James Madison's plantation farm complex stood in the fields as the hub of the working farm and the home for several generations of field slaves. Part of an area known as the "Home Quarter," it included slave quarters, tobacco barns, an overseer's house, and work yards. After Dolley Madison sold Montpelier in 1844, the structures there were abandoned. Houses for Montpelier field slave families were made of logs, with dirt floors, simple plank shutters, and chimneys of sticks and mud, and the slaves built them themselves, receiving only nails and door hardware from the Madisons. These crude homes contrasted sharply with the much better homes of the house slaves, which had glazed windows, wooden floors, and brick chimneys and stood within sight of the Montpelier mansion. Archaeological remains also show differences in status, as both field and house slaves obtained most household items from local markets and by trading, but field slaves had fewer and poorer-quality ceramics, tableware, and clothing, probably because they had less money, less free time, and fewer chances to produce and sell marketable goods.
