Freedman’s Village

During the Civil War, many escaped and freed slaves traveled north seeking refuge in Union camps, and thousands crowded into the Federal City, quickly overwhelming local resources as overcrowding and disease spread. In response to unhealthy, crowded conditions in and around the District of Columbia, the federal government selected a site on Arlington Heights in May 1863 to build housing for freed slaves. The planned community, known as Freedman’s Village, stood on part of the Custis/Lee Plantation, later the site of Arlington National Cemetery, and was intended to provide clean housing and opportunities for work, job training, and education. Constructed quickly and formally dedicated on December 4, 1863, it became a model for similar communities. More than 50 two-story duplex houses, two churches, a school, a meeting hall, a hospital, and a home for the aged and infirm were eventually built around a central green space, and the population later exceeded 1,000. Though intended to be temporary, residents remained until the late 1890s. By 1898 the village officially closed, and residents were asked to relocate with offers of land parcels and monetary incentives, while many stayed in the Arlington area and developed communities including Arlington View, Nauck, and Queen City.

Arlington, Virginia · United States