Stagville was a massive plantation near Durham, North Carolina, covering 47 square miles.
Known for its simplicity and self-sufficiency, differing from typical lush, lavish plantations of the pre-Civil War South.
Represented the humility and lack of pretense still characteristic of Durham today.
Historical Background
Formed by the merger of lands from the Bennehan and Cameron families in 1803.
By 1860, the plantation had grown to 30,000 acres around central residences.
Agricultural and Economic Aspects
Operated in an agrarian society with fields of vegetables and cash crops like cotton and tobacco.
Included hills of pine and deciduous trees.
Slavery at Stagville
Housed around 900 slaves by the 1860s.
Slaves needed three days to traverse the property on foot.
Only one known escapee, who fled during a family trip to Philadelphia.
Structures at Stagville
Original buildings include the Bennehan family home from the 1700s.
Existing structures also feature a yeoman farmer's home from earlier American history, an original timber barn, and four two-story slave family dwellings.
Significance
Stagville was one of the largest plantations in the South and the largest in North Carolina.
Symbolizes the sources of national identity strife, contributing to tensions leading to the Civil War.
Current Status
Some buildings at Stagville remain standing today, serving as historical artifacts of plantation life and slavery in the United States.