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