Archaeologists Unearth Abolitionist Home [View All]

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Full story: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20060812/D8JF5V3G1.html

Archaeologists Unearth Abolitionist Home
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Aug 12, 7:09 PM (ET)

By ALEX DOMINGUEZ

EASTON, Md. (AP) - The Great House still stands on the plantation where Frederick Douglass spent his childhood. But the quarters where the famed abolitionist once lived along with other slaves are long gone from the 350-year-old estate.

While the history of the Lloyd family, which has owned the property since the 1600s, is well documented, much less is known about the daily lives of their slaves.

University of Maryland archaeologists hoping to flesh out the story of those who built and worked on the estate are wrapping up their second season at Wye House, guided in part by Douglass' account of his childhood in slavery.

Jennifer Babiarz, a university archaeologist supervising the dig, said slaves such as those who worked at the plantation were the backbone of Maryland's early economy.