Paul Cameron to Thomas Ruffin, January 28, 1860
Dublin Core
Title
Paul Cameron to Thomas Ruffin, January 28, 1860
Subject
Timber Framing Documentary Evidence
Description
This letter, among other items, includes an oft-cited quotation from Cameron: "I have a very great wish to show you the 'best [end quotation marks missing] stables ever built in Orange (at Stagville) 135 feet long covered with cypress shingles at a cost of $6 per thousand."
Creator
The North Carolina Historical Commission
Source
Paul C. Cameron
Publisher
Raleigh, Edwards & Broughton Print. Co.,
Accessed here: https://archive.org/details/papersofthomasru03ruff_0/page/68
Accessed here: https://archive.org/details/papersofthomasru03ruff_0/page/68
Date
January 28, 1860
Contributor
[no text]
Rights
The North Carolina Historical Commission
Relation
[no text]
Format
677 x 1057
152.1 KB
JPEG from PDF
152.1 KB
JPEG from PDF
Language
English
Type
JPEG from PDF
Identifier
Documents
Coverage
The most important quotation from this letter is the following: "I have a very great wish to show you the 'best [end quotation marks missing] stables ever built in Orange (at Stagville) 135 feet long covered with cypress shingles at a cost of $6 per thousand." This quotation appears frequently across books about Stagville and even on Stagville's website. Despite the date accompanying the quotation being wrong everywhere I have seen it, the main point is the pride with which Cameron describes the Great Barn. While he does not give credit to the enslaved people who built the barn, he still calls them the "best stables ever built," demonstrating that he sees the tremendous skill that went into the construction of the barn, skill that directly went into the construction of the Horton Grove home at Stagville, as well.
Files
Citation
The North Carolina Historical Commission, “Paul Cameron to Thomas Ruffin, January 28, 1860,” Building A Nation, accessed April 28, 2024, https://buildinganation.omeka.net/items/show/13.