Join us for a special dedication for Julia Roberts who will be portrayed by an historical reenactor who will talk about her enslavement and courageous path to freedom. We will also learn about the life of the young boy (his name is unknown) enslaved along with Julia in the Arlington Forest neighborhood.
Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington, 1669-1865
The Arlington Historical Society and the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington invite you to the unveiling of “Stumbling Stones.” These bronze markers commemorate the lives of the enslaved people who helped build our county (and our country). The markers are placed in the sidewalk at the last known location where these enslaved people lived. Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington’s research has revealed over 2,750 enslaved people and identified 1,045 by name.
Please join us for the Dedication Ceremony honoring two once enslaved individuals:
- Julia Roberts: Born ca. 1812
- Name Unknown, Boy: Born ca. 1832
Their Story
Julia Roberts, born around 1812, and a boy whose name is unknown, born around 1832, were enslaved on the farm of Anne E. Harding in 1840. Though they lived on the same farm, much is known of Julia’s life and almost nothing of the young boys.
Julia Roberts was promised freedom upon reaching the age of 25 by her first enslaver, Simon Summers. In 1844, when denied manumission, she successfully sued for it in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court. The 1860 Census indicates that Julia Roberts was a free woman living in Georgetown and working as a servant. Later public records document she worked as a washer woman and cook. She fades from the records after 1870.
Little is known about the boy enslaved by Anne E. Harding in 1840 beyond his age and gender. It’s unlikely he was a blood relation of Julia Roberts, yet he endured the same dehumanizing treatment as Julia, aspired to be free, and perhaps gained his freedom through Union occupation of Arlington County or through the Emancipation Proclamation.
Both Julia Roberts and the unnamed male are not forgotten, their presence will be memorialized with these two bronze plaques.
Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington seeks to shed light upon these early Americans who contributed so much to the economic, social, and cultural development of our county.
