List of structures in the United States built by slaves

The following is a list of notable structures in the United States that were built, at least in part, by enslaved people:

Blue Ridge Railroad (1849–1870) – A railroad project in the southern United States
Cleveland and Chattanooga Railroad^[1]
East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad^[1]
Fort Jefferson (Florida) – Military installation on the Dry Tortugas^[2]
Memphis and Hernando Plank Road – An important road connecting Memphis and Hernando, Mississippi
Monticello – The plantation home of Thomas Jefferson, located in Virginia^[3]
Montpelier (Orange, Virginia) – The estate of James Madison, fourth President of the United States^[4]
Mount Vernon – George Washington's plantation home in Virginia
Naval Air Station Pensacola – A major training base for the U.S. Navy in Florida
Old Warren County Courthouse – Historic building, now a museum, in Vicksburg, Mississippi^[5]
Plantation complexes in the Southern United States – Large agricultural estates worked by enslaved laborers
South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company – One of the earliest railroads in the southern United States^[6]
Southside Railroad (Virginia) – An early railroad in Virginia
United States Capitol – The building housing the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C.^[4]
University of the South at Sewanee^[1]
White House – The official residence and workplace of the President of the United States^[7]
Fort Sumter – The site of the Battle of Fort Sumter, the first battle in the American Civil War^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Carey, Bill (2018). Runaways, Coffles and Fancy Girls: A History of Slavery in Tennessee. Nashville, Tennessee: Clearbrook Press. pp. 166–167. ISBN 978-0-9725680-4-3. LCCN 2018903570. OCLC 1045068878.
^ National Park Service. (n.d.). Slave Labor at Fort Jefferson. Retrieved 15 February 2024 from https://npshistory.com/brochures/trading-cards/drto/slave-labor-at-fort-jefferson.pdf
^ "Paradox of Liberty: Slavery at Jefferson's Monticello". Monticello. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c Barria, Carlos; Brice, Makini (August 30, 2019). "'Built by my family': America's grand buildings constructed by slaves". Reuters. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
^ "Old Courthouse Weathers Long Era". The Vicksburg Post. July 1, 1963. p. 119. Retrieved March 2, 2025.
^ "A Runaway Slave. Recollections of Slavery by a Runaway Slave". docsouth.unc.edu. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
^ "Slavery and the White House". WHHA (en-US). Retrieved October 9, 2024.