Hospital and School of the Good Shepherd
Lawrenceville, Virginia
Though many freed African Americans continued after the Civil War to work the same farms on which they had been slaves, many also left their homes in search of better opportunities elsewhere. Often the sick, elderly and very young were left behind, with no way to care for themselves and thereby placing a burden on local governments. Concerned by the plight of these Americans, Mrs. Pattie Hicks Buford (b. 1836), wife of Judge F.E. Buford, first built “The Chapel in the Woods” to nurse the increasing number of sick and elderly African Americans in her community. In 1883, she built the Church Home for Aged, Infirm and Disabled Colored People, a full-fledged hospital in Brunswick County. The Mission Rooms Bible House in New York initially sponsored the hospital. A few years later, when it withdrew its support, Mrs. Buford often toured the North, visiting with wealthy and influential friends to raise money for her work. In 1891 the hospital was destroyed by fire, but her supporters contributed enough to rebuild it, as well as the School of the Good Shepherd. Mrs. Buford died in 1901. The orphanage and hospital remained in operation until 1907. The hospital has been renovated and is now an inn; the school and orphanage is still standing next door.
Marker is on Pleasant Grove Road (County Route 681) 0.3 miles north of Governor Harrison Parkway (U.S. 58), on the right when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
