Re “Lumpkin’s Jail site to get new life,” Aug. 20-22 edition:

Little fascinated me more during my studies at Virginia Union University than to discover that this historical testimony to the Lord’s work is linked to the “Devil’s Half Acre” — Robert Lumpkin’s old slave jail.

Such a triumph over evil became an even greater source of pride as I learned that during the Confederate evacuation of Richmond in early April 1865, Mr. Lumpkin tried and failed to smuggle some 50 now-freed black people out of Virginia for sale elsewhere.

I am still enthralled by the turn of events that brought the Rev. J.G. Binney to rent the jail from Mr. Lumpkin’s African-American widow and caused the Rev. James H. Holmes to join him in residence. In 1867, Rev. Holmes became the first black pastor of the First African Baptist Church, located less than three blocks from the former slave jail.

Having visited the jail’s remains, marveled at these connections and included pictures and reference to it in my own book, “Black Stone: The Rise and Call of the Black Preacher from Slave-Ship to Pulpit,” I esteem it highly as remarkable African-American history.

However, my instincts for community development do cause me to wonder what portion of the $19 million earmarked for the jail’s makeover will be spent to educate our children.

My previous experience with a $1 billion school desegregation plan in Kansas City, as well as other “education” projects, reminds me that the lion’s share of this money most likely will be divided among construction moguls, engineers, consultants, lawyers and the like.

How the residuals finally trickle down to our children and their academic achievement is what we have always wrestled with — after the money has all been spent.

Here’s hoping that this kind of history does not repeat itself.

REV. M.D. “DOC” BASS

Glen Allen