Let me say "I told you so" on behalf of Ruby G. Martin.
Martin, secretary of administration under then-Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, broke with her former boss over the location of the National Slavery Museum in 2001. She was the voice of dissent among a three-person panel that shunned Richmond in favor of Fredericksburg.
Martin argued that Richmond "has a decisive edge over Fredericksburg both in its historical connections to slavery and the potential for national, state, local and community support."
Her logic was hard to dispute. And history has vindicated Martin, who died in 2003.
Progress on Wilder's slavery museum project has been so moribund that Fredericksburg officials have eased up on promoting it.
"We hope for more information from the museum staff about the next steps for the museum," said Karen Hedelt, the city's tourism manager.
The next step should be a move to Richmond, once the nation's largest domestic slave market.
Slaves were unloaded at its docks and marched 1.75 miles along the south bank of the James River and across Mayo Bridge to Shockoe Bottom, whose alleys were dotted with slave-auction houses.
Some of the historical connections Martin spoke of were unearthed last week at the Lumpkin's Slave Jail site, just north of Main Street Station.
Archaeologists uncovered brick foundation walls and thousands of period artifacts, including ceramics, glassware, bottles and animal bones.
"Finally, Richmond has discovered its beginnings," said David Herring, executive director of the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods. "Richmond would not be here without the slaves that built this city."
A couple of months ago, developers announced a proposal to redevelop Shockoe Bottom. Plans include a baseball stadium and a museum to the slave trade at the site of the Seaboard Building.
Given the flat-lining economy and the challenges of building a stadium in a flood zone, a slavery museum seems like the least problematic part of the plan. It should be central to any development plans in the Bottom. Why not make it the National Slavery Museum?
History is our ticket. We've got to punch it.
National Geographic Traveler recently ranked Richmond 81st in its rating of historic places. That sounds OK until you see that Charleston, S.C. (15th), Charlottesville and Monticello (31st), Asheville, N.C. (33rd), Savannah, Ga. (34th) and Alexandria (47th) left us in the dust.
"Richmond has great resources but has done a terrible job of protecting them," according to the magazine's survey. "Richmond is a jewel, although it doesn't score high on the tourist circuit. . . . The outlook is good, however, since its location and access rate are high."
The Lumpkin's jail excavation provides the chance for Richmond to clarify a tragic but defining chapter in its history and become the tourist destination it should be.
Wilder, as mayor, could have reversed the fortunes of his museum project by returning it to his hometown. Perhaps we can still salvage this worthy effort by bringing it to where it belongs.
Contact Michael Paul Williams at (804) 649-6815 or mwilliams@timesdispatch.com.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement