Colonial Tours: Travel From New York to Virginia with All NY Fun Tours

To provide a truly immersive tour of Christopher McPherson’s journey from Georgia (where he was likely sold in his youth) through Virginia and Philadelphia to New York, we must look

at the specific neighborhoods where he lived, worked, and preached his "Millennial" visions.

This tour follows the path of a man who transitioned from an enslaved clerk to a wealthy

property owner, a religious prophet, and finally a civil rights activist.

The Christopher McPherson Neighborhood Tour

1. The Richmond Districts (Virginia)

Richmond is where McPherson spent the bulk of his adult life and reached his professional

peak.

● Shockoe Hill & Academy Hill: In the early 1800s, McPherson lived in this area (now

near the Capitol District). He was a significant landowner, renting and owning houses of

increasing value.

● Shockoe Bottom: The site of the "Burial Ground for Negroes." McPherson famously

petitioned the city for a more dignified cemetery for free people of color, leading to the

establishment of the Phoenix Burying Ground (part of the Barton Heights

Cemeteries).

● Main Street (Near Eagle Tavern): McPherson operated a "hack" (carriage) business

here. This is where he challenged the city ordinance that prohibited Black people from

using hired carriages—a precursor to modern bus boycotts.

2. The Philadelphia Corridors (Pennsylvania)

McPherson moved to Philadelphia in the late 1790s to work for the U.S. House of

Representatives.

● Old City: This was the seat of the federal government at the time. McPherson worked in

the shadow of Independence Hall. It was in this neighborhood that he had his first

profound religious visions, declaring himself the "Messenger of Christ" and writing letters

to President John Adams.

3. The "New Zion" (New York City)

After being persecuted and briefly institutionalized in Virginia, McPherson sought refuge in New York for his final years.

● Lower Manhattan / The Five Points:

In 1817, this area was the heart of the city’s free

Black and immigrant community. McPherson spent his final days here, finalizing the

publication of his autobiography, A Short History of the Life of Christopher McPherson,

ensuring his legacy survived.

Tour Guide Script:

The Neighborhood Segment

Stop: Shockoe Hill, Richmond "Look around this hill. Today it’s the seat of Virginia’s

government, but in 1810, it was the site of Christopher McPherson’s night school. Right here, in a climate where educating Black men was seen as a threat, McPherson opened a school with a white tutor for 25 students. He wasn't just teaching literacy; he was building a neighborhood of intellectuals. When we walk these streets, remember that he was arrested right here, not for a crime, but for 'disturbing the peace' with his prophecy of equality."

Stop:

The Barton Heights Cemeteries (Phoenix Burying Ground) "We are standing on land

that Christopher McPherson helped secure. Before this, the city buried its Black residents in theswampy, low lands of Shockoe Bottom. McPherson organized the 'Burying Ground Society of the Free People of Color.' He understood that a neighborhood isn't just where you live—it's how

you are remembered. He fought for the dignity of a final resting place, a battle that defined the civil rights struggle in Richmond for a century."

Stop: Independence Mall, Philadelphia "Imagine McPherson walking through this

neighborhood in 1799. He is a clerk for the highest offices in the land. But as he passes these federal buildings, he starts to see visions of the 'Millennium.' He writes to the leaders of the world from his boarding house nearby, telling them that the American Republic is merely a stepping stone to a divine Kingdom. To the elite, he was a madman; to history, he was a man who took the promise of 'all men are created equal' literally."

Tour Checklist for Travelers

● The Library of Virginia (Richmond): To see the original petitions McPherson filed

against the city.

● St. John’s Church Neighborhood: To see where his elite employers lived.

● The African Burial Ground National Monument (NYC): Near where he spent his final

years in Manhattan.