1. Slave Dwellings and Heritage Farms in Tennessee: Decoding and Preserving the Landscape of Work in the Upper South Leigh Ann Gardner Katie Randall Torren Gaston MTSU Center for Historic Preservation

2. Identification and Documentation of Slave Dwellings The Center for Historic Preservation has created a database of extant slave dwellings in the state through the following: Tennessee Century Farms program Rural African American Church Survey State-wide slave housing survey Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area National Register nominations Tennessee Rural African American Church Project Survey

3. Keys To Documentation Of Extant Slave Housing Relationships “Boots on the ground” Reading the landscape Open mindedness

4. Tennessee Century Farms Program Documents farms that have been in the same family at least 100 years More than 1600 farms in the program Families provide the documentation Program began by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture in 1976 and administered by the CHP since 1985

5. Slave housing identified through the Century Farm program William Blair slave house (H.E.F. Blair Farm, Loudon County) Maden Hall slave kitchen (Fermanagh-Ross Farm, Greene County)

6. Slave housing identified through the Century Farm Program Slave quarters (Burrow-Gregory Farm, Macon Co.) Slave house (Murray-Jennings Farm, Rutherford County)

7. State-wide Extant Slave Housing Survey Survey took place c. 2001-2002 Sites across the state were photographed and measurements taken when possible Led to dissertation by Michael Strutt in 2012: “Yes, I Was A House Slave; I Slept Under The Stairway In The Closet.” Slave Housing And Landscapes Of Tennessee 1780-1860: An Architectural Synthesis”

8. Slave housing identified in the survey Fain House, Dandridge (East Tennessee) Four-pen brick barracks-style building constructed 1843 Masengill Place, Piney Flats (East Tennessee) Originally constructed as a settler cabin in c. 1800, then used as overseer’s residence and finally as a slave house.

9. Slave housing identified in the survey Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site, Johnson City (East Tennessee) Basement of core of home constructed in the 1790s and used to house the Tipton slaves. Cragfont, Castalian Springs (Middle Tennessee) Loft built c. 1802-1806 and used by female kitchen slaves as housing.

10. Slave housing identified in the survey Crenshaw Farm, Puryears Bend (Middle Tennessee) Stone slave house c. 1840s Owen-Primm House, Brentwood (Middle Tennessee) Log saddlebag slave house constructed c. 1845

11. Slave housing identified in the survey Hancock Hall, LaGrange (West Tennessee) One-story frame building that may or may not be a slave dwelling. Hunt-Phelan House, Memphis (West Tennessee) Wing of the house used for slave housing.

12. Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area (TCWNHA) Created in 1996, did not receive funds until 2002 Tells the whole story of the Civil War and Reconstruction Partners with individuals and organizations across the state to assist with interpretation of historic sites, National Register of Historic Places nominations, Historic Structures Reports, and Heritage Development Plans

13. TCWNHA Projects - Reports Report on the Buchanan Log House in Davidson County, Tennessee. Slaves lived in the home as well as the owners. Report on Tipton-Haynes Historic Site includes documentation of slave housing and discussion of interpretation of slave life.

14. TCWNHA Projects – National Register Projects Slave house on the Jarman Farm (Rutherford County). Jarman Farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 6, 1987. Oak Hill Farm in Tipton County was placed on the National Register on March 27, 2013. Slaves likely lived in the ell addition to the house as well as in an unheated room at the north end of the upstairs hall.

15. What we’ve learned surveying slave housing There is no one type of slave housing – it varies in all aspects. Slave houses are not always separate from the “main” house. Why is there not more of it left? Once you’ve identified slave housing, what is the next step? Preservation Interpretation

16. Different Types = Different Needs: Log Reconstructed Slave Dwellings Ames Plantation Fayette County, TN

17. Different Types = Different Needs: Masonry Stone Slave Dwelling (built 1840s) Crenshaw Farm Trousdale County, TN

18. Different Types = Different Needs: Frame Slave Dwelling c.1895 and 2002 (built c.1855) Henry Brown House Greene County, TN

19. Different Types = Different Outcomes Rutledge House at Deery Inn (built c.1802) Sullivan County, TN

20. Different Types = Different Outcomes Deery Inn and Surrounding Outbuildings in 2009 Image courtesy of the Sullivan County Department of Archives and Tourism

21. Common Preservation Issues: Water Damage Slave Dwelling Repurposed as Chicken Coop and Storage Shed Hamlett-Smith Farm Chester County, TN

22. Common Preservation Issues: Vegetation Overgrowth Slave Dwelling Ramsey Farm Sullivan County, TN Slave Dwelling (built 1839) Clifton Place Maury County, TN

23. Common Preservation Issues: Improper Restoration Smokehouse (built 1857) Before and After Restoration The Land Trust for Tennessee’s Glen Leven Farm Davidson County, TN

24. Common Preservation Issues: Demolition Slave Dwelling in 1983 and 1992 Northcutt Plantation Warren County, TN Images courtesy of The Library of Congress Historic American Building Survey and TNGenWeb

25. Common Preservation Issues: Relocation Slave Dwellings at Sam Davis Home in Rutherford County Relocated from Rattle and Snap Plantation in Maury County in early 1970s

26. Common Preservation Issues: Relocation Slave Dwelling Relocated to Woodlawn Cemetery Memorial Park in Nashville, TN Image Courtesy of Thomas R Machnitzki

27. What to do with what remains How do we interpret these structures? How do we interpret them once they are gone or relocated? How do we interpret reconstructions?