Reopening of James A. Fields House

Saturday, January 1, 2022

1-3 pm

James A. Fields House

617-27th Street

Newport News, Virginia 23607

 

Fields Descendants Visit Home of Their Ancestors

On Saturday, September 12, 2015, several descendants of James A. Fields (1844-1903) and his wife Carrie (1860-1956) visited their ancestral home at the historic James A. Fields House, 617-27th Street in Newport News, Virginia.

Fields Family, descendants Dr. Sterling Fields, who was the eldest son of James A. and Carrie Fields.

 

Dr. Saundra Cherry, owner of the Fields House shares how her husband, Gregory Cherry, renovated the Fields House.

 

Ajena Rogers, a great-great granddaughter of James A. and Carrie Fields updates the Fields family tree.

 

 

Flight to Freedom Performance at Hampton History Museum

Flight to Freedom

Excerpts from Flight to Freedom Program

Ajena Rogers, a descendant of James A. Fields and Drusilla Pair, Genealogy Researcher and Local Historian, will be presenting “Flight to Freedom” for the College of William and Mary's Lemon Project on Friday, March 15, 2013 at 6:00 PM. The event will be held at the Bruton Heights School in Williamsburg, VA. Here are some clips from their performance we did at Fort Monroe last August. Rogers and Pair will be presenting “Flight to Freedom” again May at Fort Monroe and again at the Hanover County, VA Tavern in November. We are extremely excited particularly about the tavern engagement because her ancestor Martha Fields worked there as a Cook when she was enslaved by the Winston family.

Flight to Freedom Program at Fort Monroe

Genealogist Drusilla Pair (left) and Fields descendant and Park Ranger Ajena Rogers  (right)  presented the "Flight to Freedom Program" at Fort Monroe on Saturday, August 11, 2012.

Flight to Freedom:  The Fields Family and Freedom's Fortress program was conducted at Fort Monroe on Saturday, August 11, 2012 with Ms. Drusilla Pair, genealogical researcher and Park Ranger, Ms. Ajena Rogers, historical interpreter and a Fields family descendant.  The program was a dramatic interpretation of the Fields family’s escape from enslavement in Hanover County, VA to freedom at Fort Monroe, VA during the Civil War.  

On August 12, 2012, The Virginian Pilot Newspaper published an article about the Flight to Freedom Program:  "Descendant Chronicles Life of Slave at Fort Monroe."  

 Drusilla Pair waiting for her cue.

Ajena Rogers portraying her ancestor, Martha Ann Berkeley Fields (1813-1891)

Flight to Freedom: The Fields Family and Freedom's Fortress, will be held twice on Saturday, August 11, 2012 at 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM at the historic Fort Monroe by Ms. Drusilla Pair, a local family historian and Ms. Ajena C. Rogers, a descendant of James A. Fields.  Mr. Fields was a part of the first graduating class of Hampton Normal and Agricultural and Institute (now Hampton University) in 1871.  The event is free to the public.

For more information on the Flight to Freedom production, click here to visit this website.

James A. Fields Trading Card

The National Park Service has created a trading card for kids in honor of James A. Fields (1844-1903).  The trading card is part of a collection of other cards to mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.  Trading cards must be obtained in person from a participating park.  Click here for more information about trading cards.

Historical Marker for Gregory Cherry

A historical marker was dedicated in memory of Gregory Cherry (1955 - 2007) by the city of Newport News, VA in May 2010.  Cherry, a Newport News native and a history enthusiast, purchased the dilapidated Fields house in 2000 for $1 and then began restoring the house.

1900 Census - James A. Fields and Family

This is the 1900 census where James A. Fields was living at 617-27th in Newport News, VA, which is the current location  and address of the historic house named his honor.    In his household were his wife Carrie, and their four sons Sterling, Early, James A. Jr., and Lucius.  James A. Fields (Sr.) died three years later, on November 20, 1903.

