Institution

The overseers were part of the plantation’s hired labor force. At any given time, there were 2-3 white overseers and under-overseers living with their family members and working at Somerset Place. This structure was large enough for two overseers and their families to live in, with each family living in half of the house. That’s why there’s two front doors on this structure. The Overseers’ House you see here was reconstructed in 1955 to serve as a modern residence, so the building itself is conjectural, although it was built to the size of the original home. The overseers who lived in the house that stood here were in direct control of the enslaved community, and it was through these men that the enslaved families felt the authority, power, and control of Josiah Collins. The overseers implemented the reward and punishment system to control the hundreds of enslaved people who were forced to live and work here. According to former enslaved field hand Uriah Bennett, who lived at Somerset Place as a child, “the overseers were pretty cruel sometimes.”

Audio description of the Overseers' Home by Assistant Site Manager Christa Hobbet.

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YouTube videos about the overseers at Somerset Place

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At any given time, two to three overseers/under-overseers were employed on the plantation. They, along with their families, lived in the overseers' home. This house faced south and was positioned in such a way as to allow the overseers the ability to monitor both the enslaved community and the owners' compound. The current structure is a conjectural reconstruction built in 1955. Also in front of the Overseers' Home are the reconstructed plantation stocks. Stocks were used as a means of public humiliation and punishment for members of the enslaved community. When a person was placed in the stocks, his/her feet were locked into place, forcing them to sit on the very uncomfortable bench.

Audio description of the Overseers' Home by Historical Interpreter Noah Janis.

