Fort Washington in Prince George's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
A Voice Unheard…
Oxon Cove Park
— National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior —
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 22, 2020
From the late 1600s to the early 1800s, tobacco, wheat and other crops helped bring prosperity to slaveholders on this farm—at the price of bondage, hard labor, and broken families for enslaved African Americans.
No information about the lives of enslaved people here survives in their own words. The wills, letters, and records of slaveholders tell part of the story, but only from the slaveholders' point of view. In the early 1800s at least half of the population of Prince George's County was enslaved African Americans.
African Americans named George, Edward, Hamilton, Minta, Patsy, and Matilda, among others, lived in bondage on this land. Most able-bodied enslaved people—men, women, and older children—worked in the fields. One or two enslaved women on this farm probably worked as cooks or servants in the main house. Enslaved African Americans were considered property by law, and were by far the most valuable property after the land itself.
A few enslaved people who lived here were freed by slaveholders, usually after years of forced service. Along with their labor, African Americans—free and enslaved—brought their languages, skills, food, music, stories, and history to this farm, Maryland and the nation.
[Caption:]
When John Henry DeButts died in 1831, he left a will describing how to divide his property. This inventory of his possessions helped fulfill the terms of the will. The value of his personal property was $3,224.08. His sixteen enslaved workers accounted for $2,512.50-more than three quarters of the total.
Freeing an enslaved person is called manumission. Records of manumissions in Prince George's County show that a brother and sister, John and Nelly Ganer, were born a year apart at Mount Welby. They were sold to Thomas S. Moore, who lived nearby, and freed him on August 28, 1830.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Agriculture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical date for this entry is August 28, 1830.
Location. 38° 48.099′ N, 77° 0.303′ W. Marker is in Fort Washington, Maryland, in Prince George's County. Marker can be reached from Bald Eagle Road, 0.3 miles west of Oxon Hill Road (Maryland Route 414), on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6411 Oxon Hill Rd, Oxon Hill MD 20745, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. A Park with a Past (a few steps from this marker); A Farm for St. Elizabeths, 1891-1950 (within shouting distance of this marker); Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 22, 2020
Credits. This page was last revised on March 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 22, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 144 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 22, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.