Coronavirus halts plans to remove slave auction block

There are still no removal plans for the slave auction block located on the corner of William and Charles in Downtown Fredericksburg.

This auction block was the cause of widespread debate in the community, but in July of 2019, the City Council decided that the block would be relocated to the Fredericksburg Area Museum. The costs associated with moving the stone were anticipated to be $30,000.

The relocation was supposed to take place in December 2019, but a lawsuit put a halt to those plans. 

Owners of the buildings that house Kybecca restaurant and the Olde Towne Butcher, next to the auction block, filed the lawsuit to prevent the auction block from being moved. 

The lawsuit did not make it through the Virginia Supreme Court and their petition was denied.

In light of the coronavirus pandemic, no new plans have been made to move the auction block.

“The removal has not been rescheduled at this time, the City is fully focused on the public health crisis due to Covid-19,” Fredericksburg City Public Information Officer Sonja Cantu said.

Historians have disagreed on whether the block was used for slave auctions. Old newspaper clippings evidence that the corner of Charles and William streets — in front of what was once the Planters Hotel — was consistently used for auctions in Fredericksburg.

However, some historians think the block was actually a carriage step, intended to serve guests at the hotel.