The labor of slaves was critical to the development and operation of Shirley Plantation, just as it was on hundreds of farms and plantations across the South. Enslaved people of African origin were put to the tasks of constructing buildings, tending fields, housekeeping, and cooking, as well as providing other skilled labor as blacksmiths, gardeners, and carpenters.
In Virginia, during the late 1600s and early 1700s, the labor of slaves quickly replaced that of English indentured servants. Slavery provided the larger and more permanent labor force necessary for an increasing scale of agricultural production. The largest of plantations like Shirley could function only with considerable numbers of enslaved Africans. Indeed, Shirley ranked at the top of slave-holding plantations over much of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Presently we know relatively little about slavery at Shirley in the late 1600s and 1700s. Slaves were very likely important in aspects of the construction of Shirley’s famous buildings starting in 1723. By 1787 records tell us that there were 134 slaves residing on the property. Most of this number would have labored in the fields, while others were engaged in the functions and upkeep of the house and associated buildings.
This basic pattern continued until emancipation at the close of the Civil War. However, family records from the nineteenth century reveal more details about the slaves at Shirley. The number of slaves on the property ranged from 98 to 153. They were living mainly within family households. Periodically the Carters provided basic provisions to the Shirley slaves. For example, shoes, blankets, and food were regularly distributed.
Shirley’s slaves lived at different locations on the property according to their primary role. A relatively small number working as house servants, kitchen staff, and skilled laborers lived in and around the complex surrounding the main house. Quarters for slaves would have been available above the kitchen in the 19th century, for example. Most of the slaves at Shirley worked in the fields and resided in quarters located up to a mile from the main house. The typical quarter area consisted of several houses, often aligned in a neat row, surrounded by small garden plots and animal pens. In the eighteenth century the primary slave compound was called “The Great Quarter.”
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Laborers at neighboring Upper Shirley Plantation following the Civil War.
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Only remaining Shirley Plantation slave house from the 19th century.
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One of the Shirley slave houses survives as a good example. It was constructed in the mid-1800s as a typical wood frame, “double-pen” building. This duplex design provided separate living areas for two households. The central chimney was outfitted with a double hearth to serve both sides which consisted of one ground level room and a simple loft above. With the division of Shirley lands over multiple generations, the surviving slave house is located on land no longer owned by the Carters. The slave house is not open to the public. Mr. Carter hopes to acquire the structure one day for restoration.
Archaeological studies are an important source of information about slaves since much about their lives was usually not documented well in written records. Much can be learned about housing conditions, diet, and even leisure activities from artifacts excavated at former slave quarters. |
