The Fields
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Many different crops were grown at Rose Hill. Sale advertisements show that enslaved field hands such as Charles, Bill, and George were familiar with growing tobacco, rye, and wheat among other crops. Frederick County had a diverse and changing agricultural make up throughout the 19th century. During the time of John Grahame tobacco, rye, and wheat were all commonly grow. However as the market for tobacco became oversaturated and the soil depleted, farmers transitioned to rye and wheat.
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
Field hands experienced heavy wear and tear on their bodies. Peter was described in a mortgage of the property as "Old Peter" even though he was still in his 50s. In less than 20 years Frederick planters were less likely to keep people enslaved long enough to become "Old". As Frederick County transitioned to more of a grain based economy, enslaved people became expensive to feed and clothe, especially those whose bodies were crippled or broken down. Many planters, like the Thomas family manumitted their enslaved people between the ages of 30-35, keeping the children of those people enslaved until they too turned 30-35.