Canada, Virginia Explained
38.0316°N -78.5052°WCanada was a small community of free African-Americans established near the University of Virginia in Charlottesville in the 19th century.[1] [2] [3] Many residents of Canada were employed by the university. The community existed from the early 19th century until the early 20th century, by which time the increasingly valuable land had been purchased by white speculators. Researchers theorize that the community was named in homage to the country bordering the United States to the north, where slavery had been abolished under the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833.[4]
It was located between what is now Jefferson Park Avenue and Venable Lane, and was rediscovered during the expansion of a university parking lot in May 1993.[5] An architectural firm cataloging the finding believes that the cemetery that they've uncovered served the community; 32 graves have been discovered. The site of the home of one community member is being turned into a 1acres public park.
See also
References
- News: C-Ville: UVA - Free blacks remembered at South Lawn . Chiara . Canzi . C-Ville Weekly . Portico Publications, LLC . 2009-03-10 . 2009-03-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100507175150/http://www.c-ville.com/index.php?cat=141404064432695&ShowArticle_ID=11800903093090787# . 2010-05-07 . dead .
- Web site: The Foster Family-Venable Lane Site: Report of Archaeological Investigations . Rivanna Archaeological Consulting - Charlottesville, Virginia - November 2003 . 2022-01-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181126064437/https://officearchitect.virginia.edu/pdfs/FosterFamilyVenableLaneArchaeologyReport.pdf . 26 November 2018 . dead.
- Web site: NRHP nomination for The Foster Site. Virginia DHR. 2017-11-04.
- News: Colwell. Kate. 2009-03-13. South Lawn memorial to honor free blacks' history. The Cavalier Daily. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090402042625/http://www.cavalierdaily.com/news/2009/mar/13/south-lawn-memorial-to-honor-free-blacks-history/#. 2009-04-02. He said he believes the name of the neighborhood is “likely symbolic of the fact that Canada was the final destination of runaway slaves,” and that it “perhaps reflects the significance of Kitty Foster and the free black community in the South Lawn area within the larger Charlottesville, Albemarle white community.”. 2009-03-14.
- Discoveries date to 19th century: Additional Gravesites, Artifacts Found On University-Owned Land That Once Belonged To Free African-American Family . University of Virginia . 2005-06-08 . 2009-03-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110608165403/http://www.virginia.edu/topnews/releases2005/foster-june-8-2005.html . 2011-06-08 . dead .
