph Smith, Rosa Holmes, and Zimri Holmes; and white educators Charlotte Beamer, principal of Margaret Beeks Elementary School, and Mary Ann Mattus, reading specialist. Veronica Taylor and Jeannie Edwards were pictured with Mrs. Mattus in the accompanying photograph. Collectively, the interviews and photograph illustrated both the successes and the complexities of integrating Montgomery County’s schools.
The second article, “Educators Reveal Pressures,” examined desegregation from the perspective of Superintendent Raynard T. Hale and former Superintendent Evans King. Hale recalled the hostility surrounding the approach of integration, including threatening telephone calls and a cross burned on the lawn of Blacksburg High School the summer before desegregation. Although police characterized the incident as “a youngster’s prank,” Hale disagreed, recalling, “I doubt it was. I thought it was an organized effort.”
Hale and King also described the constraints imposed by Virginia’s Pupil Placement Board and the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. They emphasized that local superintendents had little flexibility in implementing desegregation policies. At the same time, federal officials tied compliance to the continuation of significant funding streams, including support associated with educating children connected to the Radford Army Ammunition Plant, as well as Title I and vocational education funds. Their recollections highlighted the complex intersection of local decision-making, state authority, and federal enforcement during the desegregation era.
The third article, ”‘White Only’ Didn’t Refer to Ice Cream,” returned to the experiences of Mary Ann Mattus and her decades-long commitment to civil rights. The article recounted the founding of the Montgomery County chapter of the Virginia Council on Human Relations in 1955, an interracial organization established by Mattus and local clergy. The coalition included Rev. Archie Richmond of the AME Church in New Town and Rev. B. Lloyd of the Episcopal Church, who worked together to promote racial understanding, challenge segregation, and foster dialogue within the community years before public school integration became a reality.
Taken together, these articles provide a valuable retrospective on Montgomery County’s desegregation experience.
25 Feb 1979 Roanoke Times25 Feb 1979 Roanoke Times17 May 1981 Roanoke Times17 May 1981 Roanoke Times17 May 1981 Roanoke Times
Southeast of the Town of Blacksburg, on the eastern side of the Allegheny Mountains, a community of African American families took root in the early 20th century when the Mills family purchased 40 acres from the Hoge family. For generations, these families farmed the land, raised children, and built their lives in this secluded karst landscape. The unpaved lane that served them was not called Nellie’s Cave Road until the 1980s, when Montgomery County officially named it. Before then, the residents knew it simply as Grissom Lane. The old farm road began at the Slusher family’s farm—located at the southeast corner of South Main Street and Country Club Drive—and ended where the terrain became too steep for a wagon to pass.
The Merry Tree, now a broken and weathered stump southeast of the Preston home, once stood as a silent witness to over a century of enslavement. It remains a sacred place where descendants return to honor their ancestors. We are gathering stories, photos, and memories connected to this tree. Let’s preserve its powerful legacy.
Help Us Tell the Story of the Merry Tree
For over a century, the Merry Tree stood as a silent witness to the lives of the 226 people enslaved by the Preston family at Smithfield, Blacksburg, Virginia. Planted near the time the Prestons built their home, this tree bore witness to generations of forced labor, family separation, resistance, and endurance. Though now reduced to a broken and weathered stump, the Merry Tree remains a place of deep meaning—especially for the descendants of those once enslaved, who return here to remember, honor, and reflect.
We are seeking to gather as much information, memory, and meaning as possible about this special tree. Did your family speak of it? Do you have photos, stories, or oral history connected to the Merry Tree? Whether you are a descendant, community member, or researcher, your voice matters in helping us preserve and understand the role this sacred place played in Black history in Montgomery County.
Please share what you know. Together, we can ensure the story of the Merry Tree—and those who stood beneath it—is never forgotten.
This enormous sycamore stands just east of the spring that once provided potable water for the people living on the Smithfield property. The spring lies a considerable distance from the house and closer to the old Merry Oak. One can only imagine the countless gallons of water enslaved people carried from that spring to the white house on the knoll over nearly a century. Like the Merry Tree, this sycamore may have held significance for the men, women, and children forced to labor here—its presence a silent witness to their daily lives.
