The Slave & Tenant House

The Slave and Tenant House. Bacon’s Castle, circa 1665. This building is the last remaining slave quarter at Bacon’s Castle. First built in 1829 under the direction of the Cocke family, this slave quarter was significantly smaller than what you currently see, having a single entry door and a porch. In 1834 there were 80 slaves working on the property, some of whom were probably housed in this building. In the mid-19th century almost 20 such structures would have existed on site. By 1849 the structure was enlarged to the size you see today. , , Once slavery was abolished in 1865, the former slave quarters were converted to houses for tenant farmers. Many, including this one, remained in use through the mid-20th century. The house was wired for electricity and a small kitchen was added to the back of the building. Although three or four families would have lived here prior to the Civil War, the interior was modified to accommodate one or two families after the war. The kitchen was removed in the 1990's, returning the building closer to its antebellum appearance. , (captions) , In the 1844 survey map of Bacon’s Castle, shown to the left, the likely location of the slave quarter has been circled in red. The structure had yet to be expanded to its current size. The proximity of this slave quarter to the “big house” suggests that its enslaved residents would perform more domestic duties rather than agricultural roles. , , The original 1829 section is diagrammed in white with the possible location of the entrance door, stair and porch indicated. It is most likely that two new entrances were constructed in1849, creating the three door facade.