The historic Winfree Cottage has received some tender, loving care. At left, a photo published in the June 2-4 edition of the Free Press shows the previous condition of the small house that dates at least to 1866. At right, a photo taken July 11 shows the new look of the cottage after a fresh coat of whitewash and a new coat of paint on the roof.
The 700-square-foot building, now owned by the city, has long been envisioned as a visitor’s center for the Richmond Slave Trail. It now sits next to the Lumpkin’s Jail site near North 15th and East Broad streets and Main Street Station.
Rescued from demolition in 2002, the building has sat for 12 years on a trailer and steel beams awaiting a new foundation. It is said to be the last slave cottage still standing in Richmond, though that claim has not been verified. City records show it was purchased or built in 1866 by owner David Winfree, who then deeded it to his former slave, Emily Winfree, the mother of five of his children.
