On October 10, the John Dickinson Plantation unveiled its new One Land Many Voices exhibit as part of the opening of its new Visitor Center. The exhibit explores the people who lived and worked on the property during the Founding Fathers’ era.
Among the historical materials featured in the exhibit are images from Joseph Barker’s “Negro Ledger Book,” preserved in the collections of the Delaware Public Archives. This historic volume is one of several archival sources helping to tell a more complete story of the people connected to the plantation.
Joseph Barker was a general merchant whose store and home were located at Barkers Landing on the St. Jones River in Murderkill Hundred. Titled by Barker as his “Negro Ledger A,” the volume contains entries for purchases made by his African American customers.
Each entry notes the customer’s name, the date of purchase, the items purchased, the cost of each item, and the date, amount, and method of payment. Bills were often paid with grain, other items, or labor.
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