Space and Geography Tour Interpretation
I. Introduction & Explanation of Tour
The object of this tour is to view and interpret the Joel Lane House from the
perspective of both its geographical location and the combined use of space and function
with regards to its design and use. But first, a little background information on the house
and its owner is needed to set the proper context. The house was built in 1770 and its
owner was Joel Lane, a prosperous businessman, land promoter, politician, and socialite
who was born in Halifax, North Carolina in 1739. Two of the most notable achievements
of his life were the formation of Wake County in 1771 and the selling of 1,000 acres to
the state of North Carolina for the sole purpose of creating the new state capital of
Raleigh in 1792.1
At one time, this site was a sprawling plantation, with upwards to 5,000 acres of
land. About a quarter of this land was cultivated, while the remaining acreage remained
in an unimproved or natural state. Lane grew such staples as corn, squash, cabbage,
beans, turnips, peas, potatoes, pumpkins, rye, wheat, and other crops. In addition to these
vegetables, he also raised livestock and kept orchards of various fruits.2 In addition to the
“big house,” other plantation structures such as slave cabins (located somewhere near the
present site of St. Mary’s College), a kitchen, barns, stables, a smokehouse, and
springhouse were probably also located on the grounds.
Elizabeth Davis Reid, “Biography of Joel Lane (ca. 1740-1795)” in Dictionary of North Carolina
Biography, vol. 4, ed. William S. Powell (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press), 12.
2
No complete record of what Joel Lane raised on his plantation exists. However, it can be deduced that he
raised crops and livestock that were typical of the area and the time period. See John J. Winberry and Roy
S. Stine “Settlement Geography of the Carolinas Before 1900” in A Geography of the Carolinas, eds. D.
Gordon Bennett and Jeffrey C. Patton (Boone, NC: Parkway Publishers, 2008), 71.
1
2
Currently, the site contains one quarter of an acre Joel Lane’s original land and
has on it but three buildings, an herb garden, and a formal garden to suggest what was
once the magnitude, scope, and home-life of Joel Lane, his family, and the slaves that
worked here.
II. The Land
Throughout much of the 18th century, this area was part of what was known as
the North Carolina backcountry. This area was much different from Eastern North
Carolina. For the white settlers who journeyed here, it was a frontier of vast forests,
wildlife, and natural resources.3 As the 18th century progressed, plantations, as well as
parcels belonging to small and middling farmers, began to appear on the landscape. In
doing so, forests were cleared for planting and building, wild game was hunted and
eventually driven off, and such natural resources as timber and salt were used.
Joel Lane’s home was originally located across the street on a north-south
trending ridge. It was located in the vicinity of fresh springs and streams, woodlands, and
meadows of fertile soil. Its positioning on a ridge provided good drainage for rain water;
took advantage of any prevailing breezes to aid in keeping the house cool; and offered a
perfect outlook over the gentle slopes and vales of the surrounding countryside.4 It was
moved to its present location in 1914.
From early descriptions of typical plantations and analogous farmsteads, we can
deduce that Joel Lane might have kept an herb / vegetable garden, a flower garden,
Today, this area is known as part of North Carolina’s Piedmont. For descriptions of this area during the
colonial era see the following: North Carolina History Project, “A Missionary of English Civilization to the
Piedmont: Backcountry Religion and One Man’s Perspective,” Educator’s Corner,”
http://www.nrothcarolinahistory.org/edu_corner/94/entry. (7 January 2009).
4
This information was gathered from a paper entitled “Some Useful Information Re Wake Court House &
Its Human Geography of the Colonial Era” and from “The Joel Lane Museum House Tour Outline, Drafted
January 2007.” Both of these documents can be found in the visitor’s center.
3
3
orchards, and a swept work yard in the vicinity of the main house. Such spaces not only
provided sustenance and an area in which to work, but a degree of aesthetic beauty as
well.5 It should be pointed out that the current garden in back of the house is a Colonial
Revival re-creation which was very much influenced by the spirit of the American
Bicentennial.
III. The Kitchen
Though not original to the property, this timber frame structure was built in the
late-18th century and was located in the northern part of Wake County. In 1979 it was
moved to the site to serve as an example of what a plantation kitchen might look like.
