Sharing Stories: Public invited to explore new Plantation Stories Project website
By Annie Fenimore, John Dickinson Plantation lead historic site interpreter
The public is invited to explore a new online resource for Black history in Delaware with the recently published first phase of the Plantation Stories Project website. Now, visitors have an even more aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly way to learn about the enslaved, indentured, freedom-seeking and free Black people who lived, worked and died at or in the vicinity of the John Dickinson Plantation and on other Dickinson family landholdings. The new website from the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs (HCA) currently features 132 names and stories once overlooked by history.
The Plantation Stories Project website is comprehensive, including tools and resources, more information on descendants and profiles of every named person who has been revealed so far through research. A person’s profile displays and shares information about them that has been collected from primary sources. The source citations can be found on an enhanced database that launched in October, which is still accessible and will be updated in tandem with the website. A brief explanation of the Plantation Stories Project, as well as its methodology, is available online.
This project was created out of a need to thoroughly understand the whole story of the plantation. Over time, hundreds of people were enslaved on land over which the Dickinson family claimed ownership. Although John Dickinson freed the people he enslaved in 1786, the plantation continued to be a place of enslavement as his brother Philemon and tenant farmers continued to enslave people and exploit them for their labor. Some people once enslaved by John Dickinson later became indentured to him. They agreed to labor for a set amount of time in exchange for necessities, commodities and skills such as clothing, housing, education and food. Some members of the Black community living on the plantation were free, some were indentured and yet others were held in life-long bondage.
Research into the lives of enslaved, indentured, freedom-seeking and free Black people has been ongoing at the John Dickinson Plantation for decades. The Plantation Stories Project builds on that work. While the project takes an organized approach to search through and cross-reference documents, it is important to recognize that not all gaps can be filled.
The nuances and details that the project shares give a better understanding of the plantation community’s complicated history. For example, there are many details of Violet’s life story that have been collected into a narrative about her, which is featured on the website and accompanied by a silhouette representing her. After John Dickinson’s 1786 manumission went into effect, which freed Violet and 58 other named individuals, it’s clear that remaining enslaved was untenable to the Black community. One person who sought his freedom was Clem, who self-liberated from a tenant farmer on the plantation. He was described in a 1790 “runaway” ad that offered a reward for his return. The people’s names and stories on the website, like Clem and Violet, and any yet to be uncovered, should never be forgotten again.
As the Plantation Stories Project continues to expand, connections to modern descendants may be discovered. HCA is actively building on other site’s work by utilizing the “Engaging Descendant Communities” rubric developed by James Madison’s Montpelier and the National Trust for Historic Preservation to create a Descendant Community Engagement Group. A public meeting will be held at the Dover Public Library on April 13, 2024, to provide information for anyone who is interested in this work. The “Contact Us” page on the Plantation Stories Project website is another way to connect with staff to learn more about the Descendant Community Engagement Group.
The work of the Plantation Stories Project is far from complete and will be ongoing for the foreseeable future. Check back periodically for updates on the website and database.
As the lead historic site interpreter at the John Dickinson Plantation, Annie Fenimore researches, creates, revises and presents public programs as well as plans and executes events. Fenimore manages the Plantation Stories Project by leading project research and coordinating the development of its public interface. She has a bachelor’s degree in history and Italian studies from the University of Rochester, where she was a researcher and transcriber for the Seward Family Papers Project. Fenimore currently is pursuing a master’s degree in public history.