Press release
The Fluvanna Historical Society and Fluvanna County will dedicate a memorial recognizing the 150thanniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the American Civil War on Tuesday, Feb. 12 at 3 p.m. in the memorial park in the Historic Village of Palmyra.
An estimated 5,000 enslaved persons were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation in Fluvanna County. This memorial recognizes all who were enslaved in Fluvanna from the county’s founding in 1777 until emancipation, and honors those who experienced emancipation and, as people restored to their liberty, created a way forward for themselves and their families in the immediate aftermath of slavery.
Records indicate that 1,026 men from Fluvanna served in the Confederate military during the American Civil War. The end of the Civil War meant that the families of those who served were reunited. They found a new way forward, recovering from the privations of war in a new economy. This memorial recognizes the end of the American Civil War and reminds us of the changed lives of all in this community.
The Historic Village of Palmyra is located just north of the intersections of James Madison Highway (Route 15) and Thomas Jefferson Parkway (Route 53).
For more information, contact Tricia Johnson, historical society director, at coldhollowfarm@yahoo.com or 434-390-1218.
