Slaves Hid African Charms in Maryland Greenhouse

Slaves Hid African Charms in Maryland Greenhouse: The greenhouse on the Maryland-based Wye House plantation where famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass spent part of his childhood was not as uniquely European as once thought: Its furnace was built by slaves, who hid distinctly African touches within it to ward off bad spirits, researchers said.

A stone pestle to control spirits was concealed in brick ductwork used to heat the orangery a type of greenhouse used to shield citrus and other trees from chilly winters and University of Maryland archaeologists found charms buried at the structure's entrance, said excavation leader Mark Leone. The greenhouse was long considered a mark of European sophistication and was a status symbol of the era.

Douglass described the cruelty of his enslavement after he was freed, though he didn't realize the slaves were helping create a unique agricultural practice, Leone said.