At each site you can either click the button on the page to hear the audio (you may incur mobile phone data charges) or dial the phone number and enter the stop number (you may incur charges to your mobile phone's allotted monthly minutes)
(434) 326 - 4111 stop 19#
Enslaved African Americans at the University
The University of Virginia utilized the labor of enslaved African Americans from the earliest days of its construction in 1817 until the end of the American Civil War. Most of the University’s enslaved laborers were rented from local slave-owners and worked alongside whites and free blacks in all tasks associated with constructing the Academical Village. When the first students arrived in March 1825, enslaved African Americans worked in the pavilions, hotels, and the Rotunda; maintained classrooms, laboratories, and the library; and served the daily needs of the students and faculty, especially in providing cooking and cleaning services. This self-guided Walking Tour is an introduction to some of the people, places, and events that shaped the early history of African Americans at the University of Virginia. For further information, please see slavery.virginia.edu.