Corn Culture

On a large plantation like Hampton, corn was an all-important crop because it fed many people and livestock and was sold for profit. Hard or dent corn served as livestock feed and was ground into cornmeal for slaves and for the Ridgelys’ pantry. The cornfields once extended for thousands of acres, and harvested ears were husked and stored in a large corncrib to dry before being shelled and taken to the mill for grinding. Plowing the cornfields was backbreaking labor done by slaves and tenant farmers using mules housed in the nearby barn to pull plows, making these sure-footed animals the tractors of the 19th century. At harvest time, slaves from nearby plantations came to help husk corn and haul ears to the crib, and husking parties became festive events with competitions, music, and storytelling. In 1862, the Commissioner of Agriculture in Washington called corn the national crop of the United States and said its money value was double that of hay, threefold that of wheat, and fourfold that of cotton.

Hampton, Maryland · United States