Brick House

Brick House. . , The Brick House, built c. 1767, is the second enlargement of the Mabee homestead. The building contains a cellar with a fireplace, as well as an unfinished garrett. The Brick House has been a mystery throughout the years due to its history as a mixed-use building. Theorized uses include living space, a summer kitchen, storage room, and housing for enslaved Africans. , It is important to remember that the three-century long success of the Mabee farm was not created alone. For 120 years, the Mabee family used the forced labor of enslaved Africans on the farm. While the main floor is well finished and elegantly decorated for family members to live in, the enslaved were forced to live in the damp basement with few, if any, creature comforts., Over the last century, the brick house was used as storage and never updated to include any modern conveniences. The result is a structure barely altered from its original appearance, a time capsule of sorts. preserving the characteristics and construction of late eighteenth century rural houses.