The Emerging History of American Contrabands: A Symposium at Fort Monroe

Join descendants, scholars, public historians, and community leaders at historic Fort Monroe for The Emerging History of the American Contrabands Symposium, a two-day gathering that explores the lives and legacy of the hundreds of thousands of enslaved people who self-emancipated during the Civil War.

Held at the very place where the 1861 Contraband Decision first transformed a military policy into a pathway to freedom, this Symposium brings together new research, descendant knowledge, and public history practice to illuminate the names, lives, communities, and military service of the American Contrabands.

This event will also be livestreamed via Youtube, link to be provided closer to the date.

• Panel discussions with leading historians and scholars
• Descendant presentations sharing family histories of self-emancipation
• Conversations with authors whose work explores the lives of the Contrabands
• Stories of self-emancipated men who became soldiers in the United States Colored Troops
• Creative interpretation and public history storytelling
• The public launch of the Contraband Digital Archive
• A guided tour of Elmerton (The Contraband) Cemetery, one of the earliest burial grounds associated with the Contraband community in Hampton, where participants will explore the lives and legacy of those who lived, worked, and built families in the first community of self-emancipated people
  

The Symposium concludes with the Annual Commemoration of the 1861 Contraband Decision, honoring the moment when Fort Monroe became the first place where freedom took physical form during the Civil War.

Admission is FREE, but seating is limited.

Registration is required.

Registration closes May 13, 2026.

Reserve your seat today.

Lodging is available at several hotels in Hampton and Newport News.

A small block of rooms is reserved at the Landing at Hampton Marina, Tapestry Collection by Hilton. Ask for the Contraband Historical Society room block. Block rate expires on April 30, 2026.

Other options:

• Courtyard Hampton Coliseum Central
• Best Western Hampton Coliseum Inn
• Embassy Suites by Hilton Hampton Convention Center
• Hilton Garden Inn Hampton Coliseum Central
• Holiday Inn Express Hampton Coliseum Central

Info: Leaders of the Hampton community, the Fort Monroe Authority, and the Contraband Historical Society formally open the symposium and frame the national significance of Fort Monroe as the birthplace of the Contraband Decision of 1861. Phil Adderley, President, CHS; Scott Martin, CEO, FMA; Larry Gibson, Project 1619, Inc; Dr. Françoise Bonnell, FMA; Regina Tucker, Master of Ceremonies, CHS; Jaci Wells, NPS Fort Monroe National Monument Superintendent.

Info: Historians, museum professionals, and preservation leaders examine how Contraband history has been interpreted, overlooked, and reintroduced into public memory over the past 160 years. Joseph Rogers, VMHC; Willie Wright, Contraband Descendent; Laura Seltzer-Duny, Filmmaker & Impact Director; Tev’n Powers, Software Engineer, Community Historian, Digital Humanist; Melanie Roberts, Berkeley Plantation.

Info: Descendents share genealogical discoveries, family memory, and lived connections to the first Contraband communities formed at Fort Monroe. Ajena Rogers, Contraband Descendent, Public Historian; Bracey Boone, Writer, Contraband Descendent; Pamela Holley, Contraband Descendent, Researcher; Tim Savage, Contraband Descendent, Researcher; Richard Rutherford, Independent Researcher and Historian.

Info: Scholars address archival gaps, misidentified records, and methodological challenges in reconstructing the lives of the self emancipated. Dr. Cassandra Newby-Alexander, Author and Historian, Professor, NSU; Amy Murrell Taylor, Historian, Professor of History, UK; Amburr Phillips, Emerging Scholar, LU; Dr. Colita Fairfax, Professor, Social Scientist, Historiographer NSU; Abigail Cooper, Historian, Scholar of Religion and the Civil War.

Info: Community historians, genealogists, and researchers explore collaborative strategies, descendent archives, and digital access as tools for restoring erased histories. Dr. Cassandra Newby-Alexander, Author and Historian, Professor, NSU; Chandra Manning, Professor of History, Georgetown; Selma Stewart, Genealogist, Family History Researcher; Abigail Cooper, Historian, Scholar of Religion and the Civil War; Beth Austin, Hampton History Museum.

Info: Nationally recognized authors read from their work and discuss the craft and responsibility of writing self emancipation into the American narrative. Located at the Chapel of the Centurion. Dr. Tommy Bogger, Professor of History, Historian, NSU; Amy Murrell Taylor, Historian, Professor of History, UK; Chandra Manning, Professor of History, Georgetown; Professor and Historian Tom Zoellner.

Info: A wine and cheese reception immediately following the Authors Roundtable. Located at the Chapel Center directly across the street from the Chapel.

Info: Scholars and descendants examine the transition from refuge to military service in the United States Colored Troops and Union Navy. Dr. Brian Neumann, Managing Director of the Nau Center for Civil War History, UVA; Leslie Anderson, Historical Researcher, Public Scholar; Bryan Cheeseboro, Historian, Author, USCT Scholar, Living History Interpreter.

Info: The formal unveiling of the Contraband Digital Archive, a searchable descendent-centered research platform restoring thousands of names and records. Amanda Haas, Collections Manager, FMA; Phillip Adderley, President, CHS; Abigail Heinz, Librarian, Researcher, Digital History Intern, FMA; Cynthia Harges, Contraband Descendent, CHS; Liza Rodman, Author, Student of History.

Info: An exploration of the ongoing archaeological and historical recovery work at Elmerton Cemetery. Dr. Colita Fairfax, Professor, Social Scientist, Historiographer NSU

Info: A public ceremony honoring Shepard Mallory, James Townsend, and Frank Baker, including the Reading of the Names and musical and dramatic tributes. Located at the Chapel of the Centurion.

Info: A closing wine and cheese reception following the Commemoration, located at the Chapel Center directly across the street.

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