Delphy's Mortar & Pestle, ca. 1850s

Cragfont State Historic Site

Sumner County, Middle Tennessee

Selected by Executive Director Tonya Staggs

Delphy was the enslaved cook at Cragfont who lived in the loft above the kitchen. She used this mortar & pestle to grind coffee and sugar. Delphy and other members of the enslaved community self-emancipated in 1864 by traveling to a refugee camp in Gallatin.