Many people were needed to make a plantation successful. Slaves and indentured servants from England worked very long days and the work was hard. An indentured servant would work for the planter for a certain number of years in exchange for passage to the New World, money, and a place to live.

The home was also known as the “Big House.” Successful planters become very rich and their homes showed their wealth. The home had many long large windows that were the same size. A veranda or porch was built around the home and a roof extended over the veranda. Many homes were painted white with black shutters like this one. For most of the year the weather in the south is very warm and humid; the shutters would be shut to keep out the hot sun and the roof provided shade on the veranda. The veranda was cooler than inside the home. In the evening the large windows were open to let the hot air out and the cooler air in.

Come and take a tour of “Splendid Thomas.”