The Ol' Auction Block in Luray, Virginia, reportedly used for auctioning slaves in the 19th century. Legend and narrative testimonies describe this stone as a Slave Auction Block
The "Ol' Auction Block" in Luray, Virginia, reportedly used for auctioning slaves in the 19th century.

 

Until the end of the U.S. Civil War in 1865, people of African descent were legally bought and sold as slaves. Due to the slave trade, families were torn apart; mother from child, brother from brother, husband from wife. When slaves were auctioned, they often walked a short wooden staircase to the top of a concrete block to be sold.

Stories about the "Ol' Auction Block" have been passed down from generation to generation to the living descendents of those very slaves. These stories form what historians call an Oral History. This website is about that History, and is dedicated to those who persevered through this oppressive era in American history.

Legend and narrative testimonies describe this stone as
A Slave Auction Block
From the Page News & Courier
August 31, 1961

"This native sandstone block...which stood at the corner of Main and Court Streets at the Chamber of Commerce building...was used as a perch for slaves about to be sold at auction...The stone is said to be one of the few now in existence."

It is similar to many which existed in the South prior to the Civil War.

As a part of everyday life, black men, women and children would be displayed and examined on slave blocks and sold for the highest bid. Family groups were frequently sold apart; husbands from wives, mothers from children, etc.

This block is an historic symbol of a dark past of man's inhumanity towards his fellow man. It is also a symbol of how far we have come in learning to respect its victims and in resolving to go forward into the future with mutual respect and understanding.

Erected November 2005

 


The Story of the "Ol' Auction Block"
Fred Hinson's Personal Odyssey
Fred Hinson
1944-2005 

 


Interviews with former slaves from across the American South
(Courtesy of the University of Virginia)

Aunt Betty's Story,
Narrative of a Slave Woman
Declaration of Causes
of Seceding States
(in their own words)

"Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery"

"We hold as undeniable truths that the governments of the various States, and of the confederacy itself, were established exclusively by the white race, for themselves and their posterity"

http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/reasons.html
 

Lest We Forget

Offering you the history, culture, preservation efforts, and current events of African-Americans, other ethnic, non-ethnic groups and individuals. We focus on and emphasize their sacrifices, relationships, interactions, patriotism as well as their contributions to the growth and development of this great nation.