Dabney Cosby (c. 1793 – August 1862) was an American architect, slaveowner,[1] and builder active primarily in Virginia and North Carolina. His earliest known work dates to the 1820s; he is known to have been active until the time of his death.
- ^ "The African American Community at the University pre-1865". President's Commission on Slavery and the University (PDF) (Report). The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia. 2018. p. 17. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
During construction, the University hired anywhere from twelve to more than thirty people annually as well as many others who were hired for specific tasks and shorter periods of time. In addition, many of the white contractors hired by the University also owned and hired slaves, between three and eight people each according to the 1820 census. Some, however, owned considerably more, such as John M. Perry, who owned thirty-seven people in 1820 and Dabney Cosby, also a contractor, who owned fourteen. The work done to supply and create the University's built landscape was overwhelmingly done by enslaved people, who terraced land, hauled dirt, dug foundations, shaped and fired bricks, and did tinwork, carpentry, roofing, and stone masonry.