In interpreting this structure as a kitchen, note that it is not connected to the
house.6 This was done for several reasons. A plantation’s kitchen was not the bastion of
family life like it is in most of today’s households. It was actually a very uncomfortable
place to be. It was hot, smelly, and not exactly the cleanest place. The fire in the
fireplace would be constantly burning. This greatly increased the threat of burning down
the building because of the sparks that flew out of it. In addition, this continuous fire
would make the internal temperature of the kitchen soar well over 120° Fahrenheit.
Matter of fact, the temperature in the hearth, the area directly in front of the fireplace,
would often get well over 160° Fahrenheit.7 In addition to the high temperature and the
threat of burning down the building, the heat from the fire would cause the inhabitants to
5
Alan D. Watson, Society in Colonial North Carolina (Raleigh: North Carolina Division of Archives and
History, 1996): 53, 56; Richard L. Bushman, The Refinement of America: Persons, Houses, Cities (New
York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1992): 127-131. Though the gardens discussed by Bushman tend to be much
larger and more elaborate than anything Joel Lane probably had, their basic premise, construction, and
purpose would tend to mirror that of a much smaller garden or orchard.
6
Watson, Society in Colonial North Carolina, 53.
7
William Rubel, The Magic of Fire: Hearth Cooking (Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2002): 8, 16-18.
4
sweat, which contributed to the kitchen’s unpleasant smell. Also, the smoke, soot, and
ash from the fire would dirty up the place. In addition to these problems, the cooking and
preparation of food also attracted pests, such as insects, mice, and other animals. All in
all, such conditions made the kitchen not the most enjoyable of places.
The Lane family’s meals would have been prepared in a kitchen like this,
probably by slaves using open hearth cooking techniques.8 Besides being used for
cooking, the fireplace was also provided heat in the winter and was one of three sources
of light for the building’s interior. (The other two sources were the windows / doorway
and the burning of candles.)
The kitchen’s interior could be described as both primitive and sparse. There are
no decorative or aesthetic ornaments. The walls are plain; the floor is unfinished; the
furniture is unadorned and simple looking. The reasons for this lack of ornamentation
can be directly attributed to the work that went on in this space. The kitchen is not a
place where Joel Lane would actually live or entertain in: it was a place for work.
As mentioned earlier, this building is an original 18th-century structure. However,
when first constructed, it was not built to be a kitchen. This structure was actually a
middle-class domicile. Several people could have lived in this house. There is an
upstairs loft that might have been used for sleeping, but that fact would greatly depend
upon the weather. In the summer, it would be way too hot to stay up there; in the winter,
it may be too cold. So in reality, almost every facet of living would probably have taken
8
A good explanation of hearth cooking techniques can be found in Rubel’s The Magic of Fire.
5
place in this one room. Therefore, this room is the living room; the kitchen; the dining
room; the family room; a work room; and perhaps even a bedroom.9
IV. THE MAIN HOUSE
The house is an example of vernacular, simplified Georgian style architecture.
“Georgian Colonial architecture became the rave in New England and the Southern
colonies during the 1700's. Stately and symmetrical, these homes imitated the larger,
more elaborate Georgian homes which were being built in England. But the genesis of
the style goes back much farther. During the reign of King George I in the early 1700's,
and King George III later in the century, Britons drew inspiration from the Italian
Renaissance and from ancient Greece and Rome. These Georgian ideals came to the
colonies via pattern books, and Georgian styling became a favorite of well-to-do
colonists. More humble dwellings also took on characteristics of the Georgian style. In
all, America's Georgian homes tend to be less ornate than those found in Britain.”10
IVA. THE HALL
This room, or what Joel Lane would refer to as a hall, is the biggest room in the
house. First, while it is still fresh in our minds, note the differences between this room
and the kitchen: it has paint and plaster on the walls; the floors are finished; the fireplace
is a little smaller; the windows are bigger; pictures and other decorations adorn the room;
the furniture is much nicer and ornate; and overall, the room is much cleaner and more
pleasing to the eye than the kitchen. This is because this room, as well as the whole
9
Descriptions of small, family dwellings can be found in the following: Jack Larkin, Where We Lived:
Discovering the Places We Once Called Home: The American Home from 1775 to 1840 (Newtown, Conn.:
2006): 13-30; See also Bushman, The Refinement of America, 103-110.
