018-0061

Lott Cary Birth Site

VLR Listing Date

05/20/1980

NRHP Listing Date

07/30/1980

NRHP Reference Number

80004883

For over two centuries this late-18th-century vernacular dwelling, sited in a farm field in Charles City County, has been recognized as the birthplace of Lott Cary (1780-1829), the first Black American missionary to Africa and a founding father of Liberia. The house is the only remnant of the plantation of John Bowry, on which Cary was born enslaved. Cary lived here until 1804, when Bowry hired him out to a Richmond tobacco manufacturer. Cary taught himself to read and write and eventually purchased his freedom. He was ordained a Baptist minister and became active in the African Missionary Society and the American Colonization Society. With support from the American Baptist Board of Foreign Missions he journeyed to Liberia, where he founded the Providence Baptist Church of Monrovia and helped establish native schools. Cary died unaware that he had been elected governor of the colony.

Last Updated: May 12, 2024

Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.

Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark

For additional information Read

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