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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Near Charlottesville in Albemarle County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Slave Housing

 
 
Slave Housing Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Michael C. Wilcox, August 1, 2012
1. Slave Housing Marker
Inscription. Over 200 years ago, four log dwellings stood here. The first, constructed in the 1770s and destroyed by fire ca. 1790. was the "Negro quarter," a large 17 x 34 foot structure intended for multiple enslaved individuals or families. Three identical, single-family 12 x 14 foot "servants houses" replaced it about 1793; buildings r, s, and t were intended for enslaved house servants and artisans. The differences between these two types of dwellings reflected broader changes across Virginia plantations. During the colonial era, enslaved laborers lived together in large multi-family dwellings; by the 1790s, many slaves, who pressed for housing for their families, lived in single-family quarters.

r, which as well as s. and t. are servants houses of wood with wooden chimnies, and earth floors...
Thomas Jefferson. 1796

Who Lived Here?
In the 1770s, Jefferson intended several families for the "Negro quarter," including valet Jupiter, his wife Suck, and their children; and foreman George Granger, Sr., his wife Ursula, and their sons. The three log dwellings that replaced the "Negro quarter" in the 1790s likely housed Hemings family members, including chambermaid and seamstress Sally and her children; parlor maid Critta and her son James; and house joiner John and his wife Priscilla. Since Critta Hemings
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was "oftenest wanted about the house," she may have lived in building r.

Language For historical accuracy and context, we use Jefferson's terms—noted in quotes—for the buildings on Mulberry Row. The word "enslaved" indicates that men, women, and children were held in bondage against their will by their masters.

(Marker Number 05.)
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African AmericansColonial EraPatriots & PatriotismSettlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1770.
 
Location. 38° 0.6′ N, 78° 27.07′ W. Marker is near Charlottesville, Virginia, in Albemarle County. Marker can be reached from Thomas Jefferson Parkway. Marker is on the grounds of Monticello—entrance fee is required. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 995 Monticello Loop, Charlottesville VA 22902, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Mulberry Row (within shouting distance of this marker); Horses & Mules (within shouting distance of this marker); Textiles (within shouting distance of this marker); Vegetable Garden (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Mulberry Row (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Sally Hemings
Slave Housing Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Michael C. Wilcox, August 1, 2012
2. Slave Housing Marker
(about 300 feet away); Sally Hemings's Life (about 300 feet away); A Presidential Scandal: (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charlottesville.
 
More about this marker. This is marker #05 in the "Mulberry Row at Monticello - Landscape of Slavery" panel series (link to series provided on this page).
 
Regarding Slave Housing. Since the time these photos were taken, a reconstruction of one of the three slave cabins was completed in 2014 at the site of "servant's house t" and is called the Hemmings Cabin.
 
Also see . . .  Mulberry Row Reassessment. Thomas Jefferson's Monticello website entry (Submitted on January 18, 2023, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.) 
 
Slave Housing Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Michael C. Wilcox, August 1, 2012
3. Slave Housing Marker
From the "Negro quarter site:
Cinking (mortar) with hand imprint, clay.
Window glass.
Tobacco pipe stems, clay.

From the "servant's house s" site:
Teapot lid fragment, black basalt.
Plate rim fragments, pearlware.
Hand-painted saucer, pearlware.
Iron fork with bone utensil handle.
Spoon bowl, copper alloy.
Slave Housing Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Michael C. Wilcox, August 1, 2012
4. Slave Housing Marker
Sub-floor pits dug into the floors of slave dwellings like the "Negro quarter" protected the valuables of enslaved families, Archaeologists use this evidence to determine how many families may have occupied the site.
Slave Housing Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Michael C. Wilcox, August 1, 2012
5. Slave Housing Marker
Jefferson's drawing for a slave quarter, overlaid with modern renderings of "servants houses" r, s. and t. Jefferson's plan for the multi-family "Negro quarter" (green), drawn ca. 1770, contrasts with plans for three singe-family dwellings built 10 years later.
Slave Housing Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Michael C. Wilcox, August 1, 2012
6. Slave Housing Marker
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 4, 2016, by Michael C. Wilcox of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 728 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on December 4, 2016, by Michael C. Wilcox of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

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Mar. 28, 2024