Cudjoe "Kaloola" Lewis

Cudjoe "Kaloola" Lewis (HM23RL)

Location: Mobile, AL 36610 Mobile County
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Country: United States of America
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N 30° 43.923', W 88° 3.6'

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Inscription

c. 1840-1935

Last known survivor of the last known slave ship to enter the United States

Circa 1859, Cudjoe Lewis, a native of the Yoruba tribe in what is now the West African country of Benin, was one of over a hundred African men and women purchased and brought across the Atlantic to Mobile, Alabama, aboard the slave ship Clotilde.

After a period of de facto slavery, Mr. Lewis and other members of the Clotilde group became free and organized a community in Plateau, part of today's Africatown Historic District. They formed a self-governing society and established the Old Baptist Church; which is now known as The Union Baptist Church of Plateau.

Mr. Lewis married Celia "Abile" Lewis, another Clotilde survivor, with whom he had several children. He was known for working diligently to keep and share the group's epic history.

Upon his death, he was laid to rest in the nearby Old Plateau Cemetery, where a commemorative marker may be found.

This memorial, honoring Mr. Lewis and the survivors of the Clotilde, was made possible through the efforts of The Union Baptist Church and the generosity of donors spanning race and creed.

May the example set by Cudjoe Lewis and the Clotilde group inspire all citizens of humanity to choose
perseverance and hope in the face of tremendous adversity.

- Sculpted by April Terra Livingston in 2016 -
Details
HM NumberHM23RL
Tags
Year Placed2017
Placed ByThe Union Baptist Church
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, December 13th, 2017 at 4:01pm PST -08:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16R E 398521 N 3400386
Decimal Degrees30.73205000, -88.06000000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 30° 43.923', W 88° 3.6'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds30° 43' 55.38" N, 88° 3' 36" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)251
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling West
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 530-548 AL-16 Alt, Mobile AL 36610, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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