Sparking Freedom: Enslaved Resistance in Fredericksburg and Stafford

The Fredericksburg Area Museum (FAM), in partnership with Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields National Military Park and Discover Stafford, is pleased to announce a new trolley tour Sparking Freedom: Enslaved Resistance in Fredericksburg and Stafford, Virginia. Led by Dr. Gaila Sims, Curator of African American History and Special Projects.

Sparking Freedom will incorporate stops at multiple National Park Service sites, as well as several other local historic locations and the Fredericksburg Area Museum. Combining historical documentation and archival research, this program will feature accounts of enslaved resistance including an uprising of enslaved men at Chatham plantation in winter 1805, the story of Anthony Burns, an enslaved man who escaped to Boston in 1853 but was later apprehended under the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, and enslaved individuals like Bethany Veney who resisted sales and auctions.

Sparking Freedom will take place on April 13th and 27th between 1 pm – 3 pm. This program is free and open to the public. Participants will board the trolley at the Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center (1013 Lafayette Blvd). Due to limited spots, participants must RSVP.

Two additional trolley tour dates will be available in the fall. A self-guided tour brochure with video and map will also be available after the spring tour dates.

Sparking Freedom: Enslaved Resistance in Fredericksburg and Stafford, Virginia is supported by the National Park Foundation’s ParkVentures Grant.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center, 1013 Lafayette Boulevard, Fredericksburg, United States