Free Union

History

The area was first settled in the mid-18th century. In 1761, the region became a part of Albemarle County. Free Union was originally referred to as "Nicksville" after a free slave named Nick, who opened a blacksmith shop there in the early 19th century. When a post office was established in 1847, it was given the name of Free Union to avoid confusion with Nixville, another post office in the county. The name was taken from that of the Free Union Church, which had been built in 1837 and is still operating as the Free Union Baptist Church. The church was "free" in that all races were welcome to worship there, and it was a "union" of four denominations of Christianity, none of which could have afforded a church of their own at that time. Including both Black and White members on the church roles was customary, as Black people were usually the enslaved property of church members. According to a history, "Records for the Baptist congregation in 1859 noted 110 members: 69 White; 41 Black. Following the Civil War, the tradition of mixed-race congregations ceased in most churches, as African Americans finally were allowed to assemble together freely under the law." The Ballard-Maupin House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. Early family names here included Ballard, Burruss, Catterton, Harris, Maupin, Via, Rhodes and White (north of Millington as well as southeast of there). James Harris and wife Elizabeth obtained a land grant that included the area where Free Union stands today. They had six sons and five daughters and called the house, dated to 1755, "Meadow Bluffs." The last of the family was Reuben Harris. After the Civil War, he was forced to sell off some of the land. Several former enslaved people acquired small pieces of the land by…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  26,236
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  24,154
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  21,139
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  20,802
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  20,131
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  19,391
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  18,448
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  17,888