Bennett Place
The Division of North Carolina State Historic Sites is committed to sharing the stories of members of traditionally marginalized communities whose lives have intersected with our historic sites. We launched the #TrueInclusion initiative to highlight the broad interpretive work already happening at our sites and emphasize our continued goal of sharing an inclusive narrative from the mountains to the coast.
Bennett Place - Jake
Bennett Place brings you the story of Jake (b. unknown) who worked here and lived nearby.
Jake was likely enslaved by Archibald and Andrew Borland, the Bennetts’ close neighbors. Jake was referenced in James Bennett’s ledgers in 1848, 1849, and 1850. According to the ledgers, James rented “Borland’s Jake” to mend, re-sole, and make shoes. Each month over a three-year period, James noted payment for Jake’s labor. While James recorded a payment, it is unknown whether Jake was able to keep the wages from his labor. Often when hiring out their enslaved people, enslavers kept the compensation earned by the enslaved.
Throughout the mid-nineteenth century, leasing enslaved labor was a common practice in the Piedmont of North Carolina. Enslaved people were hired out by their enslavers and sent away from their homes to labor at other sites. Some worked as farm laborers or domestic servants or were engaged on short term construction projects. Others - like Jake - worked as tradespeople. The experience of leasing was often traumatic for these individuals. The fear of family separation, isolationism, and the unknown, were many of the factors that terrorized the enslaved community.
#TrueInclusion