Explore the African American Experience in Civil War-Era Virginia

The Road to Freedom VA highlights Virginia’s Civil War-era African American experience, encouraging visitors and Virginians alike to uncover these little-known stories of strife, growth, community, and more. It unleashes the power of both perspective and place and introduces historical figures that have been given little voice until now. This application allows you to interact with these stories in various ways. You can explore the Road to Freedom VA sites at large, read of the illuminating narratives derived from the print brochure below, and investigate the state’s history through tour collections for particular Virginia cities and themes.

Developed through a partnership between the American Battlefield Trust and Civil War Trails, this application came about as a supplemental resource to the printed Road to Freedom map and brochure, available in visitor centers across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its purpose is to demonstrate the state's diverse history and give autonomy to the African American experience.