Overseers' Home

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In 1784, three businessmen in Edenton, North Carolina, formed the Lake Company to acquire over 100,000 acres of densely vegetated swampland that surrounded and included Lake Phelps. Their goal was to establish a profitable rice plantation. To that end, the company sent a ship named Camden to West Africa in 1786 to purchase 80 enslaved native Africans who possessed knowledge of rice cultivation. These individuals were sent into the swamp to dig a 6-mile long canal that connected Lake Phelps with the Scuppernong River. The company also acquired 80 enslaved African Americans in the Edenton area. By 1790, enslaved workers had finished the canal, cleared and cultivated land for rice, and, along with hired white employees, constructed several buildings for housing and agriculture. As years passed, the enslaved persons at the lake became linked in an extensive kinship network, and the surviving native Africans influenced the beliefs, customs, and culture of the entire enslaved community. 1The plantation quickly became very profitable for the Lake Company. However, one of the businessmen, Josiah Collins I, bought out his partners by 1816 and renamed the plantation Somerset Place after his home county in England. He also switched the principal cash crop from rice to corn. Upon his death in 1819, Somerset and its enslaved population passed to his eldest son Josiah II for the duration of his lifetime. Josiah II increased the enslaved population at Somerset by transferring people from Collins family properties in Edenton and purchasing others at estate sales. Most were young, unmarried individuals who brought unrelated bloodlines into the enslaved community's kinship network. Enslaved persons were then forced to dig more canals, clear more land, and build additional housing for the growing population. 2Both Josiah I and II lived in Edenton and operated the plantation as absentee landlords. However, Josiah II's oldest son Josiah III decided to make Somerset Place his home in 1830 with his new wife, Mary Riggs. When Josiah II passed away in 1839, the land and enslaved persons along Lake Phelps were divided among his eight children (although his youngest daughter, Alethea, born after the death of Josiah I, did not receive land). Josiah III received Somerset Place proper, which included all the cultivated land at the lake. However, the enslaved persons who also lived at Somerset were divided among Josiah III and his siblings. Those individuals whom Josiah III did not inherit, rent, or purchase from his siblings were forcibly transported to Edenton, Elizabeth City, or plantations in Alabama while others were sold. This division of the enslaved community impacted every family at Somerset: children were separated from their parents, husbands and wives broken apart, and kinship networks destroyed. 3Those remaining at Somerset had little time to recover from this tragedy, because Josiah III transformed the plantation into his personal estate and further increased agricultural operations. He commissioned the construction of a new 14-room mansion for his family, which was completed in 1839. He altered the landscape through the creation of the Owner’s Compound with new domestic dependencies and a boarding school for his and Mary’s six sons. Enslaved and free carpenters also erected the hospital and chapel for the enslaved community. To enhance his power and control, Josiah III kept meticulous records about everything on the plantation, including daily tasks for enslaved men, women, and children. Between 1850 and 1860, enslaved persons cleared 1,500 additional acres of land and produced a variety of cash crops, including corn, lumber, wheat, barley, flax, sweet potatoes, peas, and butter. Enslaved persons not only included field hands but also skilled artisans and domestic workers. Even though work days could last over 14 hours, enslaved individuals still managed to carve out their own world by reestablishing kinship networks, practicing cultural traditions, and committing acts of defiance. As such, the enslaved population grew from 283 individuals in 1843 to 328 persons in 1860, making Somerset Place the third largest plantation in North Carolina (based on the number of enslaved individuals on one plantation). 4At the start of the Civil War, the Collins family fled to Hillsborough, North Carolina, and sent most of the enslaved community to a new plantation in Franklin County. Josiah III passed away suddenly in 1863, leaving mounting debts from managing two plantations in a war-torn economy. The end of the war finally brought emancipation to the enslaved community, who returned to Somerset and pressed the Collins family for wages or land to rent. The Collinses refused both, and so all but a handful of the newly freed men, women, and children left the plantation to pursue their freedom elsewhere. Without a labor force to pay off debts, Mary Collins transferred Somerset to her nephew in 1867 and passed away in 1872. Her three living sons, Josiah IV, George, and Arthur relocated elsewhere. The plantation then passed through a series of 14 different owners until the federal government acquired it in 1937. Two years later, the federal government transferred a small portion along the north shore of Lake Phelps to the State of North Carolina, which included what was left of the antebellum built environment. The state formed Pettigrew State Park with this land and the lake, and later established Somerset Place State Historic Site as a separate entity in 1969. 5Today, Somerset Place is a representative state historic site that offers visitors a realistic view of life on one of North Carolina’s largest antebellum plantations. The site is open year-round, Tuesday – Saturday from 9:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. Guided tours interpret a comprehensive social history of the enslaved community, hired employees, and the Collins family. Admission is free, but there is a small fee for guided tours. The site also offers educational programming for school groups, including Hands-on and STEAM programs. In addition, Somerset Place hosts special events throughout the year and has rental opportunities. The site’s official website has information for planning your visit. The best way to travel to the site is to take Exit 558 from highway US-64 and follow the signs to Somerset Place.

Once encompassing over 100,000 acres, this remarkable site along Lake Phelps was one of the Upper South's largest plantations. Much of it was densely vegetated swampland, but enslaved persons ultimately cleared thousands of acres and dug over 20 miles of transportation canals and over 80 miles of drainage ditches. Beginning in 1785, three generations of the Collins family owned Somerset Place. Over its lifetime, at least 861 enslaved persons, 50 white employees, and two free Black employees worked here. Seven original buildings still stand, including the Collins Family Home (c. 1839), Colony House (c. 1840), Dairy (c. 1840), Kitchen/Laundry (c. 1808), Kitchen Rations Building (c. 1830), Smokehouse (c. 1830), and Salting House (c. 1830). There are also four reconstructed buildings, including the Plantation Hospital, Overseers' House, and two slave houses: the Lewis and Judy Home and the Sucky Davis Home, named after the original structures' occupants in 1843. The site is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and offers visitors a comprehensive social history of the enslaved and free persons who lived and worked on the plantation. Somerset Place State Historic Site is a part of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.

