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Contribution #246 of 365
George Gilmore
Saddle Maker, Farmer and Reconstruction-Era Landowner
1860s–1900s
The contribution
How this work helped shape America
Born enslaved at Montpelier in Virginia, George Gilmore built an independent economic life after emancipation through skilled saddle making and farming. During Reconstruction, his family built a cabin on land across from the former plantation, and in 1901 Gilmore secured ownership of the 16-acre property, transforming land connected to his enslavement into a family-owned farm and home.