Mary Lumpkin, a former enslaved woman, inherited the land housing Lumpkin’s Jail, a notorious slave facility infamous for its brutal treatment of enslaved Africans and its role in forced breeding for profit. Willed to her by Robert Lumpkin, her former enslaver, she transformed this site of suffering into an educational institution, laying the foundation for Virginia Union University and leaving a lasting legacy of empowerment.
Lumpkin’s Jail: “The Devil’s Half Acre”
Lumpkin’s Jail, infamously known as “The Devil’s Half Acre,” die to its brutal reputation, was owned and operated by Robert Lumpkin, a notorious slave trader. Located in Shockoe Bottom, a hub for the slave trade, the jail functioned as a holding pen for enslaved Africans and a breeding ground designed to maximize profits through forced reproduction.
The compound was fortified with tall, windowless brick walls and iron-barred gates to prevent escape. Inside, enslaved men, women, and children were held in cramped, unsanitary cells as they awaited auction or transport to plantations. Physical abuse was rampant, and enslaved Africans were subjected to unspeakable horrors, including forced breeding to produce children who would also be enslaved.
The facility consisted of four main structures: Robert Lumpkin’s residence, a guest house, a kitchen and bar, and the slave pen. The slave pen, a two-story brick building, was a site of unimaginable suffering. Enslaved men, women, and children were crammed into overcrowded cells with barred windows, deprived of basic needs like fresh air and sanitation. The complex also featured a “whipping room,” where iron rings held victims as they endured brutal floggings.
Slave breeding, one of the most heinous practices at the jail, involved the forced sexual exploitation of enslaved men and women to produce children who would later be sold.
Lumpkin’s breeding operation used hoods to cover their faces during forced sexual encounters, to prevent them from recognizing their partners, as it could be someone they know, a niece, aunt, sister, or their own mother.
Mary Lumpkin
Mary Lumpkin, a light-skinned enslaved woman, was purchased around 1840 by Robert Lumpkin when she was a child. Forced into a relationship with him, she bore seven children, two of whom died in infancy. Despite her circumstances, Mary prioritized her children’s freedom and education. She reportedly struck a deal with Robert, ensuring he would treat her as he wished as long as their children remained free. Two of her daughters later attended a prestigious finishing school in Massachusetts.
Despite her circumstances, Mary demonstrated courage in small but meaningful ways. She secretly assisted Anthony Burns, an enslaved man who escaped from Lumpkin’s Jail in 1854, and also gave him a hymnal. This act reflected not only her humanity but also her willingness to resist the oppressive system in which she was trapped.
Over the twenty years the Lumpkin Jail was in operation, thousands of slaves both young and old passed through the complex.
In the years leading up to the Civil War, Mary and her children moved to Philadelphia, settling in a house owned by Lumpkin. Later, Robert joined them in their new home.
The conclusion of the Civil War in 1865 marked the end of Lumpkin’s Jail and the emancipation of all its enslaved inhabitants. Following Lumpkin’s death in late 1866, he willed all his property to Mary, who was then legally able to accept it. This marked an extraordinary shift: a formerly enslaved woman now owned one of the most infamous slave jails in the country. Recognizing the potential to transform this site of suffering, Mary leased the property in 1867 to Nathaniel Colver, a Baptist minister dedicated to educating newly freed African Americans.
Colver established the Richmond Theological School for Freedmen on the site. The school, which aimed to provide theological and general education, became one of the first educational institutions for African Americans in the South. This transformation turned “The Devil’s Half Acre” into a beacon of hope and progress.
By 1873, the school had outgrown the site and relocated to a larger campus and Mary sold the land. Eventually, it evolved into Virginia Union University, a historically Black university that continues to serve as a hub for education and empowerment.
Mary eventually moved to New Orleans, where she operated a restaurant alongside one of her daughters. She later settled in New Richmond, Ohio, where she passed away in 1905, and was buried in Samarian Cemetery.
Today, Mary’s legacy endures through the work of Virginia Union University, where a street is named in her honor. Her life inspired Sadeqa Johnson’s novel Yellow Wife, bringing her story to a wider audience. As Hakim Lucas, President of Virginia Union University, aptly stated, “Mary Lumpkin represents the highest form of the ideal of what social justice means for us in our world today.”
Although the physical structure of Lumpkin’s Jail was demolished in 1888, its history remains preserved through archaeological discoveries and memorialization efforts. Today, the site serves as a reminder of the horrors of slavery and the resilience of those who fought to overcome it.
