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Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections LibraryJoseph Azizi, Archivist; Justice Menzel, Archival Intern
This collection contains some in-copyright material. Visit our Permissions and Publishing page (https://www.library.virginia.edu/special-collections/services/publishing) for more information about use of Special Collections materials. The library can provide copyright information upon request, but users are responsible for making their own determination about lawful use of collections materials.
This collection is open for research use.
MSS 16910, Porters Community Map, Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia
Gift of Lisa Goff, 17 February 2025. Acquired by Krystal Appiah, Curator.
Porters, or " Porter's Precinct ," is an unincorporated community located in Albemarle County that is southeast of Esmont , a census-designated place, and along the James River and Virginia State Route 6. The community was first listed as the established place, "Porters," on the Green-Peyton Albemarle County Map of 1875 . It retains the name "Porter's Precinct" for voting purposes.
Porters has a historically Black population, owing to its original settlement, "Porter's Precinct," which was founded by African American communities in the wake of the American Civil War. The predominantly rural community lies at a lower altitude than the surrounding areas of Albemarle County, namely Esmont, which gave rise to early nicknames like "The Bottom" or "Lower Esmont," and in some cases, "Upper Esmont."
Porters and Esmont were established along slate and soapstone quarries, which, along with commercial plantations, made up the majority of the community's economic output. In the early 20th and late 19th centuries, as population increased in the area, businesses, churches, and utilities were established to cater to the growing community along Route 6 (known locally as "Irish Road"). These included mechanics , beauticians , building contractors , doctors and nurses , among other professions.
"Porter's Precinct" community members established multiple schools. The first school for African Americans in the Esmont area was established in 1874 and classes were taught by a white man named John Lane . Notable among the schools was the B.F. Yancey Elementary School , which opened in 1961 and closed in 2017 . It now exists as the Yancey School Community Center , which is known for housing some Piedmont Virginia Community College classes and acting as a polling location for the region. Simpson Park is located across the street from the Yancey School Community Center. These locations at the geographical center of Porters are important markers of the present community.
Benjamin Franklin Yancey (1870-1915) and his wife, Harriet Anna Jackson , worked to develop the "Educational Board of Esmont" in 1907 , which sought to establish a better school in Esmont by acquiring a contract with Albemarle County, land grants, and teaching licenses for Yancey and his wife. Yancey worked as a teacher at Black Branch School in Esmont, Virginia. "Esmont Colored School" opened in 1916 as a result of the Board's efforts.
Resource List
Cumbo-Floyd, Andi, and Friends of Esmont. Esmont, Virginia: A Community Carved from the Earth and Sustained by Story. [Virginia, United States]: [Andilit], [2020].
Find a Grave. "Benjamin Franklin Yancey." Accessed July 2, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/186710853/benjamin_franklin-yancey.
Find a Grave. "Daniel Good Van Clief." Accessed July 2, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/13904656/daniel-good-van_clief.
Scottsville Museum. "Esmont Homes." Scottsville Museum. Accessed July 2, 2025. https://scottsvillemuseum.com/esmont/esmonthomes/Esmonthome.html.
Scottsville Museum. "Esmont School." Scottsville Museum. Accessed July 2, 2025. https://scottsvillemuseum.com/esmont/esmontschools/esmontschool.html.
Scottsville Museum. "Esmont: Home." Scottsville Museum. Accessed July 2, 2025. https://scottsvillemuseum.com/esmont/home.html.
Scottsville Museum. "Nydeire Home." Scottsville Museum. Accessed July 2, 2025. https://scottsvillemuseum.com/esmont/esmonthomes/nydriehome.html.
University of Virginia Library. "#ArchivesBlackEducation: Benjamin Franklin Yancey." Small Special Collections Library Blog. Posted February 5, 2021. Accessed July 2, 2025. https://smallnotes.library.virginia.edu/2021/02/05/archivesblackeducation-benjamin-franklin-yancey/.
University of Virginia Library. "Green Peyton Albemarle County Map (1875)." UVA Library Geospatial Data Portal. Accessed July 2, 2025. https://data-uvalibrary.opendata.arcgis.com/maps/uvalibrary::green-peyton-albemarle-county-map1875/explore?location=37.845704%2C-78.599981%2C14.00.
U.S. Geological Survey. "Esmont." The National Map, Accessed July 2, 2025. https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/search/names/1494219.
Virginia House of Delegates. "Delegate Daniel Good Van Clief." House History, Virginia House of Delegates. Accessed July 2, 2025. https://history.house.virginia.gov/members/8922.
This collection contains one printed map of Porters , an unincorporated community in Albemarle County, Virginia , that was founded circa 1875 . The map was created by University of Virginia student Jeida Brooks in Spring 2024 for "Mapping Black Landscapes," AMST 3710, a course taught by Dr. Lisa Goff . Brooks researched the Porters community and worked with community members to identify schools, churches, cemeteries, businesses, stores, and recreation sites vital to its African American population.
The map encompasses multiple communities surrounding Porters, including the census-designated place, Esmont , as well as Alberene , Green Mountain , and Chestnut Grove . These extended communities, which include Porters, are often grouped with Esmont for United States Census activities.
Many locations on the map are legacy points, meaning that they were no longer in operation at the time of the map's creation. For instance, B.F. Yancey Elementary School closed in 2017 and now operates as the Yancey School Community Center , though the location is only listed by its former name. Most listed schools, businesses, and some churches are no longer in operation but have been retained on the map for their local historical significance.
Locations on the map that continue to see community use include Simpson Park , The New Hope Baptist Church , Chestnut Grove Baptist Church , the Esmont Post Office , and several cemeteries, among other locations.