Slavery in Orange
How the Majority Lived

Slavery was present in the United States from 1619 until 1865, during these 250 years slavery evolved and took many different forms.  In Orange County there were a handful of farmers that owned a large number of slaves, but the average slave owner had six slaves and usually worked next to them in the field.  Also the production of grain occupied more of the labor in Orange County in comparison to other slaves in the United States.

Because there were so few slaves per slave-owner in Orange, some slaves even lived in the same structure as their masters.  However, among the dozen large plantations in the county and slave-owners that made slaves live in another structure it was common to build a living space 10’ x 12’ for a family, look down your standing in a family-sized home. 

Although many slaves further south and east worked in tobacco or cotton plantations, most slaves in Orange County harvested grains or corn which is being husked here. 

Throughout the first half of the 1800s the population of Orange County dropped as the depleted soil coupled with new opportunities to the west caused many of the residents to leave Orange and look for their fortunes elsewhere.  Despite this trend 60% of Orange County residents remained enslaved. 

"It was a wonderful place that's all I can say. And I love Freetown. I still love it."

- Annie Towles from a documentary on Freetown
 created by the Orange County Historical Society.