Chasing History: The Oldest Black Community In The United States

Pocahontas Island, located in Petersburg Va., is the oldest black community in the United States. It was a part of the underground railroad and I had a chance to visit with Richard Stewart, the curator and owner of the Pocahontas Island Black History Museum.

It also serves as the Pocahontas Black History Museum. A museum that Mr. Stewart serves as the curator and founder. As a result, he has collected items from slave shackles to celebrities who have stopped by to visit. A master of his craft, every word cut like the images of slavery themselves.

Richard Stewart comes from a long line of descents from Petersburg, Va., eight generations to be exact. He has dedicated his life to preserving the artifacts and history of African Americans who toiled the soil of Pocahontas Island. At 78 years old, his expertise and wisdom were tangible. I sat quietly, and sheepishly, as he shared the history of the house. A house whose origin was 1832, has he vividly shares that I was in an original house on original ground.