Facts About the Hemmings Cabin
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This cabin, reconstructed in 2014, was one of three single-family slave dwellings that once stood here.
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Members of the Hemings/Hemmings family likely lived here to be near the main house and on Mulberry Row, where many of them worked.
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As skilled workers, they could earn money to buy goods and make their homes more comfortable than those of most enslaved workers.
People to Know: Priscilla Hemmings
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Priscilla Hemmings belonged to Jefferson’s daughter and served as head nurse to her children, who called her “Aunt Priscilla.”
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She often lived apart from her husband, John, who belonged to Jefferson. Nevertheless, they were extremely close. Hemmings lived at Edgehill for many years. (Pictured: "Monticello and Montalto from Edgehill" by Russell Smith, 1844)
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Observant Christians, Priscilla and John held prayer meetings in their home.
Life in the Hemmings Cabin
Digging for Clues
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Three single family homes, such as this one, replaced a multi-family dwelling Jefferson called the "Negro Quarter."
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Sub-floor pits, dug into the earthen floors of these dwellings, functioned as storage lockers for valuables.
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Archaeologists discover a wine bottle. These were often used to store beer, cider, and other liquids, in addition to wine..
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Archaeologists found a French apothecary jar, used to hold ointment or medicine. It may have belonged to Sally Hemings.
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Sally Hemings lived in Paris in the late 1780s. The jar suggests that she may have lived in one of the cabins here.