Journey Stories Program Series: Sauratown (Land of Eden)

Sauratown (Land of Eden)

Charles Rodenbough

Charles D. Rodenbough, author and historian, presents the Sauratown Project. This project is the basis of the MARC exhibit, Sauratown (Land of Eden).  It focuses on the journey of “100 Negroes” brought into the Dan River valley of North Carolina around 1775 by Antigua merchant, Francis Farley and his son, James Parke Farley.  These enslaved people lived and worked together on the 26,000 acre Virginia-style tobacco plantation until at least 1799. Rodenbough has discovered the names of these “100 Negroes” and has traced their disbursement at James Parke Farley’s death. This program includes a tour of the exhibit.