As early as the 1730’s enslaved men and women lived here. Almost 150 years later at the end of the Civil War, the names of nearly 4,700 Negroes born and/or living in our county were recorded for the first time, including more than 150 who were over the age of 70.
The African American Heritage Trail covers 75 miles through the county telling the stories of courage and perseverance, joy and sadness of African Americans in Spotsylvania County. The story of African Americans in this county of the Commonwealth of Virginia is inextricably tied to the churches they developed. Nowhere is it more evident that the rural countryside.
You can download the 52 page brochure (PDF) or use the mobile friendly interactive map to guide you along your tour. Each will offer more information at each location as well as GPS addresses and directions.
Stops include the John J. Wright Educational & Cultural Center Museum.