St. Mary's City in St. Mary's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

The Servants

By Devry Becker Jones, August 30, 2019

1. The Servants Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

For most of the 17th century, indentured servants provided the labor in Maryland. Enslaved Africans became a major part of the labor force in the colony during the late 1600s. The dutch dominated the West African slave trade for much of the 17th century and Garrett Van Sweringen owned enslaved Africans before he came to Maryland. In the late 1690s, Van Sweringen had four enslaved Africans, two indentured female servants, and a servant boy. These workers cooked and served the inn's customers, cared for the large garden and livestock, did laundry, collected firewood, and repaired fences and buildings: The slaves probably also labored on the family plantation nearby.

Erected by Historic St. Mary's City.

Location. 38° 11.116′ N, 76° 26.042′ W. Marker is in St. Mary's City, Maryland, in St. Mary's County. Marker is on Old State House Road. The marker is inside the open-air Council Chamber on the Van Sweringen site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 47414 Old State House Road, Saint Marys City MD 20686, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker

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. The Kitchen (here, next to this marker); A Private Lodging House (here, next to this marker); A Busy Kitchen (here, next to this marker); The Council Roome (here, next to this marker); The Cooling House (here, next to this marker); Cellar Archaeology (here, next to this marker); The Illusion of Brick (here, next to this marker); A Change in Government (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Mary's City.

Categories. • African Americans • Colonial Era • Women •

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Credits. This page was last revised on September 3, 2019. This page originally submitted on September 3, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 91 times since then. Photo 1. submitted on September 3, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.