Chantilly in Fairfax County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Excavating a 19th century Tenant Structure
Sully Historic Site
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Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 20, 2022
1. Excavating a 19th century Tenant Structure Marker
Archaeologists found a foundation of a small house. Most likely tenant farmers lived here in the mid-1800s when the Haight family owned Sully. Unlike enslaved laborers, tenant farmers worked and lived on the land and paid rent to the owner.
Farms the size of Sully needed many workers to raise livestock and grow crops. After the American Civil War, these workers may have been formerly enslaved workers or poor white families looking to build a new life. Tenant farmers helped bring the crops for a portion of the profits.
[Captions:]
This type of structure was typical of cabins built for workers who were most likely overseers or hired workers of the Haight family.
Remnant stones from excavated tenant house.
Excavation of structure.
Erected 2022 by Fairfax County Park Authority. (Marker Number 5.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Agriculture • Anthropology & Archaeology • Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 38° 54.414′ N, 77° 25.638′ W. Marker is in Chantilly, Virginia, in Fairfax County. It can be reached from Historic Sully Way 0.8 miles south of Air
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Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in Northern Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Hiding in the Icehouse (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Finding a Slave Quarter and an 18th Century Roadbed (about 700 feet away); Travelling Back in Time (about 700 feet away); Old Barn and Other Farm Buildings (about 700 feet away); An 18th Century Enslaved Community at Sully (about 700 feet away); Richard Bland Lee Served His Country (about 700 feet away); The Sully Farms (about 700 feet away); "Loudoun Branch" of the Historic Manassas Gap Railroad (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chantilly.
Another marker is no longer nearby. An 18th Century Enslaved Community at Sully (was about 700 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), May 20, 2022
2. Excavating a 19th century Tenant Structure Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 21, 2022. It was originally submitted on May 21, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 360 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 21, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
