Bell Rack

found in the thicket near the head of Pidgeon Creek, Greenville, Butler County, Alabama. The iron collar was closed by a bolt which is gone. A belt went around the waist and through the loop. A bell (which is also gone) was hung from the hook at the top, above the Negro's head. The hook served the purpose of keeping the slave in the highways and open places as it would catch on the limbs in case he tried to run away through the woods. This "rack" was a very exceptional punishment.
Presented by Mr. Claude Hudson and Mr. Fitzpatrick, 1905

Caption on item: Bell rack showing inscription.

It was believed to have been used by an ingenious slave owner to correct the run-away habits of some unusually persistent wanderer. In some quarters credence is given to the theory that it was a memento of early Spanish occupation rather than a relic of plantation slave days.

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Litt Young, Marshall (with slave-horn)
[caption misascribed to 01222]
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Receipt for $250.00 as payment for Negro [wo]man, January 20, 1840
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Oath of Amnesty:
...I will in like manner, abide by and support all laws and proclamations which have been made during the existing rebellion with reference to the emancipation of slaves, So help me God.
Barber County Alabama 1865
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Portraits of African American ex-slaves from the U.S. Works Progress Administration, Federal Writers' Project slave narratives collections
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