The historic home that resides adjacent to Route 28, just before Dulles International Airport, is a reminder of our past, and the curators for the former residence of Richard Bland Lee (Northern Virginia’s first representative to Congress and Robert E. Lee’s uncle) are putting the focus on the life of slaves in its newest exhibit that runs through March 20.
Exit the highway and make your way down a tree-lined drive that brings you to Sully Historic Site, the 1799 compound that holds the main house, outbuildings, slave quarters and gardens. Guided tours throughout February and March focus on the perspective of the slaves who worked at the property with the rooms set up as the slaves used them, and the latest exhibit in the main house displays artifacts that were excavated from the South Lane site in the 1980s.
“It is really interesting to see and get a feel for the kind of things [the slaves] used every day,” says site manager Carol McDonnell. “There are samples from different life uses: pottery, animal bones, coins and both blue-and-white and red wares.” McDonnell notes that blue-and-white wares were formal pieces probably given to the slaves since they were broken, while red wares were everyday plates and bowls.
The exhibit is included in the house tour ($7 for adults, $6 for students and $5 for seniors and children age 5-15), which is given every hour on the hour from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. in February and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. in March, except Tuesdays. Patrons can also delve deeper into the life of slaves at Sully Historic Site through the Forgotten Road Tour that goes into the reconstructed slave quarters and the original kitchen, laundry, smokehouse and dairy. This tour is an additional $2 if adding it on to the house tour, and it’s available by reservation in February or available at 2 p.m. every day except Tuesdays starting in March.
McDonnell also notes that throughout the year tours and program at Sully delve deep into slave life through a variety of programs like cooking, domestic life and more and can be found through Parktakes.
