The devil's half acre : the untold story of how one woman liberated the South's most notorious slave jail / Kristen Green.
Material type:
TextPublisher: New York : Seal Press, 2022Edition: First editionDescription: xii, 332 pages : illustrations, map ; 24 cmContent type: - text
- unmediated
- volume
- 9781541675636
- 1541675630
- Lumpkin, Mary F
- Virginia Union University (Richmond, Va.) -- History -- 19th century
- African American women -- Virginia -- Richmond -- Biography
- Women slaves -- Virginia -- Richmond -- Biography
- Slave trade -- Virginia -- Richmond -- History -- 19th century
- Jails -- Virginia -- Richmond -- History -- 19th century
| Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Book
|
Main Library | Biography | Lumpkin, M. G796 | Available | 33111010818660 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
The inspiring true story of an enslaved woman who liberated an infamous slave jail and transformed it into one of the nation's first HBCUs
In The Devil's Half Acre , New York Times bestselling author Kristen Green draws on years of research to tell the extraordinary and little-known story of young Mary Lumpkin, an enslaved woman who blazed a path of liberation for thousands. She was forced to have the children of a brutal slave trader and live on the premises of his slave jail, known as the "Devil's Half Acre." When she inherited the jail after the death of her slaveholder, she transformed it into "God's Half Acre," a school where Black men could fulfill their dreams. It still exists today as Virginia Union University, one of America's first Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
A sweeping narrative of a life in the margins of the American slave trade, The Devil's Half Acre brings Mary Lumpkin into the light. This is the story of the resilience of a woman on the path to freedom, her historic contributions, and her enduring legacy.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 281-282) and index.
Chosen ones -- "That which is brought forth follows the womb" -- The thing we can't name -- So well acquainted -- Anthony Burns and the Fugitive Slave Act -- Leaving the South -- Richmond families in Philadelphia -- Capital of the Confederacy -- After the war -- "God's half acre."
"While Confederate statues are brought down across the country, America is reckoning with its tumultuous past and the legacy of the darker chapters of our history. In The Devil's Half Acre, New York Times bestselling author Kristen Green draws on years of deep research to tell the extraordinary hidden story of young Mary Lumpkin, an enslaved woman who sought freedom and lit a path for liberation for thousands more. Enslaved and separated from her family when she was a child, Mary Lumpkin, born 1832, was later forced to secretly marry and have the children of the brutal slave-trader Robert Lumpkin. Together they lived on the premises of his notoriously cruel slave jail in Richmond, Virginia, known as the 'Devil's Half Acre.' In this destitute setting, Mary Lumpkin not only found a way to educate and free her children-and herself-but she managed to create something monumental. When Robert Lumpkin died and left his jail to Mary, she rented The Devil's Half Acre to a Baptist missionary and helped transform it into 'God's Half Acre,' a place where freed Black men could be educated. These same grounds where enslaved people were tortured and held before slave auctions eventually became the cornerstone for Virginia Union University, one of the nation's first HBCUs, which is still open today. Richly told and dramatically paced, The Devil's Half Acre reckons with America's heartbreaking past. Ultimately, Mary Lumpkin's story demonstrates that righting unspeakable wrongs can not only heal, but can empower generations to come"-- Provided by publisher.