Photos by Sue WatsonJordan Wimbly of Chicago, Ill., left, displays types of foods and ingredients used in cooking by enslaved African Americans. These ingredients, purchased in grocery stores, were produced in gardens tended by enslaved African Americans.
Dale DeBerry, right, and Wayne Jones present brick making technology and kiln technology used in the 1800s and 1900s. DeBerry said kilns used to dry brick were heated to 2,000 degrees, hot enough to melt dirt (clay). He said brick makers worked from “Can to Can’t” to make the brick used in construction of many structures in Holly Springs.
Photos by Sue WatsonBehind the Big HouseTammy Gibsonof Chicago describes how clothes were washed by hand with homemade soap from animal fat, ashes (lye) and water to Heritage Christian Academy students.
Behind The Big House 2026
School children from all over Marshall County were bussed to the Hugh Craft House to learn about how Black Americans participated in the economy of wealthy landowners in the 1800s and 1900s. The House is owned by the Rosa Foundation. The first tour of Behind The Big House was held in 2012.