The Middle Peninsula African-American Genealogical and Historical Society (MPAAGHS) will hold a virtual meeting at 11 a.m. Saturday, November 9. Dr. Douglas W. Sanford will present “Interpreting the Evidence for African American History: Virginia’s Slave Quarters and Free Blacks on the Middle Peninsula in 1860.”
The presentation will address two facets of Virginia’s African American history and heritage during the antebellum period, the study of housing associated with enslaved Blacks and the nature of free Black communities in the Middle Peninsula, reported president Bessida White.
Surviving slave quarters across the state offer a means to characterize both the management practices of White enslavers and the living conditions for enslaved people in rural and urban settings. The talk will highlight results from the Virginia Slave Housing Project, a long-term research effort to document, interpret, and help preserve these critical resources of African American heritage.
In contrast, information from the U.S. Census of 1860 offers insights for portraying free Blacks in selected counties of the Middle Peninsula. Notable topics include age, gender, occupation, family names and indications of free Black neighborhoods. While facing an environment of legal restrictions and continued racism on the eve of the Civil War, free African Americans found the means to support families, community, and culture, said White.
To receive an invitation for this virtual meeting, email mpaaghs.va@gmail.com or call 651-8753.
Dr. Douglas W. Sanford held multiple positions at the University of Mary Washington from 1994-2017, retiring as a professor in the Department of Historic Preservation. He serves as a professor emeritus. He worked for more than 40 years in historical archaeology and historic preservation and more than 20 years in higher education incorporating teaching and administration.
His research specializations include the study of 18th- and 19th-century historic sites, plantation and African American archaeology in the Chesapeake region and the architecture of enslaved African Americans in Virginia. He is co-director of the Virginia Slave Housing Project, a research endeavor focusing on the documentation, interpretation, and preservation of buildings associated with enslaved African Americans.
Dr. Sanford has a bachelors in anthropology from the College of William & Mary, a masters in American civilization from the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate in anthropology, with an emphasis on historical archaeology from the University of Virginia. He is a resident of Essex County.