10
About.com Architecture, “1690-1830 Georgian Colonial House Style”
http://architecture.about.com/od/periodsstyles/ig/House-Styles/Georgian.htm. (10 January 2009); Bushman,
The Refinement of America, 113-116.
6
house, is made for comfort. This is where Joel Lane and his family lived and welcomed
guests. In that regards, the house is not only a showplace, but a sign of his status, wealth,
and genteel nature.11
This room’s functions went from the private to the public. It was used for
intimate dining, social events, and meetings. It could be argued that this room is one of
Wake County’s most historic rooms. It was utilized as the first Wake County court room;
a likely chamber for the 1781 General Assembly; and a meeting place for the North
Carolina Committee of Safety and Correspondence in 1776.
IVB. THE PASSAGE
This passage basically runs the width of the house, and in a sense divides it. This
helps to break up the house into private and public spheres. Guests could wait in this
passage until they were directed or invited into a particular room. When the doubledoored entries at both ends of the passage are opened, this passage acts as a ventilator –
allowing for breezes to enter the house and cool it off in the summer.12
IVC. THE PARLOR
This room is what we may refer to as a family or entertaining room. In the 18th
century, this room was referred to as a parlor. “It might double as a sitting room for the
family, and other activities may have overflowed from the rest of the house, but the
decoration, design, and the furnishings defined the central purpose as a place for tea, a
glass of wine, cards, and conversation.”13
11
Bushman, The Refinement of America, 132-133.
See “The Joel Lane Museum House Tour Outline, Drafted January 2007.”; Larkin, The Way We Lived,
25-26.
13
Bushman, The Refinement of America, 120; Larkin, The Way We Lived, 22-24.
12
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IVD. THE PARLOR CHAMBER AND SHED ROOM
This chamber, or what we would refer to as a bedroom, was probably used for
guests. With the courthouse being located next door, we can assume that Joel Lane’s
home housed many visiting officials and other guests. Today, when people visit, they
usually stay a weekend or maybe a couple of days. In Joel Lane’s time, visitors may stay
for a couple of weeks or even a month, because it took so long to travel from place to
place. The adjoining shed room may have served as a storage area, a pantry, or as place
where visitors to the house could clean off their shoes before they entered the building’s
main rooms.14
IVE. THE MASTER CHAMBER
We believe that this space was dedicated to the heads of the household. In
addition to being a sleeping quarters, Martha and Mary Lane (Joel Lane’s two wives)
might have used it as their “office” – a place where instructions were given to the
domestic slaves and where the children may have had school lessons.15
The furnishings in the room also speak to the importance of space and function.
The bed curtains were used to hold in warmth during cold weather; provide a degree of
privacy; or if they were nice enough, to add a sense of decoration and refinement to the
room.16 The chest and bureau were used to store clothing, blankets, or other textiles. As
you have probably noticed, there are no closets in the house. Though closets do exist in
many colonial houses, they are not a common sight. The main reason for a lack of
closets is the fact that people really didn’t have a need for them. Closets of that time
See “The Joel Lane Museum House Tour Outline, Drafted January 2007.”
Ibid.
16
Larkin, The Way We Lived, 33.
14
15
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were used for general storage – not for clothing – and were not located in the bedroom
like they are today. (If present, they were usually found flanking the fireplace.)17
IVF. THE CHILDREN’S ROOM
With his two wives, Joel Lane had a total of twelve children. Due to their age
differences, it is speculated that only about 5-6 of the children lived in the house at one
time. In the 18th century, and even well into the 19th century, it was very common for
people to share a bed. So it is reasonable to assume that several children probably slept
in this bed, all at the same time. The other bed in this room may have been used by the
children’s nanny, and it is also reasonable to assume that one of the children may have
slept with her as well. This was done not only because a lack of space, but for warmth.18
However, this arrangement was undoubtedly uncomfortable and probably a little smelly.
