Stone Kitchen

Stone Kitchen. . Kitchens in the southern states were often separate buildings from the main house. Cooking odors on a hot and humid day would be most unpleasant, not to mention the added heat from large cooking fires. Removing the kitchen from the house further emphasized the separation between the enslaved people and the white family. On large plantations, the lady of the house visited the kitchens to supervise the work., The smaller section of this stone building was constructed circa 1790 for Green Clay. Enslaved cooks prepared meals for the Clay family on the big open hearth and then transferred the food to the main house. The larger section was built a few years later; it was used for food storage and preservation along with a variety of other domestic chores., Two rooms above could have served as living quarters for the enslaved who worked nearby and, later, free servants., Activity was not limited to the stone kitchen. The surrounding yard played a dynamic role in domestic life. This area would have been bustling with activity as people performed household chores such as soap making and laundry washing., The kitchen gardens were also located in this area and produced vegetables and herbs.