Why our tour starts here
Our tour begins at Court Square, in the heart of downtown Charlottesville.
A public space at the center of this city’s history. There are many stories to explore in this small area.
Court House
The Court House was the first permanent structure that was built here. And it has been used as a site for corporal punishment, trial hearings, elections, public assemblies, and church services.
Monticello marker/Jefferson as slave owner
In the early years you could turn your back to the Court House and see the mountain where Thomas Jefferson had his plantation, called Monticello.
This landmark sign in the Square underscores the important influence of Thomas Jefferson and his family on Charlottesville as well as our nation.
Slave auction block
Directly across the street was the original site of the slave auction block where local slave owners, including Thomas Jefferson, would come to Court Square on market days to buy or sell enslaved Black people, and then register those transactions at the Court House.
New lynching marker and the story of John Henry James
Another important piece of history highlighted in this space is the story of John Henry James, a black man who was lynched before he could be brought to trial in 1898. No one was ever charged for his murder, despite the fact that the mob of one hundred and fifty armed white perpetrators wore no masks.
Johnny Reb statue
In this Square you will also learn about Confederate statues installed in the 1920’s in order to perpetuate the South’s “Lost Cause” mythology. These statues have been at the center of numerous debates in the Charlottesville community in recent years.
The “Johnny Reb” statue was a Confederate memorial located in front of the Courthouse. It was erected in 1909 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and removed on September 12, 2020.
Stonewall Jackson statue
Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was a famous Confederate General in the Civil War and his statue was unveiled here in 1921. Jackson died in Chancellorsville, Virginia and never came to Charlottesville, except as part of a funeral procession.
These monuments both emerged from the Lost Cause ideology – a narrative that justifies slavery and Jim Crow laws and upholds white supremacy.
The Stonewall Jackson statue was removed from Court Square on July 10, 2021.
Businesses of the formerly enslaved
Down the hill from Court Square is today’s Downtown Mall, once the central business district of Charlottesville. During the 1800’s enslaved and free Black individuals constructed some of its buildings. They established businesses and formed a community there, which had a significant impact on the character and development of the city’s Main Street.
