Roots in the Community: A Macrobotanical Analysis of Enslaved African-American Households at James Madison's Montpelier

Summary

In 2008, the archaeology department at James Madison’s Montpelier began a multi-year project that sought to understand the community dynamics between enslaved workers at the plantation in the early 19th century. This study excavated and analyzed four sites: South Yard, Stable Quarter, Field Quarter, and Tobacco Barn Quarter. Each of these sites represents a different community of enslaved workers, from those who worked in the mansion to field hands.  This paper will compare the macrobotanical remains from these four sites, showing possible similarities and differences in subsistence strategies of the people living at these quarters. The plant remains recovered suggest that the enslaved community utilized resources across many seperate spaces, as defined by the Madisons, and created a place to find foods, fuels, and medicines utilized by members of the entire enslaved community.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Space and Place in the African Diaspora: Assessing Household Context within a Virginia Plantation   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 928