This house is only about 3 miles north from the center of town. It’s a very modest “estate”(maybe 10 acres), raising subsistence crops, rather than the cash crop of cotton. Rosedale had “only” 20 slaves – of which half were the children.

We had very mixed feelings about learning of the history of the place but also appreciated the difficult and suffering life of a slave. We’re told that the patriarch made stipulations that should he die prematurely, the slaves were to be “loaned” out to pay for his children’s education. Rosedale itself shows the modest means of its owners – little or no expensive plaster, faux marble (even back then!), pine painted to look like more expensive mahogany. One thing, both poor and wealthy suffered in the heat – very egalitarian.

The grounds are small, but very pleasant with areas to have a picnic when it’s a bit cooler. We enjoyed our brief tour but I’m not sure I’d spend $5/admission, so we were glad we took advantage of the free day during Charlotte Shout. So for free, this is an above average experience. For $5/pp, one may have to have a stronger interest in this type of attraction to merit the admission price.