The Memorial Work at Woodberry Forest
A dedicated space for reflection, honoring the resilience and history of those who lived and labored on this land behind The Residence.
About the Memorial Work
The Residence
In 1793, James Madison asked Thomas Jefferson to design a house for his brother William on land their father, James Madison Sr., would gift him the following year. In 1794, William received 1,300 acres in Madison County, Virginia — about 8 miles from Montpelier — and named the plantation Woodberry Forest. A working dairy plantation, Woodberry Forest was home to a community William enslaved; at the time of his death, that number exceeded 50 souls.
Why Here? Why Now?
Our research delved into archives, oral histories, and the physical landscape of Woodberry Forest to identify individuals whose contributions had long been overlooked. By partnering with Montpelier, the project gained access to documents, wills, inventories, and letters that name the enslaved individuals who lived and worked here.
According to the 1843 Inventory of The Residence, at the time of William Madison's death, there were 31 enslaved adults and 22 enslaved children on the property. Despite this history, little effort has been made to document their experiences and labor on campus. This memorial seeks to change that by beginning with a bench in the backyard of The Residence until a more prominent memorial, currently being developed by the school, can be installed.
We chose The Residence as the site of this memorial because of its direct and enduring connection to Woodberry's plantation past. The Residence is the only original structure remaining from William Madison's era, making it a living witness to nearly 70 years of enslaved labor under the Madison family. It is also the source of our most important historical document, the 1843 Inventory, which gives us the names and monetary values of the people who worked within and around its walls. Placing a memorial here ensures that their presence is acknowledged in the very place where their labor was most concentrated, transforming a site of historical erasure into one of recognition and remembrance.
About the Memorial
The memorial at The Residence was designed to be a place of intentional pause. Rather than a monument to be observed from a distance, it invites visitors to sit, reflect, and reckon with the history beneath their feet — honoring the enslaved men, women, and children who lived and labored here. Conceived by Woodberry student Jayden Crosby-Brewer '26 and crafted by Forever Red Wood, a California-based workshop, the bench was built with care and intention. Behind it, a garden was designed to complement the memorial, grounding it in the natural landscape of The Residence and creating a space that is as beautiful as it is meaningful. It is the first step in a longer commitment to making their lives visible in Woodberry's public memory.
The bench was designed with deliberate intention in every detail. Carved into the top arch are the words “In Honor of the Enslaved at Woodberry Forest,” ensuring its purpose is unmistakable to anyone who approaches it. At the center of the backrest, three inscriptions read: “Their resilient labor, their silent struggles, their unrecorded stories,” “Their voices and legacy echo here,” and “Each mark on this bench represents one life.” Those marks, tally marks etched across the slats of the backrest, total 53, one for each of the enslaved individuals documented in the 1843 Inventory of The Residence. Along the base of the bench, visitors are directed to woodberryblacklegacy.com for more information. Nothing about this bench is accidental. Every word, mark, and line of its craftsmanship was chosen to honor lives that history nearly forgot.
The garden behind the bench was designed with the same intention as the memorial itself. At its heart are two flowers chosen for their deep historical significance: periwinkle, a plant used by enslaved individuals to mark burial sites, serves as a quiet acknowledgment of those whose graves were never formally recorded; and daisies, planted in honor of Daisy, one of the enslaved individuals identified by name in the 1843 Inventory of The Residence. Surrounding them, native Virginia wildflowers fill the garden with color and life, rooted in the same soil that those who were enslaved worked every day.