Welcome to Somerset Place State Historic Site! Somerset Place was one of the largest plantations in antebellum North Carolina. From 1785 to 1865, over 861 enslaved persons, two free Black employees, and more than 50 white employees lived and worked on the plantation under three generations of the Collins family. Today, as part of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, we interpret a comprehensive social history of all the plantation’s residents. On this self-guided tour, you’ll learn about the historical functions of the buildings on site and the people who once occupied those spaces. Before you get started, we encourage you to read our main entry page here on Clio to get background information about the site’s history. We also recognize that you may have entered the site from either our main parking lot, the bus parking lot, or the Pettigrew State Park trail. This introduction covers all three entrance points, but you can adapt the tour route as needed depending on your point of entry. Each tour stop has written and audio descriptions, along with photos and, in most cases, a link to our website and a corresponding YouTube video for more information. Lastly, if you have any questions while taking this self-guided tour, send us an email to somerset@ncdcr.gov and we will get back with you as soon as possible. Thanks for visiting with us, and we hope you enjoy your tour!

Welcome to Somerset Place State Historic Site! Somerset Place is a part of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, Office of Archives and History. It is our aim to offer visitors a comprehensive social history exploring the life of all former plantation residents: the enslaved community, hired employees, and owners. The purpose of this self-guided tour is to give you an understanding of the historical function of the structures on site and the people who lived and/or worked in them. Before you get started, check out our main entry page for background information about the history of our site. Although the coordinates for this introductory stop are located in our main parking lot, there are also welcome signs at the bus parking lot and along the Pettigrew State Park trail. This introduction covers all three entrance points, but you can adapt the tour route as needed depending on your point of entry. If you have any questions while taking this self-guided tour, send us an email at somerset@ncdcr.gov and we will get back with you as soon as possible.

Welcome to Somerset Place

The exposed archaeological foundation you see here was the site of the Meat Rations Building. From this structure, the overseer issued weekly rations to each enslaved person old enough to work, which included 3 ½ pounds of salted pork and fish, along with basic foodstuffs like flour, cornmeal, and molasses. Since the overseers were responsible for keeping the rations secure, the building was located close to the Overseers’ Home. Rationing food also served as a means of controlling the enslaved community because it forced them to rely on the Collins family for their sustenance. As a result, withholding of rations was one of the many punishments inflicted upon enslaved people at Somerset Place, as was solitary confinement. Tradition holds that this building may have also served as a jail for enslaved persons.

This archaeological site is the location of the rations building for the enslaved community. At one time this building contained 113 barrels of salted pork and 15 ½ barrels of lard. Each week, every member of the enslaved community old enough to work received 3 ½ pounds of salted pork and fish. Tradition holds that this building may have also been used as a jail.

Site of the Meat Rations Building / Jail

The Lake Chapel was constructed in the 1830s under the direction of Josiah III and Mary Collins, who were devout Episcopalians. They revamped the physical and psychological structure of the plantation when they moved to Somerset Place in 1829. Once the building was completed, enslaved people were always given Sundays off, so they had the opportunity to attend services in the Chapel. This was never mandatory, but highly encouraged. The Lake Chapel Register is where we get the most information regarding this building. It lists many of the marriages, births, baptisms, confirmations, and deaths, not only within the enslaved community at Somerset Place, but also for some of the enslaved people on the nearby Pettigrew plantations.

There was an Episcopal Chapel built for the enslaved community. All enslaved people except house servants were given Sundays off to ensure their attendance at church. Enslaved children attended the Chapel throughout the week. They were instructed in the Catechism (a system for infusing religion and obedience into the minds of members of the enslaved community). Today, the building has been excavated.

Site of the Lake Chapel

This group of exposed archaeological foundations was the site of three structures: from left to right, there was a kitchen, a shed that housed an above-ground cistern, and an outdoor hearth. It was here that enslaved cooks prepared communal lunches for enslaved field hands, mill workers, skilled artisans, and people who worked in the barns. This meal was transported to field hands in large cauldrons like the one you see here, while others received their food at the kitchen. These lunches were separate from the weekly rations that enslaved persons received at the Meat House. Enslaved people also obtained their fresh water from the cistern.

This cluster of excavated foundations supported a kitchen, an above ground cistern, and a large open hearth. The midday meal for mill hands, people who worked in the barns, Blacksmiths, carpenters, and others who worked nearby may have been prepared here. Enslaved field workers ate their noon meal in the fields themselves.

