Site
"Anthony Burns"
GPS - 38° 19.277′ N, 77° 28.083′ W
History
Anthony Burns was born into slavery in Stafford County. In 1854 Burns escaped from Richmond, where he had been hired out, to Boston. His owner demanded his return under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Burns' arrest on 24 May 1854 inspired abolitionists to attempt his rescue. They were unsuccessful, and a judge ruled that Burns must be sent back to his owner. The episode increased antislavery sentiment across the North. Activists, including African American Bostonians, freed Burns through purchase in 1855, after which he attended Oberlin College. He became a minister and died in Canada West (later Ontario) in 1862.