News & Media
HSF Newsletter
Stay updated on events, programs, and preservation efforts at Historic Stagville. Explore stories, insights, and ways to engage with our mission to honor this important history!
Media Coverage
Explore recent stories and articles about Historic Stagville Foundation. Through media coverage, discover the impactful work we do to preserve and share the rich history and heritage of Stagville, with a focus on the resilience and legacy of the enslaved and descendant communities.
Descendants make historic return to Stagville Plantation in Durham: It's an emotional trip
November 15th, 2024
In an emotional journey bridging nearly two centuries, descendants of enslaved families returned to Durham’s Stagville Plantation, marking 180 years since their ancestors were forced to walk 500 miles from North Carolina to Alabama.
Arriving in a black tour bus, family members were visibly moved as they set foot on the grounds where their ancestors once worked the wheat plantations. “It is an emotional trip and there are still some things I’m gonna need to break down when I get home,” shared Tamia Cannon-Henderson, one of the descendants.
Stagville 1844 Trek Reunion
November 11th, 2024
Descendants of enslaved people gather at Stagville State Histroic Site in Durham
November 2nd, 2024
Friday’s event commemorated the journey of 114 enslaved people, forced to leave from the Cameron plantation in North Carolina to Greene County, Alabama, in 1844.
Photos captured by Michael Williams.
Historic Stagville: Durham's window into American's enslaved past
August 22nd, 2024
Off Old Oxford Highway in Durham, a collection of buildings stands as a stark reminder of one of America’s darkest chapters. These structures are slave quarters at Horton Grove and are part of the Historic Stagville State Site, preserving a slice of plantation life from 1771 to 1865.
Historic Stagville: Stories of Resilience
October 25th, 2023
I was overwhelmed with tranquility while driving along the everlasting gravel road, encased by looming, forest green trees. This healing reconnection with nature towards the entrance nearly allowed me to forget the purpose of my visit at Historic Stagville in Durham. However, as we arrived closer to the entrance of this state protected historic site, I recalled the haunting darkness of America’s past. Approximately 25 minutes away from Duke University lies what was once the largest plantation site in North Carolina, owned by the Bennehan and Cameron families. At its height, the families owned 30,000 acres and over 900 enslaved people.
On Juneteenth, Stagville's past lives on at historic site - and in descendants' memories
June 17th, 2022
The Union soldiers had come down Old Oxford Road, chasing Confederate soldiers out of Stagville Plantation. They arrived at Stagville’s Horton Grove, which at the time was home to some 900 enslaved people.
“They told my great aunt, ‘Fix us some food,’” Ricky L. Hart says, repeating a story passed down to him in his youth. “So, the soldiers had this long feast. In the end, the soldiers finished eating and drinking coffee, and they were like, ‘Y’all free.’”
