Stagville
Encyclopedia
Stagville Plantation is located in Durham County
, North Carolina
. With buildings constructed from the late 18th century to the mid-19th century, it was one of the largest plantation
complexes in the American South. It was owned by the Bennehan-Cameron family. The complex comprised roughly 30,000 acres (120 km²), including the Little River
plantation, and was home to almost 900 enslaved
African Americans in 1860.
Historic Stagville, consisting of 71 acres (287,327.1 m²) in three tracts, provides a unique look at North Carolina's history and infrastructure in the antebellum South.
The Bennehan House, built 1787 and 1799, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1973; and Horton Grove
, two-story slave residences built in 1850, was listed in 1978.
Stagville's historic buildings include several slave residences, known as Horton Grove
, which are well preserved. They are the only two-story slave houses remaining in North Carolina. Significant archaeological finds around the houses have given archaeologists and historians a glimpse into the lives of the many slaves who lived and worked at Stagville.
Also on the site are several historic houses and barns, including the original Bennehan House.
In 1976, Liggett and Meyers Tobacco Company
, which had owned and worked the land for decades, donated the property to the state of North Carolina, which operates the site as an historic house museum known as Historic Stagville.
Durham County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 223,314 people, 89,015 households, and 54,032 families residing in the county. The population density was 769 people per square mile . There were 95,452 housing units at an average density of 329 per square mile...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. With buildings constructed from the late 18th century to the mid-19th century, it was one of the largest plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
complexes in the American South. It was owned by the Bennehan-Cameron family. The complex comprised roughly 30,000 acres (120 km²), including the Little River
Little River (North Carolina)
Little River may refer to ten streams by that name in the U.S. state of North Carolina:*Little River : A tributary of Albemarle Sound forming a portion of the border between Pasquotank and Perquimans counties....
plantation, and was home to almost 900 enslaved
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
African Americans in 1860.
Historic Stagville, consisting of 71 acres (287,327.1 m²) in three tracts, provides a unique look at North Carolina's history and infrastructure in the antebellum South.
The Bennehan House, built 1787 and 1799, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1973; and Horton Grove
Horton Grove
Horton Grove was an area of houses for enslaved African Americans at the Stagville Plantation in the northeastern part of Durham County, North Carolina. The slaves who lived at Horton Grove were held by the influential Cameron and Bennehan families. In 1860 there were 900 slaves held at the...
, two-story slave residences built in 1850, was listed in 1978.
Stagville's historic buildings include several slave residences, known as Horton Grove
Horton Grove
Horton Grove was an area of houses for enslaved African Americans at the Stagville Plantation in the northeastern part of Durham County, North Carolina. The slaves who lived at Horton Grove were held by the influential Cameron and Bennehan families. In 1860 there were 900 slaves held at the...
, which are well preserved. They are the only two-story slave houses remaining in North Carolina. Significant archaeological finds around the houses have given archaeologists and historians a glimpse into the lives of the many slaves who lived and worked at Stagville.
Also on the site are several historic houses and barns, including the original Bennehan House.
In 1976, Liggett and Meyers Tobacco Company
Liggett Group
Liggett Group , formerly known as Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company, is the fourth largest tobacco company in the United States. Its headquarters are located in Durham, North Carolina, though its manufacturing facility is 30 miles to the west in Mebane, North Carolina...
, which had owned and worked the land for decades, donated the property to the state of North Carolina, which operates the site as an historic house museum known as Historic Stagville.
External links
- Historic Stagville - official site
- North Carolina Historic Site: Historic Stagville
- The Plantation Letters Project: Selections from Cameron Family Letters
Sources
- Anderson, Jean Bradley. Piedmont Plantation: The Bennehan-Cameron Family and Lands in North Carolina. Durham: Historic Preservation Society, 1985
- Anderson, Jean Bradley. A History of Durham County, North Carolina. Durham: Duke University Press, 1991