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Subject:
From:
Jessica Carter <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:04:58 -0400
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Ferry Farm was 600 acres when the Washingtons owned it.  Mount Vernon 
was actually broken up into four farms, but I don't know if it was 
considered four plantations or one.  Their website might have more 
acreage info.

My understanding is that individual plantation sizes in Virginia in 
the eighteenth century were in the smaller range (maybe 1,000 acres 
or less) rather than the huge, 3,000 acre ones found in 19th-century 
cotton plantations or in the 18th-century Carolina 
lowcountry.  Virginia landowners may have owned just as much land, 
but it was in individual plantations for the most part rather than 
one single sweeping plantation.

Philip Morgan's book. Slave Counterpoint, discusses acreage of 
plantations in both Virginia and South Carolina in the eighteenth 
century.  He talks about it in relation to where slaves lived, but he 
has some good information in there on plantation size as well.

Hope this helps!!

Jessica Carter

At 06:35 PM 6/24/2009, you wrote:
>Is there any data on the sizes of colonial and 19C plantations? I am
>not interested in land grants or total holdings, but rather the sizes
>of individual plantations. So, for instance, the size of Ferry Farm or
>Mount Vernon rather than the total holdings of the Washingtons.
>
>Thanks
>Jim Brothers
>
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