What was the big house on a plantation called?

The planter's residence, often called the "Big House" by slaves, was the most prominent building by virtue of its size and position and occasionally was adorned with stylish architectural features. The columned portico, even today, remains the prime icon of plantation identity.


What were the houses on plantations called?

Antebellum homes refer to the large, elegant mansions — usually plantation homes — built in the American South during the 30 years or so before the American Civil War (1861-1865).

What was a slaves house called?

The terms “quarter” and “cabin” were most often used to refer to slave housing.


What type of buildings were on a plantation?

Successful cultivation of a crop required an array of structures including barns, stables, sheds, storehouses, and different types of production machinery. Sets of quarters for slaves were a prominent feature of any planation estate. The yard adjacent to the planter's house by itself resembled a small plantation.

Why were plantation homes so big?

​Plantation House Features

Some started out as practical farmhouses, while others were built to be decadent from the start. As plantation owners made more money, they often added to their homes to make them larger and more imposing.


MEET THE OWNERS of a Plantation House in JAMAICA. Greenwood Great House.



What did slaves do in the Big house?

The Big House was the domain of the domestic slaves who performed several duties such as cleaning, serving food and drinks, fanning the masters while they eat, toting water from ponds and outdoors cisterns or even from the river for domestic needs, washing and ironing clothes, taking care of all the needs of the ...

Where did slaves live on plantations?

Plantation slaves lived in small shacks with a dirt floor and little or no furniture. Life on large plantations with a cruel overseer was oftentimes the worst.

What kind of houses did slaves live in?

Slaves typically lived in small log houses coated with a plaster made of mud and other materials to keep out the wind, rain, and snow; a brick fireplace was centered in the largest part of the structure. Dirt floors were most common, and wooden chimneys that could be moved as needed were attached.


What is a plantation style house?

A plantation house is the main house of a plantation, often a substantial farmhouse, which often serves as a symbol for the plantation as a whole.

How big are plantation homes?

Formal residences starting in size at about 2,900 square feet, with most homes sized in the 4,000+ square foot range. Square plantation house plans with elegant rooflines and perfectly proportioned rooms ideal for entertaining.

Where did house slaves live?

House slaves often lived in the plantation house. They might have had a space to sleep near the kitchen, laundry, or stable. House slaves usually had better clothing than slaves in the field because they often received their slave owners' old clothes. Some slaves received shoes; many did not receive any.


How did slaves pick their last names?

Subject. After Emancipation, many former slaves adopted new names and surnames. They did so either to take on a surname for the first time, or to replace a name or surname given to them by a former master.

What were houses called in colonial times?

The houses built by the first English settlers in America were small single room homes. Many of these homes were "wattle and daub" homes. They had wooden frames which were filled in with sticks. The holes were then filled in with a sticky "daub" made from clay, mud, and grass.

What does an antebellum home look like?

Antebellum architecture is especially characterized by Georgian, Neo-classical, and Greek Revival style homes and mansions. These plantation houses were built in the southern American states during roughly the thirty years before the American Civil War; approximately between the 1830s to 1860s.


What is the oldest plantation house?

Established in 1787 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Destrehan Plantation remains the oldest documented plantation home in the lower Mississippi Valley.

Do plantation houses still exist?

Though some plantation homes remain private residences—most on far smaller properties—many were transformed into historic sites for tourists. But they're often romanticized as beautiful houses set among elegant gardens, disregarding the darker side of their history.

How old did most slaves live to?

As a result of this high infant and childhood death rate, the average life expectancy of a slave at birth was just 21 or 22 years, compared to 40 to 43 years for antebellum whites. Compared to whites, relatively few slaves lived into old age.


Did slaves have a day off?

Slaves, especially those in the field, worked from sunrise until sunset. Even small children and the elderly were not exempt from these long work hours. Slaves were generally allowed a day off on Sunday, and on infrequent holidays such as Christmas or the Fourth of July.

What do you call a house on a farm?

A farmhouse is a building that serves as the primary quarters in a rural or agricultural setting. Historically, farmhouses were often combined with space for animals called a housebarn.

What do we call a house near a farm?

farmhouse in British English

(ˈfɑːmˌhaʊs ) noun. 1. a house attached to a farm, esp the dwelling from which the farm is managed. 2.


How many hours did slaves work a day?

During the winter, slaves toiled for around eight hours each day, while in the summer the workday might have been as long as fourteen hours. Sunday was a day off for everyone at Mount Vernon, both free persons and slaves.

How much did slaves get paid?

The vast majority of labor was unpaid. The only enslaved person at Monticello who received something approximating a wage was George Granger, Sr., who was paid $65 a year (about half the wage of a white overseer) when he served as Monticello overseer.

What food were slaves given?

Weekly food rations -- usually corn meal, lard, some meat, molasses, peas, greens, and flour -- were distributed every Saturday. Vegetable patches or gardens, if permitted by the owner, supplied fresh produce to add to the rations. Morning meals were prepared and consumed at daybreak in the slaves' cabins.
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