Virginia Homeless Solutions Program
Virginia Homeless Solutions Program
Virginia Homeless Solutions Program
STEPS and the Robert Russa Moton Museum are asking for your input on an exciting new housing initiative on land previously attributed to the Israel Hill community in the Town of Farmville.
STEPS has purchased 51 acres of land on Layne Street for VSH to build a residential community that will include housing options for citizens at all income levels: single family homes, senior housing rental units, townhouses, and duplexes and lots of green community space.
Israel Hill, settled in 1810-1811 by approximately ninety formerly enslaved persons who received freedom and 350 acres from Judith Randolph under the will of her husband, Richard Randolph, cousin of Thomas Jefferson. These "Israelites" and other free African Americans worked as farmers, craftspeople, and Appomattox River boatmen; some labored alongside whites for equal wages and defended their rights in court.
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Want to learn more about Israel Hill? Check out these resources!
From Ely to Griffin: The Forgotten Black History of Farmville
Ely to Griffin Part 2: Where are we heading
The Negroes of Farmville, Virginia: A Social Study
Source: Robert Russa Moton Museum, Farmville Virginia
