Shenandoah Valley Enslavement Programs

Jerome Bias, Hearth Cooking

Jerome Bias

Inalienable Rights:
Free & Enslaved Blacks Crafting A Life In The Shenandoah Valley

Saturday, November 10, 2018
10 am-6 pm
336 Belle Grove Road, Middletown, VA

Belle Grove will honor its African-American history with demonstrations, interpretive programs, and talks. Admission is free of charge.

Belle Grove will present the history and experiences of African Americans at this site and in the Shenandoah Valley through living history demonstrations, talks, and National Park Service ranger programs.

Joining us will be special guests from The Slave Dwelling Project. The day will include hearth cooking, blacksmithing, a presentation by Robin Lyttle of the Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project, a talk by The Slave Dwelling Project founder and director Joseph McGill, and “Kneading in Silence: A Glimpse into the Life of the Enslaved Cook Judah” and a 5 pm History at Sunset program “Free at Last: The Complicated Road to Freedom for Emmanuel Jackson” by Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park Ranger Shannon Moeck. Please visit www.bellegrove.org for a detailed schedule.
We hope that you will join us November 10 for this event and look forward co-hosting an African-American History program with the Warren–Page NAACP in February 2019.

10:00 am Belle Grove opens

10:30 – 11:00 Not Everyone Was Enslaved: The Freeborn of the Shenandoah Valley
Robin Lyttle, Valley Black Heritage Project

11:15 – 11:45 Hearth Cooking Demonstration
Jerome Bias and Terry James, The Slave Dwelling Project

12:00 – 12:30 Kneading in Silence: A Glimpse into the Life of the Enslaved Cook Judah
Shannon Moeck, Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park

1:00 – 2:00 The Slave Dwelling Project
Joe McGill, Founder of The Slave Dwelling Project

2:30 – 3:00 Archaeological Investigation of the Slave Quarter Site at Belle Grove
Matthew Greer, Archaeologist, Syracuse University

3:15 – 3:45 Hearth Cooking Demonstration
Jerome Bias and Terry James, The Slave Dwelling Project

4:00 – 4:30 Kneading in Silence: A Glimpse into the Life of the Enslaved Cook Judah
Shannon Moeck, Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park

5:00 Upper Level of Belle Grove Manor House Closes

5:00 – 6:00 Free at Last: The Complicated Road to Freedom for Emmanuel Jackson
Shannon Moeck, Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park

6:00 pm Belle Grove closes

 

Maj. Isaac Hite, Jr. Commonplace Book

Belle Grove Plantation

Kneading in Silence: A Glimpse into the Life of the Enslaved Cook Judah

This 30 minute presentation discussing the life of Judah, the enslaved cook of Belle Grove. Purchased by the Hite's with her two young boys, Judah remained their cook until her death in 1836. This program will take place in the winter kitchen of the Belle Grove Manor House.

• May 27 at 1:30
• June 10 at 2:30
• July 15 at 2:30
• August 5 at 2:30
• August 18 at 2:30
• September 16 at 2:30
• October 14 at 2:30
• October 21 at 2:00
• November 10 at 12:00 and 4:00

 

Below are the enslavement programs we did in 2018.

Planning for the 2019 season is underway.
Stay tuned for a February Black History Month event co-hosted by the Warren/Page NAACP and Coming to the Table.

 

Winchester Republican, November 22nd 1822

Not Just Black and White:
The Complexities of Enslavement in the Shenandoah Valley

Friday, August 31
6:00 p.m.
Belle Grove Plantation
336 Belle Grove Road
Middletown, VA 22645

This program explores the use of enslaved labor in the Shenandoah Valley. Learn how the settlement history, agriculture and iron industries shaped the use of slavery in this region. This program will take place at Belle Grove Plantation. Join Ranger Shannon Moeck for this stationary program. Visitors are encouraged to bring a lawn chair.

 

To learn about all ranger led programs and activities, please check out our calendar page.