Walney Outbuildings

At Walney, the stones in front mark the foundation of one or several attached outbuildings that were probably wood-built above the stone base, later fell into disuse as other outbuildings burned, and eventually rotted away or were salvaged for materials. Letters and farm logs from the Machen family mention a dairy, ice house, smoke house, barn, stable, cow house, and pig house, reflecting the many specialized outbuildings common on nineteenth-century Virginia farms. Although the exact use of this particular building or buildings at any one time is unknown, local resident James Brooks said slave quarters once stood in this general location. The Brown family, which owned the farm from the 1760s until 1843, held as many as 20 slaves, and there were certainly slave quarters somewhere on the property. The Machen family is known to have owned only one enslaved person, Sally, who probably lived in the farmhouse, but they also hired enslaved people from nearby farmers and needed to house them. Because this site lies behind the main farmhouse, it matches a typical placement for slave quarters. Archaeology in the 1970s uncovered tools, horse equipment, and domestic items such as tableware and dishes, indicating that the building served at various times or in different rooms as a tool shed, a tack house for storing horse harness, and a human dwelling, adapting to whatever needs the residents had.

Chantilly, Virginia · United States