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The Place beyond the Fence: Slavery and Cultural Invention on a Delaware Tenant Farm

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Abstract

Information about the lives and material culture of 18th- and early 19th-century enslaved black workers of West African birth or descent was recovered from Locus 1 of the Rumsey/Polk Tenant/Prehistoric site (7NCF112) in St. Georges Hundred, New Castle County, Delaware. This site contained the remains of multiple buildings interpreted as enslaved laborers’ quarters and associated cultural features, evidence of which is infrequently found in Delaware. Data from the site elucidate the current understanding of housing, diet, and cultural practices among the enslaved in the cultural borderland of the upper Mid-Atlantic region. Archaeology also reveals ways captives coped with the stresses of human trafficking, bondage, and subjugation, while simultaneously selectively modifying and reinventing cultural practices and customs.

Extracto

La información sobre la vida y la cultura material de los trabajadores afrodescendientes esclavizados del siglo 18 y principios del siglo 19 se recuperaron del Locus 1 del sitio arrendatario/prehistórico Rumsey/Polk (7NCF112) en St. Georges Hundred, Condado de New Castle, Delaware. Este sitio contenía los restos de múltiples edificios interpretados como cuartos de trabajadores esclavizados y las características culturales asociadas, evidencia de la cual se encuentra con poca frecuencia en Delaware. Los datos del sitio aclaran la comprensión actual de la vivienda, la dieta y las prácticas culturales entre los esclavos en la frontera cultural de la región del Atlántico medio superior. La arqueología también revela formas en que los cautivos enfrentaban el estrés del tráfico de personas, la esclavitud y la subyugación, mientras modificaban y reinventaban selectivamente las prácticas y costumbres culturales.

Résumé

Des informations sur la vie et la culture matérielle au 18ème siècle et au début du 19ème siècle de travailleurs noirs esclaves originaires de l'Afrique de l'Ouest par naissance ou descendance, ont été collectées à partir de Locus 1 sur le site préhistorique/Polk Tenant/Rumsey (7NCF112) à St. Georges Hundred, comté de New Castle, Delaware. Ce site contenait les ruines de plusieurs bâtisses dont il a été déduit qu'elles étaient les quartiers des travailleurs esclaves et comportaient des caractéristiques culturelles associées, dont les traces sont rarement trouvées dans le Delaware. Les données prélevées sur le site viennent élucider la connaissance actuelle du logement, du régime alimentaire et des pratiques culturelles parmi les esclaves se trouvant dans la zone frontalière culturelle de la région mid-atlantique septentrionale. L'archéologie met également en lumière les moyens grâce auxquels les captifs surmontaient les souffrances liées au trafic d'êtres humains, à la servitude et à l'oppression, tout en modifiant et réinventant simultanément et de manière sélective les pratiques et coutumes culturelles.

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Acknowledgments:

The authors are indebted to the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration for sponsoring and funding the archaeological investigations. We extend our appreciation to David Clarke, Heidi Krofft, and Kevin Cunningham of DelDOT; Craig Lukezic, Alice Guerrant, and Gwen Davis of the Delaware State Historic Preservation Office/Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs. Alice Domm, Richard Grubb, Paul McEachen, Damon Tvaryanas, Mary Lynne Rainey, and Teresa Bulger of RGA, Inc., are thanked for their assistance. Lu Ann De Cunzo, Charles Fithian, David Orr, Wade Catts, John Bedell, and William Liebeknecht provided insight during field excavations and artifact analysis. The staff of RGA, Inc., was essential in conducting the archaeological survey and aiding in analysis, including: Adrienne Jarczewski, Michael Insetta, David Strohmeier, Alison Althouse, Aimee Bollinger, Teresa Bulger, Jean Cascardi, Matthew Craig, Laura Cushman, Jennifer Danis, Tara Dos Santos, Kevin Enlow, Emily Epps, Tara Erdreich, Jamie Esposito, Allison Gall, Tabitha Hilliard, Robert Kotlarek, Lauren Lembo, Jonathon Lewis, Anthony Lipari, Brian Manser, Patricia McEachen, Sean McHugh, Elaine Peiffer, John Potts, Amy Raes, J. Andrew Ross, Matthew Sanna, Neil Sexton, Emily Grace Smith, Catherine Smyrski, Brenda Springstead, and Monica Weetman. The comments offered by anonymous reviewers are appreciated.

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  1. Richard Grubb & Associates, Inc., 259 Prospect Plains Road, Building D, Cranbury, New Jersey, 08512, U.S.A.

    Michael J. Gall, Adam Heinrich, Ilene Grossman-Bailey & Philip A. Hayden

  2. 708 Faircastle Avenue, Severna Park, MD, 21146, U.S.A.

    Justine McKnight

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Gall, M.J., Heinrich, A., Grossman-Bailey, I. et al. The Place beyond the Fence: Slavery and Cultural Invention on a Delaware Tenant Farm. Hist Arch 54, 305–333 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-020-00234-8

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