Plantation Barnyard
Pemberton Plantation Historic Trail
Like most Chesapeake plantations, Pemberton used a wide range of domestic animals for food, clothing, transportation, and commercial products. Most animals served multiple purposes. Cattle provided milk, meat, hides to tan, and cattle horns for products such as combs and powder horns. Chickens and geese controlled insects, laid eggs, and provided down feathers for bedding. Sheep provided wool for cloth and meat for the table. Hogs provided meat to be smoked and sold. Most animal products were both consumed on the plantation and sold to market. Oxen were particularly important. They were used not only to plow fields but also to transport people and goods. Oxen were usually raised in pairs from birth to prepare them for a life of team labor.Picture Caption
The living history program at Pemberton Hall helps to preserve heritage breeds such as this Dorking rooster. In the 18th century, poultry that scrounged for food in the barnyard was sometimes called "dunghill fowl."
Marker can be reached from Pemberton Historic Park Road 0.4 miles from Pemberton Drive.
Courtesy hmdb.org
