Eve's Wail: An Enslaved Woman Burned at the Stake in Colonial Virginia

In 1746, an African-American slave named Eve was convicted of poisoning and killing her master, Peter Montague, in Orange County, Virginia. She was burned at the stake on a knoll near the first county courthouse.

The site of her burning became known as “Eve’s Wail.”

Terry Barkley sheds new light on this terrible, largely forgotten chapter in colonial Virginia history. He sets the stage of this tragedy with a glimpse at the early history of Orange County, Virginia, and the surrounding region. Through meticulous research delving into documented and oral sources, he recreates the trial and execution of Eve and examines crime and punishment during this period of colonial history.