Descendants of James A. Fields

Margaret Fields Johnson (sitting), a granddaughter of James A. Fields and Carrie Washington Fields, and her daughter, Margaret. The elder Margaret is the daughter of Dr. Sterling Fields who was the eldest son of James A. and Carrie Washington Fields. Mrs. Johnson’s mother was Katie Scott Fields who lived to be 109 years old.


Margaret Fields Johnson was born in 1914 at what is now the historic James A. Fields House in Newport News, VA. Her family moved from the house when she was very young. She is very pleased that her grandparent’s home remains in the community as a historic landmark and wonderful museum welcoming visitors to appreciate and learn about the many contributions of James A. Fields. Mrs. Johnson is most appreciative of the work of the late Gregory Cherry in restoring the house and for the dedication of his wife, Saundra Cherry in continuing the work of her late husband in preserving our rich American history.

Alumni Survey Response From James A. Fields

College and universities often conduct surveys of their graduates in order to determine what their alumni are doing and how effective their programs have been on the careers of their former students. General Samuel Chapman Armstrong (1839-1893) and the faculty of Hampton Normal and Agriculture Institute (now Hampton University) surveyed their students who attended their school during the first 22 years of its existence which began in 1868.

The survey was conducted between 1889 and 1890 and was compiled in a book called “Twenty-two years work of the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute at Hampton, Virginia.” Below is the response of Mr. James A. Fields who was part of Hampton Normal and Agriculture Institute’s first graduating class in 1871.

This book was found in the Peabody Special Collection of the William R. and Norma B. Harvey Library located on the campus of Hampton University in Hampton, VA.

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James A. Fields, born in Hanover County, VA, 1844, taught 14 years in Williamsburg and Elizabeth County, VA. Has taught about 1500 pupils, over 100 of whom have become teachers. Has been engaged in Sunday School more than 20 years and is now Superintendent of 3rd Baptist Sunday School of Hampton, VA. He attended Howard University Law Department, and is now practicing law and farming in Hampton. In the Spring of 1887, he was elected Commonwealth Attorney for Warwick County, VA. In November of 1889, he was Republican Representative to the Virginia Legislature. He says “all things considered, the condition of the colored people is good; they are rapidly improving in intelligence, religion, and morals.” My property consists of mostly lots and houses which exceeds and values $6,000. I have only one child, the finest boy in Christendom.

Source: Armstrong, S. C. (Samuel Chapman), 1839-1893., Twenty-two years work of the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute at Hampton, Virginia : records of Negro and Indian graduates and ex-students ; with historical and personal sketches and testimony on important race questions from within and without, to which are added, by courtesy of Messrs Putnam's Sons, N. Y., some of the songs of the races gathered in the school, page 25.

Billboard: He Captured Her Heart. . .

Dr. Saundra Cherry standing in front of the basement of the James A. Fields House.  This basement was the location of Mr. Fields' law office from abt. 1897-1903.

Kudos to Linda Mose Meadows of The Blessed of Believing blog for creating an online billboard to honor Dr. Saundra Cherry for her passion in continuing the work begun by her late husband, Gregory Cherry (1955-2007).

Read the Billboard and feel free to leave a comment.

Welcome to the James A. Fields House Blog!

The Fields House is a historic landmark and museum located in Newport News, Virginia and is named in honor of Mr. James ApostlesFields (1844-1903), who owned the house from 1897 to 1903. Mr. Fields was born into slavery in Hanover County, Virginia in 1844. During the Civil War in 1862, he and his brother, George Washington Fields, escaped slavery and found refuge at Fort Monroe, thereby becoming “contraband of war” by the Union Army.

After the Civil War, James A. Fields enrolled at Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute (now Hampton University) in 1868, and became a part of the school’s first graduating class in 1871. After graduating, Mr. Fields taught in Elizabeth City County and in Williamsburg, VA. Years later, he furthered his education at the School of Law of Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he graduated in 1881.

Other accomplishments of James A. Fields included becoming the first black Commonwealth Attorney for Warwick County, VA (now Newport News) in 1887 and serving in the Virginia Legislature from 1889 to 1890.

