HISTORY MONTH AND TODAY WE’RE CONTINUING TO LOOK AT HISTORIC SITES IN OUR STATE THAT ARE NOW SHARING NARRATIVES ABOUT ENSLAVED PEOPLE WHO HELPED TO MAKE NORTH CAROLINA WANDA STARKE
ONCE AGAIN TAKES US TO A SITE IN WASHINGTON COUNTY WONDER WHAT YOU FIND.
WELL, IT’S CALLED SOMERSET PLACE ORIGINALLY INCLUDED MORE THAN A HUNDRED THOUSAND ACRES AND BECAME ONE OF THE SOUTH’S MOST PROSPEROUS RICE CORN AND WHEAT PLANTATIONS TODAY THE IT
FEATURES SEVERAL RECONSTRUCTED BUILDINGS THAT OFFER A VIEW OF 19TH LIFE AT SOMERSET.
ON THE SURFACE IT IS A GRAND AND BEAUTIFUL PLACE NESTLED ALONG THE NORTHERN SHORE OF LAKE PHELPS.
WHAT SOMERSET IS A GHOST OF ITS FORMER SELF A PIECE OF HISTORY WITH A HAUNTING AND NOT-SO-PRETTY PAST SOMERSET PLACE WAS THE THIRD LARGEST SLAVE HOLDING PLANTATION IN THE
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA PLANTATION EXISTED FROM 1785.
TO 1865 KAREN HAYES FOR STARTED WORKING AT SOMERSET PLACE 20 YEARS AGO.
SHE REMEMBERS HER FIRST DAY ON THE JOB WHEN I FIRST VISITED SOMERSET PLAYS ONCE I STEPPED OUT OF THE CAR.
IT WAS VERY EMOTIONAL FOR ME.
IT KIND OF YOU KNOW, THIS IS ONE OF THOSE UPSET STOMACH TYPE OF EMOTIONS.
THIS IS A PLACE WHERE 861 ENSLAVE PEOPLE LABORED OVER 80 YEARS WHERE NO ONE WAS GRANTED.
THEM UNTIL THE END OF THE CIVIL WAR A PLACE WHERE SOME DARE TO RUN AWAY, BUT WE’RE ALWAYS CAPTURED.
SOME ARE SAID WAS FIRST OWNED BY THREE MEN KNOWN AS THE LAKE COMPANY, BUT JOSIAH COLIN SOON BECAME THE SOLE OWNER A CANAL SIX MILES LONG 20 FEET WIDE PLAYED A VITAL ROLE AT SOMERSET
AND WAS USED TO OPERATE SAW AND GRISTMILLS THE CANALES F WAS DUG FROM 1786 AND 88 IT WAS DUG BY ENSLAVED LABOR FROM THE 80 ENSLAVE PEOPLE THAT WERE BOUGHT DIRECTLY FROM THE WEST COAST OF
AFRICA.
THIS IS A RECONSTRUCT THAT ONE ROOM SLAVE HOME.
MOST OF THE ENSLAVE PEOPLE LIVED IN HOUSES LIKE THIS NINE PEOPLE CROWDED INTO ONE ROOM CHILDREN SLEPT ON THE FLOOR.
THE FIREPLACE WAS USED FOR HEATING AND COOKING IN THE WINTER.
THEY WERE ISSUED THREE AND A HALF POUNDS OF SALTED PORK / HAND PER WEEK MILK FLOUR RICE AND MOLASSES.
THEY SUPPLEMENT THEIR DIET WITH FISH FROM THE LAKE TRAPPING SMALL ANIMALS LIKE RABBITS AND RACCOONS THAT’S DOUBLES WERE GROWN IN PATCHES BEHIND THE HOUSE SLAVERY WAS A PROFITABLE
INSTITUTION WITH BLACK LIVES HERE AT ONE POINT VALUED AT OVER A HUNDRED FORTY TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS THE VALUE OF ENSLAVED FEMALES DETERMINED BY THE NUMBER OF OFFSPRING SECOND DAY WAS WAS
PURCHASED FOR 60 POUNDS IN 1786 SOOKIE DAVIS WHO HAD ONE DIRECT DESCENDANTS WAS CONSIDERED A QUOTE MAJOR INVESTMENT TO THE LANDOWNER AND A WE ARE KIN THE ENSLAVED COMMUNITY SO SHE WOULD
TEACH THEM THINGS WHAT TO DO AND WHAT NOT TO DO.
