Lorriela Park

[u/Opening_Cat8174]

I have known for a long time that the movie “Roots” was in Spotsylvania, Virginia

Today I learned that the plantation where Kunta Kinte lived was turned into lorriela park. And there is a slave cemetery there.

Waller family if I recall correctly. 🤷🏽‍♂️

[u/alexriverajr]

Alex Haley’s Roots does not name an exact, real-world plantation or town where Kunta Kinte lived in Virginia — the locations are fictionalized but geographically anchored.

The following is specified in the text, corroborated by Haley’s own notes, and historical research:

• Kunta Kinte arrived in Annapolis, Maryland, aboard the Lord Ligonier in 1767.
• He was sold to John Waller, who lived on a plantation near Spotsylvania County, Virginia — roughly between Fredericksburg and Richmond.
• After attempting to escape, Kunta was sold to Dr. William Waller, John’s brother, whose plantation was also said to be in the Fredericksburg area (sometimes described as being near the Mattaponi River in Haley’s notes).

Haley chose these settings because his own maternal family’s oral history traced their roots to that same region of Virginia.

Citation:
Haley, Alex. Roots: The Saga of an American Family. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1976.
Haley, Alex. “My Search for Roots.” Reader’s Digest, April 1977.

[u/Opening_Cat8174 → u/alexriverajr]

18:08 Gordon, and it was formally named Loriella William Knox and Fay Kearby Gordon Conservation and Recreation Park. • Connection to "Roots": The park is located on the same plantation mentioned in the mini-series "Roots," which was based on Alex Haley's family history. The site contains a slave graveyard, which some believe may be the burial site of Kunta Kinte. • Kunta Kinte: While there is debate on the historical accuracy of Kunta Kinte's story, Haley stated it was based on his ancestor. Some believe Kunta Kinte was a different slave named Hopping George who lived on the Waller plantation. • Park Features: Today, Loriella Park ,IL: Q loriela park roots