Existing comment:
The Cook's Room:
This room is known as the cook's room because it was in this single room where the cook and her entire family would live. The plantation owners wanted the cook near the kitchen, so she would be close to her work and so that she would be nearby to receive her daily instructions.
The cook's quality of living was anything but lavish. However, she and her family would receive higher quality clothes, compared to field slaves, because they would be regularly seen by guests of the family. Many times, their food was better than the field slaves' food because the cook and her family were sometimes allowed to have anything left over from the "Big House" meal.
The cook's family would usually be assigned to jobs in or around the house. Her husband or older sons would usually have jobs such as gardeners, carriage drivers, or barn attendants. Older daughters would have such tasks as nannies or housekeepers. Even the younger children would have been expected to help clean, fetch water, or even make butter. |