The Field Quarter

The Field Quarter. Lives of Labor. In 1806, Andrew Jackson purchased 640 acres north of the first Hermitage and in turn used this land mostly for field crops such as cotton and corn. Jackson chose this portion of that land to build dwellings for his field slaves because of its central location, high ground, and proximity to a fresh water spring. Today, we call this site the “Field Quarter.”, Half of the Hermitage's enslaved population likely lived at this site, but unfortunately, we know little about them. Because only a few documents mention the Field Quarter, much of what we know about the enslaved who lived here comes from archaeological research., Archaeologists have discovered that at least two log structures once stood here, before Jackson replaced them with four twenty-by-forty brick duplexes around 1829. Each duplex housed two slave families of up to ten people; overall, fifty to eighty slaves lived here. As you walk through the Field Quarter today, additional signs highlight other discoveries that give voice to the enslaved people who lived here., Captions: , This modern day aerial map of the Hermitage property shows the land north of the First Hermitage and the Hermitage mansion used by Jackson for field crops. The Field Quarter stood in the center of the property., Based on archaeological findings, an artist conceived this rendering of the Field Quarter. Today, trees block the view of the mansion from the Field Quarter, but in Jackson's time, the slaves' clear view of the mansion provided a constant reminder of Jackson's complete control over their lives., This overhead view taken during archaeological excavations shows the locations of the Field Quarter dwelling foundations. Today, three foundations have been marked with stones, while a stand of trees covers the fourth.