James A. Fields used his property at 617-27th Street as his law office and primary residence until his death in 1903. This address was just one of the fifteen properties that he owned in the city of Newport News.

The Fields House is also associated with a significant event that occurred in 1908, when the top floor of the Fields house became the location of the first African American hospital in Newport News. This hospital was started by a team of four doctors: Drs. W. T. Forman, W. P. Dickerson, W. W. Whittaker, and W. T. Jones, who pooled their savings together to establish a hospital for local African Americans. Prior to the opening of the hospital, the city jail's infirmary was the only place in Newport News that provided medical care for African American residents.

In the year 2000, Mr. Gregory Cherry (1955-2007), a native of Newport News and a history enthusiast, purchased the dilapidated Fields house for $1 and then began restoring the house. The house was scheduled to be torn down by the city, but Mr. Cherry patiently petitioned the City of Newport News for three years to purchase the historic James Apostles Fields House. Because of the efforts of Mr. Cherry, the James A. Fields House is now listed on the Virginia Landmark Register, the National Register of Historic Places, and the Virginia Civil War Trails. Today, the Fields House gives visitors a glimpse into the lives of African Americans living in Newport News during the turn of the century

Gregory Cherry, Man With a Vision

In Memory of Gregory Cherry
Curator & Founder of the James A. Fields House

Gregory Cherry (January 1, 1955 –August 18, 2007) was a man with a vision.

Gregory attended elementary school at Dunbar/T.C. Erwin on 16th Street and Marshall Avenue. While there he started his love for the trumpet under the leadership of Mr. John W. Stewart. It was also in elementary school that he fell in love with his love for life, “Saundra.”

Gregory started high school at Huntington (now Huntington Middle School) at 3401 Orcutt Avenue), where he played trumpet in the once elite, Marching Sound of 100, under the direction of Mr. Wray R. Herring, Sr. He spoke often of the inspiration, direction, morals and values that he received from the teachers at Huntington High School.

In the fall of 1971, Gregory enrolled in Peninsula Catholic High School and graduated in 1973. He excelled in sports, student government and academically, but his love for his alma mater, Huntington High School, never dwindled.

Gregory had an illustrious military career after a short stay at St. Mary’s Seminary. He toured the world serving as an NCO Congressional Escort to the United States Congress. He served as a Military Instructor, United States Non-Commissioned Officers Academy, Ft. Riley Kansas, providing students with leadership skills and management training. He served as a Senior Instrumentalist in the Presidential Honor Guard Fife and Drum Corps, where he played taps for many ceremonial events.

Many prophetic words had been released over Gregory’s life and he had a purpose, a vision, and a determined spirit to see change in the southeast community of Newport News. He was authentic and genuinely cared about those who made contact with him for any reason. He was loved by many and had a heart to share “a nugget of history” with any one that spent time in his presence. He was a man who exhibited tremendous faith and would often say without reservation, “God’s got my back.”

He was the founder of the Downtown Newport News Merchants and Neighbors Association, Inc. whose ultimate vision is to see “unity in the community.” His vision for the southeast community included the James A. Fields Plaza, a Visitor Center, the Farmer’s Market completion, a Historical Walking and Driving Tour of the southeast community and a Community Activity Center.

Gregory’s passion was history. He served often in interpretive programs, dressing on occasions as a Union soldier, James Apostles Fields and as the Confederate Ethiopian Serenader. He was the bugler for the 38th United States Colored Troops (USCT). He was able to capture the hearts of people of all ages, from kindergarten to senior adults. Gregory had established the Beyond School Doors Mentoring Program for youth, ages 8-17, which encompassed three components that included the Civil Guard Training Program, Interpretive Programs and Business Entrepreneurship.

With his love for music, he played flugelhorn with Special Blends Jazz Ensemble at many city and community events. They played smooth jazz with a mellow sound.

Gregory had been released to the community to run and serve in whatever capacity he was called. He served on several city committees for the southeast community and participated in fundraising events for national campaign organizations.

Gregory was a motivator, a mentor, a friend, and an Ambassador for Newport News.