Cellars

Cellars were always cold and dark with no light or furnishings. The northern slaveholders usually housed their slaves in the cellars. There was no privacy for the slaves. Everyone was stuck into the cellars together.

Small island in the midst of a stream which was Isabella's m

Isabella found the small island in the stream and went there several times a day to complain to God about the treatment that she was receiving at the hands of the slaveholder. She had cleaned the ground on the island and worked with the willows to make her own little cathedral. While still in slavery, this was her important spot.

Grand Jury at the courthouse

The grand jury marked the point that Isabella went to the law of the land for help with her own problem. The act of 1817 had made it illegal to sell a slave South or even...