Besides closets, there is one other space that we have in our homes that Joel Lane
does not have. This house has no bathroom. In colonial times, people used the privy /
necessary. (What we would call an outhouse.) However, there was a way to relieve
oneself in the house. This was done through the use of a chamber pot. Chamber pots
were normally kept under the bed and the unpleasant daily chore of emptying them was
usually left to slaves, servants, and in some cases, the children.19
V. CONCLUSION
In looking at the buildings and gardens that make up our site, one sees how
location, space, and function work hand-in-hand. Gardens provided not only beauty, but
sustenance. The separation of the kitchen from the main house was not only done for the
Miley Theobald, “Stuff and Nonsense: Myths That Should Be History.” Colonial Williamsburg Journal,
(Winter 2008). http://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/Winter08/stuff.cfm (9 January 2009).
18
Larkin, The Way We Were, 30-32.
19
Ibid., 40-41.
17
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sake of safety, but as a means to separate the drudgery of work from the comforts of
home. The refinement of the house not only offered a degree of comfort, but represented
a degree of status, respect, and privilege. Overall, the home of Joel Lane shows us the
both the hardships and beauty of colonial life.
NOTES
1. To fill out the tour, the normal tour content and guidelines should be incorporated into
this specialized tour.
2. When giving this tour, the docent may want to point how certain furnishings and
objects better illustrate the narrative. For example, the tea set in the parlor could be used
to discuss manners and the importance of gentility.
3. The kitchen may also be used as a representation of what the slave’s quarters looked
like. However, it should be noted that the slaves’ quarters probably had dirt floors,
hardly any furnishings, and probably no upstairs. Use this to compare the slave’s home
to the master’s.
4. Lastly, it should be emphasized that there is very little information concerning the
daily life of Joel Lane on his plantation. The information presented in this tour is based
on accepted historical and scholarly work on colonial life, as well as on colonial
architecture and material culture. The docent is highly encouraged to pursue the works
contained in the bibliography and in any other sources to further one’s knowledge and
familiarity with the subject.
10
Bibliography
About.com Architecture, “1690-1830 Georgian Colonial House Style.”
http://architecture.about.com/od/periodsstyles/ig/House-Styles/Georgian.htm. (10
January 2009).
Bennett, D. Gordon and Jeffrey C. Patton. Geography of the Carolinas. Boone, NC:
Parkway Publishers, 2008.
Bushman, Richard L. The Refinement of America: Persons, Houses, Cities. New York:
Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.
Colonial Williamsburg. http://www.history.org/history/.
Cross, Jerry L. Chameleon on the Crabtree: The Story of Joel Lane. Raleigh, NC: s.n.,
2001.
Deetz, James. In Small Things Forgotten: The Archaeology of Early American Life.
Garden City, New York: Anchor Press / Doubleday, 1977.
Haywood, Marshall De Lancey. Joel Lane, Pioneer and Patriot; A Biographical Sketch,
Including Notes about the Lane family and the Colonial and Revolutionary History of
Wake County, North Carolina. Raleigh, NC: Wake County Committee of the Colonial
Dames of America, 1952.
Larkin, Jack. Where We Lived: Discovering the Places We Once Called Home: The
American Home from 1775 to 1840. Newtown, CT: The Taunton Press, Inc., 2006.
Martin, Ann Smart. “Material Things and Cultural Meanings: Notes on the Study of
Early American Material Culture.” The William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd Ser., Vol. 53,
no.1 (Jan 1996): 5-12.
Old Sturbridge Village. http://www.osv.org/.
Rubel, William. The Magic of Fire: Hearth Cooking. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press,
2002.
State Library of North Carolina. “Historical Highlights of North Carolina.”
http://statelibrary.dcr.state.nc.us/nc/history/history.htm.
Theobald, Miley. “Stuff and Nonsense: Myths That Should Be History.” Colonial
Williamsburg Journal, (Winter 2008).
http://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/Winter08/stuff.cfm (9 January 2009).
Watson, Alan D., Society in Colonial North Carolina. Raleigh: North Carolina Division
of Archives and History, 1996.
11
Williams, Henry Lionel and Ottalie K. Williams. A Guide to Old American Houses 17001900: A Visual History of 200 Years of American Domestic Building. New York: A.S.
Barnes and Company, 1962.
Jeff Neale. January, 2009