Best Farm Slave Village

The Best Farm Slave Village site is a slave quarter that was associated with L'Hermitage, a plantation established in 1794 by the Vincendières, a family of French planters who came to Maryland from Saint-Domingue (known today as Haiti). By 1800, L'Hermitage was home to 90 enslaved laborers, approximately ten times the number of slaves that would be expected for the size of the plantation. This was the second largest slave population in Frederick County at the time and among the largest in the state of Maryland.

Click on an icon below to learn more about the history of the site, archeology conducted, spatial hierarchy, artifacts recovered, and future plans.

 

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IN THE MEDIA:

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• A Legacy of Love and Pride in ESSENCE (February 2011)
  
• Monocacy National Battlefield Exhibit Reveals Details of Enslaved Population at L'Hermitage in Frederick News Post (February 5, 2011)
  
• Metro Connection "Underground" on WAMU 88.5FM (January 28, 2011)
  
• "A Record of Humanity Held in Brutal Captivity" in The Washington Post (26 August 2010)
• "Archaeology student asks, hopes to answer questions about Frederick slave village" in Frederick News Post (22 August 2010)
• "Archaeologists Unearth Maryland Slave Village" on NBC Washington (20 August 2010)
• "'This is Truly Extraordinary'" in Frederick News Post (19 August 2010)
• "Slave Houses Uncovered" in Frederick News Post (12 August 2010)
• Kojo Nnamdi Show on National Public Radio (9 August 2010)