2
Agnes Langley (1789-1874) and her daughter, Lizzie (1833-1891)--both free blacks described as "mulatto"--ran a "sporting house" on Commerce Street during the 19th-century. Prostitution was the single most lucrative occupation per capita for free blacks in antebellum Lynchburg, and in 1860 Lizzie Langley was the third wealthiest African American in the City. Later, Lynchburg's "Red Light District" of World War II fame was located beside the Cemetery on Jackson, Monroe, and Fourth Streets. It is not known whether the Langleys' impressive monument and ironwork enclosure was a result of the ladies' earnings or of the admiration of those of great wealth.

"Buzzard Roost" Neighborhood, 1857