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.