# The Devil's Half Acre: The Untold Story of How One Woman Liberated the South's Most Notorious Slave Jail - Hardcover

by **Kristen Green** (Author)

**The inspiring true story of an enslaved woman who liberated an infamous slave jail and transformed it into one of the nation's first HBCUs**

In _The Devil's Half Acre_, _New York Times_ bestselling author Kristen Green draws on years of research to tell the extraordinary and little-known story of young Mary Lumpkin, an enslaved woman who blazed a path of liberation for thousands. She was forced to have the children of a brutal slave trader and live on the premises of his slave jail, known as the "Devil's Half Acre." When she inherited the jail after the death of her slaveholder, she transformed it into "God's Half Acre," a school where Black men could fulfill their dreams. It still exists today as Virginia Union University, one of America's first Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

A sweeping narrative of a life in the margins of the American slave trade, _The Devil's Half Acre_ brings Mary Lumpkin into the light. This is the story of the resilience of a woman on the path to freedom, her historic contributions, and her enduring legacy.

### Author Biography

**Kristen Green** is a reporter and the author of the _New York Times_ bestseller _Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County_, which received the Library of Virginia Literary Award for Nonfiction and the People's Choice Award. She has worked as a writer for two decades for newspapers including the _Boston Globe_, the _San Diego Union-Tribune_, and the _Richmond Times-Dispatch_. She holds a master's in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, and lives with her husband and two daughters in Richmond, Virginia.

**Number of Pages:** 352

**Dimensions:** 1.4 x 8.7 x 5.9 IN

**Illustrated:** Yes

**Publication Date:** April 12, 2022

## Details

- **Price:** 32.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 32.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- The Devil's Half Acre: The Untold Story of How One Woman Liberated the South's Most Notorious Slave Jail - Hardcover
- The Devil's Half Acre: The Untold Story of How One Woman Liberated the South's Most Notorious Slave Jail - Hardcover

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> Updated: 2026-07-23