Site of the Outside Hearth, Enslaved Kitchen, and Above-Ground Cistern

This reconstructed building represents the plantation hospital that stood in this exact spot and was specifically for the enslaved community. Infectious diseases such as malaria, cholera, measles, scarlet fever, smallpox, dysentery, whooping cough, and others were prevalent at that time, and the hospital was primarily used to quarantine enslaved persons suffering from these illnesses. But just like modern-day hospitals, many other things happened within these walls. Physicians hired by Josiah III would come to the hospital when called upon, none of whom lived on site. They performed surgeries, including amputations, set broken bones, and administered medicine that they prescribed. Enslaved nurses and midwives also worked inside and throughout the dwellings within the enslaved community, including midwife Chloe Drew. The only people that were treated within this hospital were enslaved men, women, and children. Although the hospital only served the enslaved community, the same physicians treated others who lived on this plantation within their own homes, including the Collins family and the overseers.

Somerset Place's enslaved community was isolated and treated in the Plantation Hospital to prevent the spread of life-threatening diseases such as measles, malaria, dysentery, and other contagious illnesses. Surgeries, tooth extractions, and difficult births also took place in this hospital, which has been reconstructed. White doctors and enslaved nurses cared for the ill.

Plantation Hospital

This reconstructed building represents the first of three two-story slave dwellings, each with four-rooms. One multi-generational family lived in every room, which was equipped with its own hearth for cooking and heating. In 1843, the house that stood here was home to 26 enslaved persons. Sucky Davis and 18 members of her family, from three generations, lived in three rooms. Five members of an unrelated family lived in the fourth room. At that time, Sucky was a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She had eight children after her arrival at Somerset Place in 1786, and ultimately became the matriarch of one of the largest matrilineal lines at Somerset Place, with 131 direct descendants born into slavery on this plantation. For much of her life, she was forced to labor as a field hand, but by 1843 she was too elderly to work in the fields. Instead, it was her responsibility to care for children whose parents were working. She taught them how to perform their tasks and avoid punishment. She also passed down oral history and cultural traditions that affirmed both the identity and the humanity of the enslaved community.

The Sucky Davis Home is a reconstructed two-story slave dwelling. Originally, there were three of these two-story houses. This particular four-room structure (1,600 square feet) would have been home to four extended families. Each room was considered an individual house. In 1843, Sucky Davis (then aged 71) and twenty members of her family lived in three rooms and an unrelated family of five lived in the fourth room.

Sucky Davis Home

This reconstructed building represents the first of 23 slave dwellings that looked exactly like this one. The house measures 18 x 18 feet with one room and a loft. Each one of these dwellings usually housed one multigenerational enslaved family, who utilized the single room as a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, dining room, and living space. In 1843, the structure that stood here was home to Judy and Lewis, four of their teenaged children, Judy’s adult son Frances, his wife Violet, and their infant son Howard, for a total of nine family members. This was the average number of enslaved people who lived in these one and a half story dwellings. Judy and Lewis’ family were field hands, meaning they were forced to work year-round from sunup to sundown, six days a week, and occasionally having half days off on Saturdays. In the winter, enslaved field hands maintained and cleaned over 100 miles of canals and drainage ditches, and during the spring, summer, and fall, they cultivated the fields of crops.

There were 23 of these 18' x 18' slave dwellings. Each cabin housed one extended family. The Lewis and Judy Home is a reconstructed example, which in 1843 was home to Judy and Lewis, their four unmarried teenage children, as well as Judy's married son, Francis Martin, his wife, Violet, and their infant son, Howard.

Lewis and Judy's Home

The wooden beams and stacks of split wood that you see on the other side of the fence mark the site of the Wood House, where at least two enslaved persons stored and chopped firewood for the Owner’s Compound. Their work was equally vital in providing heat for cooking all year long as it was in providing heat for comfort in the wintertime. The wood in this building supplied ten fireplaces in the Collins Home, four fireplaces in the Colony House, two fireplaces in the Kitchen/Laundry, and two fireplaces in the Bathhouse, for a total of eighteen fireplaces. In addition to that, enslaved persons used hot coals from these fireplaces for the bread oven in the Kitchen and the three hearths in the Smokehouse.

