Benedict Moran:
Three miles from the center of Savannah sits this nondescript plot of land. Thousands of cars drive by it without notice every day, but these trees mask a dark history.
It was near here, more than 150 years ago, that the largest single auction of enslaved people in the history of the United States was held. The sale was advertised in newspapers across the country. And, over the course of two days in 1859, more than 400 children, women, and men were sold to the highest bidder to settle the gambling debts of a wealthy plantation owner.
According to news articles of the time, rain fell as though the heavens were crying. the event became known as the Weeping Time. Until recently, the tragedy was forgotten, unknown even to those who lived close by.
Larry Gordon is the pastor of the Solomon Temple Church of God in Christ, which is located just down the street. He says, for most of his life, he had never heard of the infamous auction.
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