Mural hangs at Rowser Building
A mural depicting the 350-year history of African Americans in Stafford County was unveiled Saturday.
The event held at the Rowser Building was the last in a series of day-long events commemorating the Trail to Freedom. Many slaves pass through Stafford County seeking freedom in the northern U.S. before and during the Civil War.
Creators of the 40-foot mural wanted to showcase the struggles and triumphs of black citizens in Stafford County. The mural hangs inside the Rowser Building at 1739 Jefferson Davis Highway in Stafford which traces its roots back to 1939, when the land for the building was purchased by African Americans who would later build the Stafford Training School for the Colored.
“I would be hard pressed to find a time in my life where I am more proud, more touched, and more energized than I am today,” said Mike Lovitt, who hosted Saturday’s unveiling event and served on the Blue Ribbon Committee for Stafford’s 350th anniversary celebrated this year. “Who would have every dreamed that African Americans would have purchased this land some 75 years ago to build a school for young black youth to see it renamed [H.H. Poole School] for our first African American school principal [in Stafford County] and then later the Rowser Building.”
The Stafford County NAACP as well as local churches also participated in the event that began with the singing of the National Anthem. Then the first verse of the Black National Anthem, followed by performances by young dancers and a clarinet player.
Throughout the day, buses were used to shuttle event goers to multiple Trail to Freedom events on Saturday. Attendees were able to see six historically black churches in Stafford County each more than 100 years old, as well as the area that is now Aquia Landing Park where many slaves crossed the Potomac River on their route to freedom.
“It’s been an exciting day to celebrate the passage of 10,000 slaves through Aquia Landing, the building of an African American Community through its churches, and now the dedication of a mural,” said Harry Crisp, a former Stafford County Supervisor and Blue Ribbon Committee member.
Stafford County has celebrated its 350th birthday all year long starting with a block party with ice skating at Stafford Marketplace in January. It has also included other events such as a Founders Day Parade in May and the dedication of the outdoor Celebration Stage at Pratt Park in June.
