Maker of Most Things Wood

Maker of Most Things Wood. . , The carpenter was an important craftsman. Carpenters built and repaired houses, barns, and shops. The Carpenter Shop, built of hand- hewn timbers held together with half-dovetail notching, may be one of the oldest remaining structures as it was needed to build everything necessary to operate the plantation. , Using only hand tools, these artisans joined wood together using only the wood itself. Young men learned carpentry by spending time in the shop with family members and through apprenticeships. , Enslaved carpenter Solomon Wilson was furnished with the tools of his trade including a set of augers, five planes, an adze, and a trimming hatchet. With these tools he crafted doors, cabinets, moldings, and shingles. Wilson lived at Oakland until 1873., Photo Caption , Marie Wilson, Solomon's wife, in 1935 at the age of 104. According to the Prud'homme family, Marie was a nanny for many of the Prud'homme children. Prior to the Civil War the enslaved nanny lived in a room on the lower level of the Main House.