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In May of 1862, after saving and securing the Conway House, Eliza and Dunmore Gwinn, who had been enslaved by Conway, led a group of at least 42 former Conway enslaved people north to freedom.  Some historians say that there may have been more freedom-seekers who joined the exodus and traveled north to Georgetown in…

“It had been long since tidings concerning my relatives in Virginia had reached me. A small parcel containing an old china cup and saucer and a silver spoon had been sent me from Washington at the request of a Union soldier who had saved them from the wreck of things at Conway House, Falmouth. These…

Prior to the two “Trail to Freedom” exoduses during the Civil War, Stafford’s Aquia Landing witnessed other enslaved persons attempting freedom.  Solomon Northrup was the subject of the movie, “12 Years a Slave.” (The movie received an Oscar for best picture!)  Solomon Northup’s autobiography detailed that he was a free-born black in New York who…

The Gwinns and the rest of the people formerly enslaved by Conway established two businesses, a laundry and a bakery in Georgetown.  By July, they were making a profit when Moncure Conway found them.  He then realized that African Americans, if free, could make a living for themselves.  Reportedly, those that had been enslaved by…

The people formerly enslaved by Conway did well in Ohio.  Moncure Conway, despite his travels to Boston and the United Kingdom, constantly sent the colony money to help them out.  Other family names besides the Gwinns were Hempsteads, Morgans, and Taylors.

When Union troops entered Falmouth and marched along the King’s Highway (today’s River Road) a shot was fired. Not knowing if it was from the house or from the grounds, the soldiers damaged the lock and broke down the door. Finding an empty house, they searched each room. Eliza Gwinn, an enslaved woman, who was…

John Washington observed the continuing stream of other escaped enslaved people, dubbed “contrabands,” (based on liberal interpretation of orders allowing “contraband of war” to be “confiscated”) into the Stafford camps. He wrote, “Day after day the slaves came into camp and every where that the ‘Stars and Stripes’ waved they seemed to know freedom had…

Estimates were that 10,000 enslaved people escaped to freedom after they realized that Union forces were in Stafford. Later, Confederate newspapers said that 12,000 had left their enslavers.  This greater number is probably more accurate, as Southerners considered the people they had enslaved their property and were very much aware of their loss.

Many enslaved saw the arrival of the Union Army in Stafford, in April 1862, as a chance for freedom.  During the Union occupation that spring and summer, enslaved people from Fredericksburg, Stafford, Spotsylvania, and surrounding counties streamed into Union lines.  It was likely the largest single exodus of enslaved people in America up to that…

There were additional “freedom-seekers” after January 1, 1863, the effective date of the Emancipation Proclamation.  This picture was taken in southern Stafford during this “Second Exodus.” There are no macro-numbers as in the first exodus, but there are anecdotal numbers of individual sightings such as, “50 former slaves passed by here.” This photograph was taken…

Mount Olive Baptist Church, near Roseville, was the first African American Church in Stafford County. It was founded in 1818 near Roseville by the Rev. Horace Crutcher and five other members. The original place of worship was a slab wood shelter. “They hewed out the wilderness and drew up a highway for coming generations to…

Shiloh (Old Site) Baptist Church was established in Ruby in 1870 by acquiring one acre of land that was purchased for $1.00. The first church was a bush harbor or shelter. The second one was constructed of logs. In 1894, a frame structure was erected. The church was purchased in 1942 for expansion of US…