Caroline County Courthouse Campus Added to United States Civil Rights Trail

Caroline County officials announced on Feb. 14, 2025, that the county's historic courthouse campus has been added to the United States Civil Rights Trail, marking formal recognition of the local sites tied to Richard and Mildred Loving's arrest and subsequent Supreme Court case.

"I have the distinct honor today to announce that Caroline County's historic courthouse campus will be included in the prestigious United States civil rights trail," Vice Chairman Jeff Teelos said, introducing the designation and listing the campus components: the courtroom, the Sidney E. King Art Center (the former sheriff's office), the clerk's office/old jail and the state historic marker at Route 301 and Sparta Road.

The announcement followed remarks from Chris Williams, assistant director of the James Farmer Multicultural Center at the University of Mary Washington, who described university support locating archival documents, developing a GIS map of Love-related sites and coordinating with Loving family members and local historians. Williams credited faculty and students who helped prepare the submission and shepherd the project's documentation.

"Inclusion in the United States Civil Rights Trail affirms the national importance that this site represents," Rita McClenny, president and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corporation, said, framing the designation as an educational and preservation opportunity that can also support responsible tourism and local economic activity.

Representative Eugene Vittman, who identified himself as the congressman representing the 7th District, placed the local designation in national context: "Under the Constitution, the freedom to marry or not marry a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the state," he said, noting Loving v. Virginia's role in protecting marriage rights and presenting a congressional record to the Loving family.

State Delegate Nicole Cole presented a house resolution commending the Loving family and the project leadership, praising the site's value during Black History Month and announcing certificates of recognition for family members and organizers.

Letters of congratulations were read from U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine by staffers Cole Kawugale and Devin Schwierz, and a letter of recognition from Governor Abigail Spanberger was also presented. The letters emphasized the historical significance of the Loving case, the connection to the Fourteenth Amendment's equal-protection principles, and the educational value of preserving the sites.

Organizers closed by inviting attendees to a reception at Bowling Green Town Hall and noting a commemorative coin commissioned for the event was delayed in transit and expected to be available by March. There were no votes or formal policy actions taken at the ceremony; the event was a dedication and recognition of the courthouse campus and the Loving family's role in civil-rights history.

The Caroline County Courthouse campus joins several other Virginia locations tied to Loving v. Virginia and will be part of the United States Civil Rights Trail's national collection of sites that document local moments that shaped civil-rights history.