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Saturday, July 5, 2008
Early Free Black Neighborhoods -- Alexandria, Virginia
In 1790, when the first federal census was taken, 52 free blacks were recorded as living in Alexandria. This population increased dramatically to 836 by 1810 and continued to expand until 1846 when Alexandria retroceded to the Commonwealth of Virginia from the District of Columbia.
The free black population began increasing again after 1860 and reached 5,300 by 1870. The earliest free black neighborhoods in Alexandria began between 1790 and 1810. This first community offree blacks formed at the southwestern edge of the city and became known as "The Bottoms."
By 1810, this neighborhood had extended to the southeast and a new community, "Hayti," sprang up to the east. In mid century, "Uptown" began in the northwestern section of Alexandria. Around this time also, a community known as Petersburg, called "The Berg" or "Fishtown," developed in an area just back from the north waterfront
These black neighborhoods expanded and three new settlements began in the post bellum period. These were "The Hill," south of "Haytii" "Cross Canal," located each side of the Alexandria canal locks on the north end of town; "The Hump," to the west of "Cross Canal," and "Colored Rosemont" south of "The Hump" and east of the railroad.
By 1910, there was almost a continuous band of African American neighborhoods surrounding the city's center and edging Alexandria's boundaries. "Uptown" and "The Berg" are still viable 21st century neighborhoods.
Alexandria Black History Museum | Watson Reading Room | Robert H. Robinson Library
African American Heritage Park | Museum Exhibits | Museum Collections | Education Programs
History of Museum & Related Sites | Self-Guided Walking Tour | African American History Guide
Alexandria's Black Public Education 1800-1965 | Slave Market and Slave Jail | Freedmen's Cemetery
Oral History | Alexandria's Black Churches | To Witness the Past | Civil War: Fighting for Freedom
Civil War: Black Soldiers of the Civil War | Volunteers for Freedom, Part 1 | Volunteers for Freedom, Part 2
Directions and Fees | Participate and/or Volunteer | Alexandria Black History main page
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