DON’T GO INSIDE OF THE OWNERS COMPOUND COMPLETE YOUR CHORES AS A SIGN THINGS THAT SORTS FOR THEIR SAFETY FOR SURVIVAL A SLAVE HOSPITAL ON SITE WAS CRITICAL TO SURVIVAL ON THE
PLANTATION.
WE’RE LIVING IN CLOSE QUARTERS PUT ENSLAVE PEOPLE AT GREATER RISK FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASE MEDICAL TREATMENT COVERED EVERYTHING FROM MALARIA TO BROKEN BOW.
THOSE TWO TWO THINGS, I MENTIONED TOOTH EXTRACTIONS.
THAT WOULD HAVE TAKEN PLACE HERE WITH THE TWO KEY AND THE TWO PLIERS PAINFUL REMINDERS OF A HARD LIFE ONE WOMAN TREATED HERE AFTER SHE TRIED TO RUN AWAY WAS CAPTURED AND HELD OVERNIGHT IN
STOCKS AS PUNISHMENT WHILE THE WEATHER BECAME EXTREMELY COLD, HUH FEET FROZE AND AMPUTATION WAS REQUIRED TO SAVE HER LIFE.
THERE WERE WHIPPINGS HERE.
THAT WAS ONE OF THE PUNISHMENTS WITH IT’S LIKE COMMUNITY BEING WHIPPED BY THE OVERSEER BEING PLACED IN THE STOCK AND BEING SOLD LIFE AT SOMERSET CHANGE FOREVER DURING THE CIVIL WAR
WHEN THE COLLINS FAMILY FLED TO HILLSBORO, BUT THEY LEFT BEHIND SOME OF THE ELDERLY ONES IN THE ONES THAT WERE TOO ILL TO TRAVEL AND THEY WERE THREATS THAT WERE MADE AGAINST JOSIAH COLLINS THAT
IF HE RETURNED AFTER THE CIVIL WAR THAT THEY WOULD ATTEMPT TO KILL HIM WHEN SLAVERY ENDED THE COLLINS FAMILY LOST THE PROPERTY IT WAS RESTORED AND REOPENED AS A STATE HAS EXCITE IN 1969 WELL
SEVERAL OF THE DESCENDANTS OF THE ENSLAVED PEOPLE AT SOMERSET PLACE HAVE GATHERED FOR REUNIONS AT THE SIDE STORIES OF THEIR ANCESTORS ARE TOLD IN A BOOK BY DOROTHY SPRUILL REDFORD
GENERATIONS OF SOMERSET PLACE FROM SLAVERY TO FREEDOM AND WANT TO BE HEARD THE SITE DIRECTOR TELLING YOU ABOUT HOW EMOTIONAL IT WAS FOR HER THE FIRST DAY SHE WENT TO THAT PROPERTY.
I IMAGINE THAT’S THE CASE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE.
YEAH.
IT’S REALLY A HAUNTING EXPERIENCE STANDING THERE ON THOSE GROUNDS, ESPECIALLY THINK ABOUT THE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WHO WORK THERE.
NOT ONE NOT ONE SUCCESSFULLY ESCAPED.
I’VE ALSO BUT THE WOMAN WHO WAS HELD CAPTIVE AND IN THE STOCKS FEET AMPUTATED AND SHE DID SURVIVE AND EVENTUALLY WAS RELEASED AFTER SLAVERY ENDED.
OH, WOW.
YEAH, BUT ANOTHER THING THAT I GUESS THAT WE SHOULD CONSIDER TOO IS THAT KAREN HAYES TOLD ME THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE MOVED TO TEARS.
SHE HAS SOME PEOPLE START THE TOUR AND THEN STOP SAYING THAT THEY CAN’T CONTINUE.
SHE ALSO TOLD ME THE STORY OF A FORMER.
I CAME FOR A TOUR AND OLDER BLACK WOMAN VOLUNTEERED TO TAKE HIM AROUND THE SITE AND AT THE END HE THANKED HER AND HUG HER WOW PROFOUND FOR SURE IMPORT