Buckhorn (Ridley's) Quarter

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On 21 Aug. 1831, enslaved preacher Nat Turner launched a revolt that resulted in the deaths of about 60 whites and a similar number of African Americans. Defeated in a skirmish outside Jerusalem (now Courtland) on 22 Aug., the rebels came to this neighborhood, site of some of the largest slaveholdings in the area. They spent the night at Maj. Thomas Ridley’s Buckhorn Quarter plantation, about a mile north of here. Local whites seeking refuge spent the night elsewhere on Ridley’s property. Four of Ridley’s slaves joined the revolt, but other participants deserted amid fears of a white attack. The rebels left before dawn on 23 Aug. and were defeated later that day, ending the revolt.

Marker: U-115, Department of Historic Resources (2017)