ng through the
plantation and grove to marster's house. The house fronted the avenue
east and in going down the avenue from the main road you traveled
directly west.

The plantation was very large and there were about two hundred acres of
cleared land that was farmed each year. A pond was located on the place
and in winter ice was gathered there for summer use and stored in an ice
house which was built in the grove where the other buildings were. A
large hole about ten feet deep was dug in the ground; the ice was put in
that hole and covered. [TR: HW note in left margin is illegible.]

A large frame building was built over it. At the top of the earth there
was an entrance door and steps leading down to the bottom of the hole.
Other things besides ice were stored there. There was a still on the
plantation and barrels of brandy were stored in the ice house, also
pickles, preserves and cider.

Many of the things we used were made on the place. There was a grist
mill, tannery, shoe shop, blacksmith shop, and looms for weaving cloth.

There were about one hundred, and sixty-two slaves on the plantation
and every Sunday morning all the children had to be bathed, dressed, and
their hair combed and carried down to marster's for breakfast. It was a
rule that all the little colored children eat at the great house every
Sunday morning in order that marster and missus could watch them eat so
they could know which ones were sickly and have them doctored.

The slave children all carried a mussel shell in their hands to eat
with. The food was put on large trays and the children all gathered
around and ate, dipping up their food with their mussel shells which
they used for spoons. Those who refused to eat or those who were ailing
in any way had to come back to the great house for their meals and
medicine until they were well.

Marster had a large apple orchard in the Tar River low grounds and up
on higher ground and nearer the plantation house there was on one side
of the road a large plum orchard and on the other side was an orchard of
peaches, cherries, quinces and grapes. We picked the quinces in August
and used them for preserving. Marster and missus believed in giving the
slaves plenty of fruit, especially the children.

Marster had three children, one boy named Dallas, and two girls, Bettie
and Carrie. He would not allow slave children to call his children
marster and missus unless the slave said little marster or little