The Faison Preservation Society Honors Descendents of Peyton Faison, Freedman

On Saturday, Jan. 18, from noon to 1 p.m., descendants of Freedman Peyton Faison are invited to a private viewing of the new African American Exhibit at the Nathaniel W. Faison House. The grand opening will begin at 2 p.m. and is open to the public.

“Peyton was the halfbrother of Faison House owners, Nathaniel and Peter Faison,” Arnold Romberg, President of the Faison Preservation Society explained. “However, because his mother was enslaved, he did not enjoy freedom or the financial benefits of his halfsiblings.”

And the estate was immense. On Oct. 10, 1861, Peter, the executor, completed the inventory for their father, Wright Faison. Among the 1,100 acres, buggies, harnesses, safe, bedstands, mules, sheep, potatoes, and dishes were 27 enslaved individuals, including Peyton. Peyton’s ownership was transferred to Nathaniel, and he was sent to Texas.

The exhibit describes how Peyton was blocked from his inheritance and the roadblocks his descendants overcame in pursuit of the American Dream.

The N.W. Faison House, located at 822 S. Jefferson, La Grange, is on the National Register of Historic Places at the state level of recognition for its social history. You can learn more about the Faison House at