Horton Grove Complex
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Slave quarters at Horton Grove
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Nearest city: | Durham, North Carolina |
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Area: | 3.5 acres (1.4 ha) |
Built: | 1823 |
Governing body: | State |
NRHP Reference#: | 78001946[1] |
Added to NRHP: | March 17, 1978 |
Horton Grove was an area of houses for enslaved African Americans at the 30,000-acre (120 km2) Stagville Plantation in the northeastern part of Durham County, North Carolina. The slaves who lived at Horton Grove were held by the influential Cameron and Bennehan families. In 1860 there were 900 slaves held at the Stagville Plantation. The several structures still standing at Horton Grove are the only two-story slave residences remaining in North Carolina.
The quarters at Horton Grove, which were constructed by slave craftsmen in the early 1850s, were the culmination of decades of gradual improvements. The owners wanted to improve living conditions for the slaves. Part of historic Stagville Plantation, the dwellings at Horton Grove represented the pinnacle of slave house development, including shuttered windows, multiple stories, brick chimneys, and brick or stone foundations.
The quality of the structures was demonstrated by continued occupancy as late as the 1970s. Because of its historic and architectural significance, Horton Grove was listed in 1978 on the National Register of Historic Places. Archaeological finds on the site have provided insight into continuing practices of African heritage.