Jackson Ward
Before the Civil War this neighborhood was home to free blacks and enslaved individuals, along with European immigrants and Jewish residents. The area served as a city electoral district (1871-1903) and is still called Jackson Ward. By the early 20th century it had become one of the premier centers of African American business, social, and residential life in the United States. Black-owned businesses such as the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank, the Southern Aid Insurance Company, the Richmond Planet newspaper, and Miller's Hotel (later Eggleston Hotel) thrived during legalized racial segregation. In the 1950s the new interstate highway bisected Jackson Ward. In 1978 the area became a National Historic Landmark.
Marker is on Second Street, on the right when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
