United Order of Tents

KV-38

The United Order of Tents of J.R. Giddings and Jollifee Union, founded by and for African American women, emerged from efforts to aid enslaved people who sought freedom along the Underground Railroad. Annetta M. Lane and Harriet R. Taylor, who had both been enslaved, formally organized the Tents’ Southern District #1 in Norfolk shortly after the Civil War. A Christian mutual aid society, the Tents provided financial assistance and burial insurance, established nursing homes, sponsored scholarships, supported civil rights activists, and aided mission work abroad. National membership grew to about 50,000 in the 20th century. This property became the headquarters of Southern District #1 in 1913.

Department of Historic Resources, 2021

See a problem? Report it to HighwayMarkers@dhr.virginia.gov.

DHR could use your help! We don't have a recent image of this marker. If you have one that you'd like to submit for inclusion on this site, please send it to HighwayMarkers@dhr.virginia.gov.

References/Bibliographic Citation:

Baltimore Afro-American, 7 Sept. 1912. Norfolk Journal and Guide, 29 Dec. 1928, 10 June 1992. New York Sun, 6 May 1888. Daily Press, 1 Sept. 1898. Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, 18 Oct. 1912, 28 Oct. 1968. In Memoriam of Annetta M. Lane, Founder of the Grand United Order of Tents of the J. R. Giddings and Jollifee Union (1909). Memories and Histories of the Subordinate Tents of the United Order of Tents of J. R. Giddings and Jollifee Union Southern District #1 (1976). Certificate of Amendment of Charter of the J.R. Giddings and Jollifee Union, 18 June 1912. http://www.unitedorderoftents.org/heritage/ Mary Margaret Schley, “The United Order of Tents and 73 Cannon Street: A Study of Identity and Place,” (M.A. Thesis, Clemson University and College of Charleston, 2013).