The Landscape of Slavery within Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village: The Pavilion VI Garden

Summary

Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village was built, operated and maintained on the labor of enslaved African Americans. The University of Virginia's unique built environment, the context of slavery within larger central Virginia, and the responsibilities of the white faculty and staff who supervised the operation of the educational institution created a context for slavery unlike other academic institutions. This paper will focus on the landscape of slavery in the nineteenth-century University of Virginia gardens. Many of us today know the University gardens as contemplative retreats. However within five years of opening, these enclosed spaces were transformed into the living and work places for free and enslaved African Americans. Analysis will review recent research within the Pavilion VI garden and the identification of a second quarter of the nineteenth-century 'office' supporting the resident of the Pavilion.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Laboring in the Landscapes of Learning: The Archaeology of Slavery at Virginia’s Colleges and Universities   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 553