Swept yards

Swept yards. . , Bare swept yards became a common features of the Southern African American domestic landscape during the Antebellum period., The practice of maintaining a clean, compact dirt yard originated in West African communities and was imported and diffused throughout the Southern United States during the slave trade. In West Africa, communal dirt courtyards were kept free of plants and debris to avoid inviting bush spirits into the village and home. In the Antebellum South, slave quarters were too small for indoor cooking and washing, so most of the activities of daily life were conducted outdoors. In this way, the yard surrounding slave houses became an important living space., In Florence county, the tradition of keeping swept yards has been documented in several slave-descended families in Mars Bluff. Brooms used to sweep yards in Mars Bluff were typically made from dogwood branches bound together with strips of cloth. The work of maintaining the yard was usually performed by women and children. The last known swept yard at Mars Bluff was kept until 2005 by Mrs. Cora Robinson.