The new Valentine-Jackson Memorial Garden enshrines the memories and letters of the Valentine and Jackson families, enslaved people who were brought to the Virginia Executive Mansion in 1837 by Gov. David Campbell of Abingdon. The garden sits outside the mansion’s old slave quarters that were renovated in 1999 and now serve as guest bedrooms. Plaques around the garden wall contain excerpts from the letters.
Stories this photo appears in:
Executive Mansion dedicates garden to memory of enslaved
Imagine living and working hundreds of miles away from your family for years, with no smartphone, no internet, no means of transportation and no sense of how far you are from home.
