Near Petersburg in Dinwiddie County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Kitchen and Servants Hall

Tudor Hall Plantation

Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 23, 2007

1. Kitchen and Servants Hall Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

The design of this building is typical of slave quarters built on Virginia plantations during the 1840s and 1850s. Each side provided space for one slave family, with a room downstairs for living and working and a loft for sleeping. The right side served as the plantation kitchen. Antebellum plantations (those built before the Civil War) usually had detached kitchens to keep the heat and odors of cooking from the main house. The other side was used for washing, spinning and weaving. This building is a reproduction of an original structure that still stands behind the Banks House. You may visit this structure today.

Erected by Pamplin Historical Park.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: African Americans.

Location. 37° 10.833′ N, 77° 28.726′ W. Marker is near Petersburg, Virginia, in Dinwiddie County. Marker can be reached from Duncan Road (Virginia Route 670), on the left when traveling south. Marker is in Pamplin Historical Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Petersburg VA 23803, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers

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are within walking distance of this marker. Tudor Hall Barn (within shouting distance of this marker); The Boisseau Family Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); Tudor Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); Kitchen Garden (within shouting distance of this marker); Tobacco Barn (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Big House (about 300 feet away); The Plantaton Landscape (about 400 feet away); Tudor Hall Field Quarter (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Petersburg.

More about this marker. A picture on the left side of the marker has a caption of “This drawing by Civil War correspondent Edwin Forbes depicts Virginia slaves in their quarters. In 1860, eleven of Joseph Boisseau’s eighteen slaves were twelve years old or younger. They may have worked and played in and around the yard and kitchen.”

Also see . . . Tudor Hall Plantation. Pamplin Historical Park website. (Submitted on January 19, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.)

Kitchen and Servants Hall image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 23, 2007

2. Kitchen and Servants Hall

Right Side of Kitchen Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 23, 2007

3. Right Side of Kitchen Building

This side of the building served as the plantation kitchen. Cooking utensils and the fireplace can be seen in the photo.

Left Side of Kitchen Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 23, 2007

4. Left Side of Kitchen Building

Items necessary for washing, spinning and weaving can be seen here, on the left side of the building.

Inside Kitchen and Servants Hall image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 23, 2007

5. Inside Kitchen and Servants Hall

The stairway leading to the sleeping area in the loft can be seen in this photo.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 19, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 1,067 times since then and 96 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on January 19, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.