Historic Petersburg, VA

This fall we took a day trip to Petersburg, VA. My husband's family migrated from Petersburg to Brooklyn sometime between 1920 and 1930. Since we visited the grave of his great-great-grandmother (Lucy Bagley) in Brooklyn last spring, we decided to visit the address where she lived in 1920 before she left Petersburg.


We found Plum Street in the historic downtown of Petersburg. Both Lucy and her daughter Sadie were living on this street in 1920 (based on the 1920 census).


Unfortunately the house where they lived is no longer standing (above shows the empty lot.)

There was a house still standing (just barely) next door that I imagine looks a lot like the one where they once lived.



On the corner was a small church...



And nearby was the oldest black community in the United States (Pocahontas).



Petersburg was also the site of a lengthy siege during the Civil War. The battlefield was closing by the time we arrived, so we're planning a return trip soon to see all that we missed.