In Stokes County, along the Dan River, two large plantations thrived on the labor of enslaved people years ago. Both dated back to the late 1700s. Absolom and Bethenia Bostick owned the 3000 acre Shoebuckle Plantation on both sides of the Dan River from 1775 to 1804, a year after Absolom's death in 1803. Peter and Alcey Hairston bought most of the Shoebuckle Plantation in 1804, adding it to their Saura Town Plantation just upriver from the Bosticks. Surveyors have recently discovered a cemetery on the former Shoebuckle Plantation. We decided to search for that first.
It took a short period of time to locate it on a hill overlooking the Dan. There were a half dozen marked graves. We assumed they would have been descendants of former Hairston slaves. The area nearby had what seemed to be another 40 or so unmarked graves, just depressions in the ground. We found a couple unmarked stones which may have been used as headstones. Possibly, these were the graves of enslaved people of the two plantations. Nearby, we located a flat area with a view of the Dan which could have been the location of the plantation house. There was an old road leading to it. Absolom and Bethenia were both buried in unmarked graves on the property. It's possible they are here as well.
After completing our tour of the area, we headed upriver to the Hairston family cemetery on the former Saura Town Plantation. The property has been logged in the past few month with the exception of the cemetery. The location of the house is not known. While viewing the cemetery, we note a flat area nearby with a grand view of the Dan. At first, I noticed a number of small river worn stones. There were quite a few and in many colors. It was a good way to the river, so these had to have been brought here. Then I found a few chards of glass and ceramic and finally a bunch of broken bricks. All of this had been exposed during the logging operation and likely would have been below leaves and partially buried prior to logging. Thus, we think this is the location of the house.
The Hairstons are buried in the rock enclosed area below. The Goolsby graves are outside that area. It is speculated the Goolsbys are descendants of an African king. They were a highly thought of family and there are many tales of John Goolsby and his fascinating life as a slave and free man.
Peter Hairston grave exposed to the elements
This is where the seven islands bridge crossed the Dan before it was moved.
Two species of trees join up
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