Charles Stewart (ca. 1808-after 1884)

Petersburg County · dedicated 2017 · Pocahontas St. at intersection with Sapony Street; entrance to Pocahontas Island

Charles Stewart, horseman, was born into slavery near Petersburg and spent part of his childhood on Pocahontas Island. At about the age of 12 he was sold to William R. Johnson, one of the foremost figures in horse racing, then America's most popular sport. Stewart succeeded as a jockey, trainer, stable manager, and stallion man, affording him money and fame. Artist Edward Troye painted his portrait with the stallion Medley in 1832. Johnson sent Stewart to run a stable in Kentucky in 1837 and later sold him to Alexander Porter, U.S. senator from Louisiana. Stewart then supervised Porter’s highly regarded stables. Harper’s New Monthly Magazine published Stewart’s dictated memoir in 1884.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

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under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

what this marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years here

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