A Slave Auction Block - Luray VA
N 38° 39.813 W 078° 27.592
17S E 721008 N 4282503
A sign next to a stone pillar proclaims it as a slavery auction block.
Waymark Code: WMDG3D
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 01/11/2012
Views: 4
A sign next to a sandstone block on Zerkel St. in Luray, Virginia reads:
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 toward
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 auction block stands directly across the railroad tracks behind the old train depot which now houses the current Luray Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center
.
According to the AfriGeneas Slave Research Forum Archive
, the stone was moved several times since its original location on the corner of Main and Court -- first to storage, then a location on Main St., and finally to its current site in the early 1960s.