Salisbury in Wicomico County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

The "Peculiar Institution" at Pemberton Plantation

Pemberton Plantation Historic Trail

Photographed by Nate Davidson, January 18, 2011

1. The "Peculiar Institution" at Pemberton Plantation Marker

Inscription. Like most 18th-century plantations in the Chesapeake region, Pemberton Hall Plantation depended on slave labor. Between 1700 and 1740, some 54,000 slaves were brought to the Chesapeake region. When Isaac Handy died in 1762, records show that he owned 16 slaves. Their "quarter," or place where they gathered, socialized, and ate, was a sawn log building measuring 14x16 feet, to the east of Pemberton Hall.

Picture Caption
Laborers on the plantation would have used simple tools, likely made on the premises. A hollow log mortar and pestle was used to grind dried corn for hominy.

Erected by Wicomico County Parks & Tourism, Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Colonial Era. A significant historical year for this entry is 1700.

Location. 38° 20.85′ N, 75° 38.617′ W. Marker is in Salisbury, Maryland, in Wicomico County. It can be reached from Pemberton Historic Park Road 0.4 miles Pemberton Drive. Marker located within Pemberton Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Salisbury MD 21801, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Eastern Shore. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, on the Delmarva Peninsula, and in the Tidewater. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Welcome to Pemberton Historical Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Plantation Barnyard (within shouting distance

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of this marker); A Show of Wealth (within shouting distance of this marker); Pemberton Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); Henry Handy (within shouting distance of this marker); A Drop to Drink (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Nature's Pasture (about 500 feet away); The Road to Salisbury Town (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Salisbury.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Pemberton Hall (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).

Marker Location image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Nate Davidson, January 18, 2011

2. Marker Location

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on January 22, 2011, by Nathan Davidson of Salisbury, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,571 times since then and 63 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 22, 2011, by Nathan Davidson of Salisbury, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.