19th century Slave Quarters and Work Areas

This artist's impression shows the south yard durnig a work day, when all but the oldest and the youngest slaves were busy with assigned tasks.
[Click picture for a larger image.]

Slaves who worked in the Madisons' household lived in this nearby area known as the "South Yard." Archaeological investigations in the yard between the garden and the mansion have revealed a number of outbuildings that date to the early 19th-century, including three slave quarters and two smokehouses. Daily activities of the enslaved domestics working and living in this yard would have revolved around preparing the Madison family's meals, doing their laundry, and providing for their own households. The Madisons invested more resources in the domestic slave quarters in the South Yard in the 19th century, compared to the earlier 18th-century South Yard quarters and the field slave quarters. These resources are evident in the raised wooden floors, window glass, and brick chimneys. In addition, archaeological excavations have shown that this area was kept relatively free of trash and debris. These aspects of cleanliness are likely related to the fact that these quarters were in direct view of the rear lawn of the mansion. Excavations have revealed this complex was backed up against a paling fence that likely contained a kitchen garden or pasture for the stable.

In Madison's day all of the buildings in the side yard were shielded from the view of a visitor approaching Montpelier along the carriage road by a row of trees and shrubs. These plantings were placed in this manner to direct attention to the mansion and away from the outbuildings. However, from the formal back yard, these quarters were in direct sight of the mansion. As a result, the Madisons would have controlled not only the appearance, but also the activities within this space.

Insurance map of the mansion and service complex produced in 1837.
[Click picture for larger imarge.]

In 1837 about a year after James Madison's death, Dolley insured the home and nearby outbuildings. The insurance company's map shows these buildings in the South Yard: three residences, each a duplex for two slave families; and two smoke houses. The 18th century detached brick kitchen, absent from this map, suggests two things: first, that the structure was not of sufficient value to be insured in 1837; and second, that the structures of the South Yard domestic slave work complex had a high intrinsic value.

The Quarter for Domestic Slaves

Further from the mansion, archaeologists discovered a large double hearth that is the remains of one of the duplexes shown on the 1837 insurance map. Archaeology carried out around this feature provides valuable evidence regarding the appearance of the duplexes. The double hearth shows that this structure was a duplex — a structure that would house two families. The lack of burned clay in the area of the chimney base suggests the hearth was raised, and, in turn, indicates the home had a raised wooden floor. Large amounts of window glass suggests glazed windows, and a wide variety of nails supports the 1837 description of these structures being frame.

Archaeologists recovered a light scatter of trash to the rear of the duplex, facing away from the front of the mansion. This scatter of trash consisted of crushed ceramics, glass, and bone. These materials suggest that the majority of the households' activities took place to the rear of the structure, and out of view from the front of the mansion. This location would be in the courtyard formed by the opposing slave quarters.

To the southwest of the duplex, are features that are suggestive of a variety of yard activities. Closer to the wall of the formal garden, a row of small circular stains were uncovered that are likely the remains of a paling fence, possibly for enclosing a garden from roaming pigs or chickens. This paling fence was aligned with the angle of the formal garden.

Paling fence, appearing as a linear arrangement of dark stains to the right of the brick rubble, and brick paving located south of one of the slave duplexes. The paling fence separates the quarter from a pasture or garden.	Double hearth exposed from archaeological excavations. This hearth was located in the center of the structure and a hearth and firebox would have been level with the wooden floor.
Artifacts recovered from the south yard excavations, representative of some of the few personal belongings of slaves.

Pathways Connecting the Quarters to the Cellar Kitchens

Archaeologists have recovered evidence for a series of paths that connected the duplexes to the mansion cellar kitchen. These paths run in two parallel lines and converge just to the southeast of the mansion. At this location the paths turn to the west (left) and descend a ramp to the southern door of the kitchen. From this location slaves could either enter the southern door to the cellar kitchen, or proceed north to the causeway. In addition to the more formal stone pathways, a series of less formal dirt pathways likely connected the service complex in the South Yard to the quarters of the field slaves in the Farm Complex and wider community beyond the Montpelier plantation.

Stone path leading to well house. Notice the excavation unit in the foreground is the junction between the well house path and the one leading to the detached kitchen. [Click picture for larger image.]	Map showing location of paths (grey line) with archaeological planviews overlain. The squares indicate where archaeological evidence for the path was found. [Click picture for larger image.]