A partnership between the City of Richmond and the Capital Region Land Conservancy has led to the acquisition of 4.5 acres of land along the James River to continue the Richmond Slave Trail.

The CRLC is a nonprofit that conserves natural and historic land and water resources in the Richmond area.

The 130-foot wide and 2,300-foot long land, located between Interstate 95 and Ancarrow’s Landing, was purchased from Norfolk Southern. The land will go under the James River Park System conservation easement and be transferred to the City of Richmond as part of the park.

Historically, the property was an important industrial infrastructure to the Manchester docks where enslaved Africans were transported and the first rail line in Virginia operated. Norfolk Southern’s ownership of the property dates back to 1849 through its predecessors Richmond and Danville Railroad Company between 1847-1894 and Southern Rail way Company between 1894-1982.

The land has a quarter mile of frontage along the James River, adjacent to the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail, and is within view of Libby Hill Park. The property hosts a large portion of the Richmond Slave Trail, including one interpretive marker. This part of the trail was the subject of photographer Dawoud Bey’s series “Stony the Road,” which was recently featured in the Virginia Museum

of Fine Arts.

The property’s acquisition will ensure public access to this section of the Richmond Slave Trail. Until the property is transferred, a license agreement between the CLRC and the City of Richmond allows continued public use and the authority to maintain and make improvements to the Richmond Slave Trail interpretive marker and three pedestrian bridges, according to the CLRC.

In support of the acquisition, the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation provided a $150,000 grant that requires a 1 to 1 match. The Friends of the James River Park System contributed a $30,000 grant, asking the public to contribute another $30,000 towards the property’s purchase.

For more information, please visit www.capitalregionland.org.