“Virginia's Slave Quarters and Free Blacks on the Middle Peninsula in 1860” presentation at MPAAGHS Monthly Meeting

November 9, 2024

Middle Peninsula African-American Genealogical and Historical Society (MPAAGHS) will hold its monthly meeting virtually on Saturday, November 9, 2024, at 11:00 AM. The meeting will feature a talk by Dr. Douglas W. Sanford entitled “Interpreting the Evidence for African American History: Virginia’s Slave Quarters and Free Blacks on the Middle Peninsula in 1860.”

The presentation will address two facets of Virginia’s African American history and heritage during the antebellum period, the study of housing associated with enslaved Blacks and the nature of free Black communities on the Middle Peninsula. Surviving slave quarters across the state offer a means to characterize both the management practices of white enslavers and the living conditions for enslaved people in rural and urban settings. The talk will highlight results from the Virginia Slave Housing Project, a long-term research effort to document, interpret, and help preserve these critical resources of African American heritage.

In contrast, information from the U.S. Census of 1860 offers valuable insights for portraying free Blacks in selected counties of the Middle Peninsula region. Notable topics include age, gender, occupation, family names, and indications of free Black neighborhoods. While facing an environment of legal restrictions and continued racism on the eve of the Civil War, free African Americans found the means to support families, community, and culture.

Dr. Douglas W. Sanford held multiple positions at the University of Mary Washington from 1994 to 2017, retiring as a Professor in the Department of Historic Preservation. He currently serves as a Professor Emeritus. He worked for more than forty years in historical archaeology and historic preservation, and more than twenty years in higher education incorporating teaching and administration. His research specializations include the study of 18th- and 19th-century historic sites, plantation and African American archaeology in the Chesapeake region, and the architecture of enslaved African Americans in Virginia. He is co-director of the Virginia Slave Housing Project, a research endeavor focusing on the documentation, interpretation, and preservation of buildings associated with enslaved African Americans.

Dr. Sanford holds a BA in Anthropology from the College of William and Mary, an MA in American Civilization from the University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD in Anthropology, with an emphasis on historical archaeology from the University of Virginia. He is a resident of Essex County, Virginia.

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