Wood was vital to sustaining life in the nineteenth century. Wood was burned for heating and cooking purposes. Wood for all fireplaces in the Owner's Compound was stored here in the Wood House.

Site of the Wood House

This original two-story structure was built around 1840 and was referred to by the Collins family as the Colony House. It served as the boarding school for Josiah III and Mary’s six sons. Although their home was 25 yards away, the boys moved into this building full time around age 8 along with their tutor and the resident Episcopal minister for the Lake Chapel. Boarding school was the primary means of formal education for the children of the wealthy elite of North Carolina. Usually that meant children were sent to boarding schools further north, in places like New York. Living here in the Colony House with the boys were their many pets, including 25 Plott Hounds and two monkeys. The monkeys were a gift from a family friend, sent to them from India. Josiah and Mary’s sons were being prepared to continue their education at the university level.

The Colony House (c. 1840) served as a boarding school for the Collins' six sons. When the Collins boys were old enough, they moved out of their parents' home and into this boarding school. All together, six boys, a tutor, the plantation minister, and 25 Plott hound dogs lived in this four-room schoolhouse. Today, this is the visitor center and gift shop. A 15-minute orientation is offered in the visitor center, and all visitors are encouraged to attend an orientation before starting their self-guided tour.

Colony House / Visitor Center

The original Dairy, which dates to circa 1840, stored perishable products for the Collins family like butter, eggs, cheese, milk, and lard. Enslaved brick masons insulated the building with brick noggin to retain cold air while louvered walls kept out direct sunlight and emitted breezes from all directions. Enslaved persons likely churned butter inside as well.

The Dairy (c. 1840) held perishables such as cheese, butter, milk, eggs, and lard. While communities in northern states commonly utilized ice and cool streams to chill their dairies, North Carolina was not so fortunate geographically. Thick plaster insulating brick noggin and louvered walls (which allowed in cool air while keeping out sunlight) regulated the interior temperature. Somerset Place has an unusually large number of domestic dependencies or household service buildings. These highly specialized structures functioned solely for the purpose of supplying goods and services to the Collins family. There were approximately 25 enslaved house servants on this plantation working in and around these buildings seven days per week.

Dairy

The kitchen/laundry is believed to be the oldest building still standing at Somerset Place. This structure was completed within the first decade of the 19th century. Enslaved women worked within this building as cooks and laundresses, and the Collins and their guests were the only people to benefit from this work. In the laundry, enslaved sisters Annette Baum and Rebecca Hortin washed delicates, baby clothes, and other small items. Annette and Rebecca also mended clothing and ironed all items before they were sent back into the Collins Family Home or the Colony House. In the Kitchen, enslaved cooks Lovie Cabarrus Harvey and Grace Bennett cooked meals on the open hearth over hot coals directly in front of the roaring fire. These meals were sometimes simple, if the Collins family did not have guests, but more often they were elaborate affairs, sometimes including up to eight courses to be served in the dining room for the Collinses and their guests. Grace and Lovie often worked longer and more varied hours than most of the other enslaved people on the plantation, and they were always at the beck and call of Josiah and Mary. The kitchen/laundry building was an extremely hot building to work in all year long.

Enslaved cooks and laundresses prepared meals and washed delicates for the Collins family in the Kitchen/Laundry (c. 1808). Food preparation and ironing were labor intensive, hot, and at times dangerous work. Somerset Place has an unusually large number of domestic dependencies or household service buildings. These highly specialized structures functioned solely for the purpose of supplying goods and services to the Collins family. There were approximately 25 enslaved house servants on this plantation working in and around these buildings seven days per week.

Kitchen / Laundry

The Kitchen Rations Building you see here, which includes original and reconstructed components, contained bulk quantities of foodstuffs for the Collins family, including apples, pecans, and other fruits from the orchard; herbs from the kitchen garden; and sugar, alcohol, and molasses shipped down the transportation canal. Enslaved persons kept this building stocked and full at all times.

