VIDEO: Revamped Slave Quarters Reopen
It’s not every day that Mount Vernon fully renovates a part of the estate, but the Greenhouse Slave Quarters were in need of revamping.
Located behind George Washington’s greenhouse (hence the quarters’ name) this structure of adjoining rooms was formerly portrayed via one giant bunk room, but now properly depicts men’s quarters, women’s and children’s quarters, a shoemaker’s shop and a stove room.
The greenhouse quarters were home to approximately 60 slaves who were skilled laborers working in the Mansion and its vicinity, known as the Mansion House Farm (Washington had four other farms where his crops were actually grown, all part of his estate). Although the Mansion Farm slaves may have had families, they bunked in the greenhouse quarters while they worked at the Masion, and were able to stay with their families only on their days off.
In a rededication ceremony, three descendants of Mount Vernon slaves placed objects in the quarters as a tribute to the many people who lived there. A doll was placed on a child’s pallet, a colonoware bowl was set in the women’s quarters and a Monmouth cap was laid in the men’s quarters. These items were all things that the slaves would have used in their daily lives.
Today, visitors get a better understanding of the lives of these individuals thanks to funding by the Neighborhood Friends of Mount Vernon Association and support from the Mid-West Tool Collectors Association.