Crayon Enlargement Portraits were popular between the late 1890s and early 1900s. They provided an affordable way to capture and display large-format portraits, offering an alternative to the more expensive painted portraits of the time.
Crayon Enlargement Portraits were popular between the late 1890s and early 1900s. They provided an affordable way to capture and display large-format portraits, offering an alternative to the more expensive painted portraits of the time. The process involved taking a negative made by a local photographer and sending it to a specialist who used a solar enlarger to expose the image onto specially processed salted photographic paper. Because the enlargement process often emphasized imperfections on the negative plate, an artist would enhance the black-and-white print with pencil and crayon media, sometimes adding color.
The unidentified African American portraits featured on this website have been donated to local museums or found in antique shops. They are presented here in the hope of eventually identifying the individuals and preserving their stories.
Portrait of an unknown man (Courtesy of Montgomery Museum of Art and History)Portrait of an unknown man (Courtesy of Montgomery Museum of Art and History)Portrait of an unknown man, found in a New Town house, Blacksburg, Va (Courtesy of Montgomery Museum of Art and History)Portrait of an unknown woman (Courtesy of Montgomery Museum of Art and History)Portrait of an unknown man (Courtesy of Christiansburg Institute, Inc)Portrait of an unknown man (Courtesy of Christiansburg Institute, Inc)
This website serves as an important resource for understanding the history and legacy of slavery in our region. It contains information collected from Roanoke County sources about more than 4,000 enslaved individuals.
This website serves as an important resource for understanding the history and legacy of slavery in our region. It contains information collected from Roanoke County sources about more than 4,000 enslaved individuals. Many of the family names of enslaved African Americans recorded here also appear in neighboring Montgomery County, making this work deeply relevant to our local history. In addition, the family names of many individuals who enslaved others are found in the Roanoke primary sources.
The purpose of this page is to document and connect these shared names, with the hope of bringing to light the lives of those too often lost to history and deepening our understanding of the enduring legacy of slavery in Montgomery County and beyond.
More names will be added with time.
Family Names of Enslaved African Americans in Montgomery County
Brown
William Brown – enslaved by William Watts. “In IAS Book 4, the partition of the lands and other property of Edward Watts, William Brown is listed among the enslaved individuals that were bequeathed to Edward Watts’s daughter, Alice W. Morris. A value of $1,700.00 was placed on William Brown.”; Inventory, Appraisements, and Sales Book 4, Roanoke County Archives.
George Campbell – “George Campbell was listed in an indenture agreement: “…bind unto the said Lewis Zirkle a boy of colour named George Campbell until he arrives to the free age of twenty one which will be on the 25th day of June 1854.” In the Common Law book, it was ordered that the Overseers of the Poor bind out George, “a boy of color,” to Lewis Zinkle.”; Common Law Orders – A – May 1838 – May 1840, Roanoke County Archives.
Saunders/Sanders
Catherine Saunders – Mother of Henry Saunders; Common Law Orders – C – August 1843 – June 1848 – pgs. 227-478; Roanoke County Archives
Henry Saunders – 8 year old child of Catherine Saunders and Hercules Cuff, mention of Stephen Henry; Common Law Orders – C – August 1843 – June 1848 – pgs. 227-478; Roanoke County Archives
Magdeline Saunders – “Magdeline Saunders was listed in an indenture agreement: “unto the said Benjamin Hawley a girl of colour by the name of Magdeline Saunders until she arrives to the age of 21 years…the 22nd day of June 1858…” The Common Law book states that the Overseers of the Poor were ordered to bind out Magdalen Saunders, “a poor, colored girl” until she turned 21”; Common Law Orders – B – June 1840 – July 1843, Roanoke County Archives
Elizabeth Evans (List of first names of people they enslaved), “Elizabeth was listed in Michael Shepard’s property appraisement as having purchased enslaved people after Michael’s death. In the record, Elizabeth purchase” the enslaved people Joe, Nancy, and an unrecorded named child for $675.00.” She was possible daughter of Jonathan Evans. “Elizabeth’s son was William Evans and her husband was William W. Evans.”; Common Law Orders – B – June 1840 – July 1843, Roanoke County Archives
Gathering African American History 