Judge Delays Slavery Museum Hearing, Auction Decision

Fredericksburg Circuit Court Judge Gordon Willis rescheduled today's hearing to May 28 concerning the sale of National Slavery Museum property.  The City of Fredericksburg wants to auction the land in order to collect about $327,000 in back taxes, interest and collection fees owed by the museum.

"The museum’s attorney, Del. Joe Morrissey, requested the delay because he recently started representing the museum," The Washington Post reported.

The museum was the dream of former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, who conceived the idea during a 1992 trade and cultural trip in Africa, according to The Virginian-Pilot.

But by 2007 the money had not materialized, and museum officials were in bankruptcy restructuring trying to halt the City of Fredericksburg from selling the property.

Related Stories:

Judge Upholds Restrictions on Slavery Museum Land

City Officials Giving Up on Slavery Museum

Times-Dispatch: Slavery Museum Faces Tax Sale

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