Aspects of Slavery and Freedom Seeking in North Carolina Main Menu Creative Commons License Preface and Acknowledgements ArcOnline Maps and ArcStory Maps Additional Project Components Introduction Earth Wood Fire Water Wind Escaping Network to Freedom Underground Railroad Locations Maps and Additional Resources Resources Brian Robinson 351175f8b63e375b96b75c26edde5534c94e8162 Torren Gatson 9cd3f098d43ed240801c35d1d0fd0737b5602944 Rhonda Jones 4c7a2610c10c17f5b487bcebc8abbbf64c221aa6 Arwin Smallwood 329b2d587e93ceaac77a3b3e316b5ce377128ac0 Self-Publish
Bud Williams Oral History Interview, Turpentine Camps and Naval Stores, September 20, 1983
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By the 1770s, almost a hundred years since the first European inhabitants of North Carolina established their roots in the location, naval stores comprised a flourishing business. CLICK HERE to learn how the English motivated colonists to engage in this business. In North Carolina, Long Leaf Pine was beyond plentiful in North Carolina. Its abundance was magnified due to its ability to produce raw materials known as naval stores. Most notable in those materials were tar,pitch, and turpentine. The goal was to ensure that almost every part of the Long Leaf Pine tree was ripe for production.
But how many people (laborers) were necessary for this task? Were they in a community? Both questions begin to dig deeper at the construction of life and culture within the system of oppression. Naval store production is similar to other forms of harvest of natural elements featuring wood. They require a heavy emphasis on both tasked work and gang labor. From the basis of task work, necessary skills were required to both cut and harvest raw and natural materials from trees. Likewise, small groups of men were sent out to complete these tasks. Naval store production was mostly a male-dominated task amongst slaves. They often spent large amounts of time in the forest and collaborating with each other. This created excellent opportunities to foster a sense of community and create a culture within a secluded environment and within the scope of enslavement.
Blood and Sweat equal Labor
The legacy of slavery cannot be understood without a full appreciation of the way in which slaves worked. The naval store industry was the foundation of the early North Carolina economy. In this, we see the two largest economies merge in slavery and naval stores in North Carolina. The production of naval stores was a laborious task. Thus, enslaved African Americans were often used to cut and harvest Long Leaf Pine. To learn the process of obtaining turpentine from trees, see this helpful diagram booklet from the National Park Service CLICK HERE.
Oral history of working in turpentine camps. While the history of Naval stores predates emancipation for African Americans, the process of harvesting trees for their rich materials goes far beyond freedom for African Americans. Watch THIS VIDEO to hear the accounts of African Americans and work in Turpentine Camps.
While this video highlights stories and accounts of working, it also speaks to the trace origins of how labor can still produce Culture. Culture in this definition refers to the lived occurrences and experiences of African Americans involved in a host of labor. While their work was exploited and they were often mistreated, African American still found ways to master their craft and share information and stories, thereby creating an existence of familial connection despite their situation. An example of upliftment amidst the dire situation can be easily found when reviewing runaway slave advertisements. One advertisement sought the return of two unnamed runaway slaves near the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. This illustrates that African Americans were not only skilled but were also knowledgeable about the craft and the business that accompanied it. See example HERE
Ira Berlin and Phillip D. Morgan. “Labor and the Shaping of Slave Life in Americas” found in Cultivation and Culture: Labor and the Shaping of Slave Life in the Americas (Charlottesville and London) 1993.