Freedman's Village
Freedman’s Village provided protection, education, instruction, and employment to its African-American residents
African-American community called Freedman’s Village once stood in the area occupied today by the Pentagon and the Arlington National Cemetery
On property that today houses the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery, a little-known, thriving African-American community called Freedman’s Village once stood.
Established and formally dedicated by the U.S. Government in 1863, Freedman’s Village was located on land that surrounds Arlington House, a sprawling antebellum estate inherited by Robert E. Lee’s wife, Mary Anna Randolph Custis, and where the Lee family lived for several years. The main objective of the founding of Freedman’s Village was to provide protection, education, instruction, and employment to its African-American residents.
Situations were at times far from ideal, but Freedman's Village quickly gained a reputation as a haven for “contraband” (escaped enslaved people) and free persons due to its rural location, away from the crowded, diseased-ridden city camps in Washington, D.C., where individuals were less likely to survive. Camp life and living conditions were far from perfect; however, during the early years, the treatment of residents was questionable. Once this was exposed and an investigation was launched, conditions slowly improved.
As time progressed, the residents began cultivating, improving, and creating a community they could call home. Although initially planned as temporary housing, through decades of hard work and communal dedication on behalf of the residents, Freedman’s Village transformed into a developing community, a home, and a place for growth and personal success for many fugitive slaves and free persons alike who previously had no opportunities or rights in Virginia.
During its various stages of growth and development, Freedman’s Village offered educational, professional, and emotional support for its increasing population. Residents could acquire employable skills, and many found they finally had access to medical care, clothing, healthy foods, and adequate shelter.
Along with gaining access to better living conditions, the residents of Freedman’s Village were also learning about their fundamental human rights as U.S. citizens. The village became an area for revelation and realization.
One well-known abolitionist, Sojourner Truth, resided in Freedman’s Village for approximately a year and worked to assist villagers with access to information. Sojourner Truth worked for the National Freedman’s Relief Association during that time. She counseled the villagers on self-care and self-maintenance, instructed the women in domestic chores, preached the gospel, helped find work for the unemployed, and taught residents how to demand their fundamental human rights be represented and respected.
The population of Freedman’s Village fluctuated continuously, much like any temporary housing community. When it first began in 1863, it was estimated that approximately 1,000 individuals resided in the community. By July 1867, 837 inhabitants were recorded as living in Freedman’s Village. However, due to its better-than-average living conditions and its ability to offer employment and personal support to individuals, the community remained unusually strong for almost 40 years.
The Government attempted to close the village on several occasions. With each looming shutdown, the residents rallied and successfully resisted closure - until 1900, when the Government finally closed the village permanently and paid off residents to vacate the area once and for all.
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