A native sandstone block at the corner of Main and Court Streets at the Chamber of Commerce building was used as a perch for enslaved people about to be sold at auction and is said to be one of the few such stones still in existence. Similar blocks were common in the South prior to the Civil War, where black men, women, and children were displayed, examined, and sold to the highest bidder as part of everyday life. Families were often separated in these sales, with husbands sold away from wives and mothers from children. The block stands as a historic symbol of a dark past of inhumanity and also of a resolve to respect its victims and move forward with mutual respect and understanding.