Existing comment:
African American Slaves at Belair:
Belair could function as a plantation because of enslaved labor. While the presence of slaves is documented through 1864, living spaces are not defined not nor are specific tasks generally given.
Some slaves surely lived in the house, either in the cellar or on the third floor, in the kitchen dependency or in small dwellings around the exterior of the mansion. Archaeological investigations at Belair have revealed the presence of a number of structures forming a forecourt in the front of the house. The Federal Tax Assessment of 1798 describes structures on the property, including a brick meat house, a windmill, a tenant house and
... a frame Negrl 24 by 25, two long negroe houses 13 feet square ... 1 negroe house 12 by 10 adjoining Isaac Land.
In addition to real estate, the Federal Tax Assessment also listed the number of "taxable persons" both free and enslaved.
Number of slaves: 45
Number of slaves above the age of 12 years and under 50 years subject to taxation: 18
Others undoubtedly lived near fields they worked, at other Ogle/Tasker properties such as the Annapolis townhouse, or other Ogle plantations such as The President near Annapolis.
Slaves typically lived in small one-room cabins of frame or logs chinked with mud. Fireplaces provided heat and light; furniture was sparse, consisting of straw mattresses or wooden bedframes lashed to the walls with rope, crude tables and chairs, and small cooking utensils and receptacles.
Slavery continued at Belair until the adoption of the Maryland Constitution of 1864, when all Maryland slaves were set free. The 1844 Inventory of the Estate of Benjamin Ogle II contains 68 slaves on the property. After the Maryland Constitution of 1864 freed all slaves within the state, George C. Ogle filed a claim for compensation for 41 slaves. Without slave labor to farm the land, the Ogle family fell into debt, and, as a consequence, were forced to sell Belair in 1871. |