Barrels of molasses and rum, blocks of sugar, and other items purchased in bulk for the Collins family were stored in the Kitchen Rations Building (c. 1830), in close proximity to the Kitchen. Somerset Place has an unusually large number of domestic dependencies or household service buildings. These highly specialized structures functioned solely for the purpose of supplying goods and services to the Collins family. There were approximately 25 enslaved house servants on this plantation working in and around these buildings seven days per week.

Kitchen Rations Building

Enslaved people preserved meat for the Collins family by smoking it in this smokehouse. They shoveled hot coals into the three brick hearths and used different types of leaves to create various flavors that the Collins family desired, including hickory leaves. The 1839 inventory of the Smokehouse included 434 smoked hams inside this structure, which had been smoked over the course of five years.

In 1839, more than 400 hams and pork shoulders hung in this unusually large Smokehouse (c. 1830). It is thought that Josiah Collins III provided meat both to his own family and to his siblings living in Edenton. Somerset Place has an unusually large number of domestic dependencies or household service buildings. These highly specialized structures functioned solely for the purpose of supplying goods and services to the Collins family. There were approximately 25 enslaved house servants on this plantation working in and around these buildings seven days per week.

Smokehouse

Enslaved people killed around 200 hogs each December to provide a year’s supply of meat for everyone on the plantation. The original Salting House you see here is where they prepared and stored the high-quality cuts of meat for the Collins family and their guests. Having a separate building accommodated the relatively large volume of pork, fish, beef, and lamb that the family consumed, and louvers you see at the top of the structure kept the interior cool all year long.

Preserving meat and fish during the 1840s required leaving it in barrels of salt for months. Then it could be air dried or smoked. The Salting House (c. 1830) housed the barrels of salted meat and fish. Slaughtering took place in December. The winter temperature was cool enough so that the meat could be safely cured without spoiling. Somerset Place has an unusually large number of domestic dependencies or household service buildings. These highly specialized structures functioned solely for the purpose of supplying goods and services to the Collins family. There were approximately 25 enslaved house servants on this plantation working in and around these buildings seven days per week.

Salting House

This three-story Greek Revival home was built by enslaved and free skilled artisans for Josiah III and Mary Collins between 1837 and 1839. The first floor has five rooms: the parlor, office, library, butler’s pantry, and dining room. This main floor was dedicated to entertaining and the business of running a plantation. Many formal dinners were held for wealthy guests in the dining room. Enslaved house servants worked within the entire house, but their base of operation was the butler’s pantry. The second floor is dedicated to bedrooms for the family and guests, including the master bedroom over the dining room which gave Josiah and Mary views of the owner’s compound and beyond. They could observe the enslaved people without leaving their bedroom. There are also two guest bedrooms on this floor and a fourth bedroom for Josiah’s youngest sister Alethea. She lived with her brother for several years after their father passed away when she was only 15 years old. The third floor is dedicated to the six sons of Josiah and Mary, as well as their nanny. The boys shared one large bedroom overlooking Lake Phelps, and their playroom was directly over their parents’ room with a beautiful fan-style window. Their nanny, Charlotte Cabarrus, was a free Black woman whom the Collinses hired to take care of their sons. Her bedroom was next to the boys’, but it is very small and dark in comparison to the other two large rooms. Charlotte was born into slavery due to the status of her mother, Rose, who was enslaved in Chowan County, but their family was later emancipated.

The fourteen room Greek Revival structure has 6,809 square feet of living space and was completed in 1839. It was home to Josiah Collins III, his wife Mary Riggs Collins, their six sons, and a freed Black nursemaid and housekeeper, Charlotte Cabarrus. The mansion also housed many family members and friends whose visits often lasted for months. During the antebellum period, the average North Carolina family was living in a modest one-room home. Given the size of this mansion, the Collins family was able to enjoy the luxury of space and privacy that was not afforded to most North Carolinians.

Somerset Place State Historic Site

Overseers' Home

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information