Facts About the Hemmings Cabin
This cabin, reconstructed in 2014, was one of three single-family slave dwellings that once stood here.
Members of the Hemings/Hemmings family likely lived here to be near the main house and on Mulberry Row, where many of them worked.
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
Priscilla Hemmings belonged to Jefferson’s daughter and served as head nurse to her children, who called her “Aunt Priscilla.”
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)
Observant Christians, Priscilla and John held prayer meetings in their home.
Life in the Hemmings Cabin
The Hemmings Cabin: A Real Gathering Point
Finding a Lost Diary: Recreating the Interior of the Hemmings Cabin
Digging for Clues
Three single family homes, such as this one, replaced a multi-family dwelling Jefferson called the "Negro Quarter."
Sub-floor pits, dug into the earthen floors of these dwellings, functioned as storage lockers for valuables.
Archaeologists discover a wine bottle. These were often used to store beer, cider, and other liquids, in addition to wine..
Archaeologists found a French apothecary jar, used to hold ointment or medicine. It may have belonged to Sally Hemings.
Sally Hemings lived in Paris in the late 1780s. The jar suggests that she may have lived in one of the cabins here.