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The Manor: Three Centuries at a Slave Plantation on Long Island
Mac Griswold's The Manor is the biography of a uniquely American place that has endured through wars great and small, through fortunes won and lost, through histories bright and sinister—and of the family that has lived there since its founding as a Colonial New England slave plantation three and a half centuries ago.
In 1984, the landscape historian Mac Griswold was rowing along a Long Island creek when she came upon a stately yellow house and a garden guarded by looming boxwoods. She instantly knew that boxwoods that large—twelve feet tall, fifteen feet wide—had to be hundreds of years old. So, as it happened, was the house: Sylvester Manor had been held in the same family for eleven generations.
Formerly encompassing all of Shelter Island, New York, a pearl of 8,000 acres caught between the North and South Forks of Long Island, the manor had dwindled to 243 acres. Still, its hidden vault proved to be full of revelations and treasures, including the 1666 charter for the land, and correspondence from Thomas Jefferson. Most notable was the short and steep flight of steps the family had called the "slave staircase," which would provide clues to the extensive but little-known story of Northern slavery. Alongside a team of archaeologists, Griswold began a dig that would uncover a landscape bursting with stories.
Based on years of archival and field research, as well as voyages to Africa, the West Indies, and Europe, The Manor is at once an investigation into forgotten lives and a sweeping drama that captures our history in all its richness and suffering. It is a monumental achievement.
In 1984, the landscape historian Mac Griswold was rowing along a Long Island creek when she came upon a stately yellow house and a garden guarded by looming boxwoods. She instantly knew that boxwoods that large—twelve feet tall, fifteen feet wide—had to be hundreds of years old. So, as it happened, was the house: Sylvester Manor had been held in the same family for eleven generations.
Formerly encompassing all of Shelter Island, New York, a pearl of 8,000 acres caught between the North and South Forks of Long Island, the manor had dwindled to 243 acres. Still, its hidden vault proved to be full of revelations and treasures, including the 1666 charter for the land, and correspondence from Thomas Jefferson. Most notable was the short and steep flight of steps the family had called the "slave staircase," which would provide clues to the extensive but little-known story of Northern slavery. Alongside a team of archaeologists, Griswold began a dig that would uncover a landscape bursting with stories.
Based on years of archival and field research, as well as voyages to Africa, the West Indies, and Europe, The Manor is at once an investigation into forgotten lives and a sweeping drama that captures our history in all its richness and suffering. It is a monumental achievement.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published June 18, 2013
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1337 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
February 4, 2014
I'm kind of torn about this book. It had a fascinating premise and was on my wish list for quite a while. Northern slavery has been ignored for so long and the notion that the biography of a "slave plantation" in the Northeast had been written really drew me in. But while this book touches on many interesting topics, the pages that actually mention the experience of the slaves on the Sylvester property are few and far between. What is this book about? Well, it's about Charles II, and it's about Cromwell, and it's Amsterdam in the 16th Century, and it's about English Village Life, and it's about Quaker Martyrs, Irish Slaves, and Puritans, and it's about Indigo, and about the history of Barbados, the Middle Passage and about a lot of things. It's not about plantation life in the northeast.
August 18, 2013
I loved the history in this book but the author's self-righteous indignation was annoying. The family invited her in, opened their home, their land and their records and heirlooms to her. I thought she could have been a little more gracious and less judgmental. The facts speak for themselves. I wonder if her life could survive that kind of scrutiny.
July 1, 2021
If anything this book suffers from too much information, but it is very informative and I learned a great deal. I used to live on shelter Island so of course it was fascinating to me what I had once happened there. Especially seeing the origins of the place as a supply plantation for the Caribbean.
August 9, 2013
What a dream come true--being rowed by a friend who knows of an overgrown Long Island inlet sheltering a mysterious old house, then persisting in contacting the owners until they invite you to visit. And since you're a recognized landscape historian, they give you a tour and allow you to look in the "vault" --a spacious closet filled with archives and momentoes going back to the ancestor's founding of the estate in 1652. Thirty years later, the friendship with those owners, work with archaeologists and delving into all those letters, contracts and documents result in this study of the house, property and the people who have lived there. It is a panorama of Colonial life, the Revolution, early nation, civil division and War and changing lifestyles and attitudes right up to the new generation. It is also a focus of study of a rather overlooked situation--that there was active slavery in the North, and much of the economy of New England depended on slave labor and trade. Yet in making history as personal as possible by reconstructing individual lives from available documents and historic context, Griswold also makes some annoying conclusive statements, such as her harsh judgment of one of the descendants who around 1900 intended to mark and name some of the graves but did not follow through, ("her inaction. . .belongs: in the category of condescending and sentimental racism. . ."), of this woman's father Eben, something of a mid-1900s inventor in nutrition and food, whose work Griswold equates with "spawn(ing) today's GM corn, feedlots, manure lagoons. . . " We can draw our own conclusions from the portrayal and questions the author presents of the people, the culture of the day, and the very structures themselves that have been cherished into the Internet Age. Our own modern self-righteousness will no doubt be criticized 50 years from now and her sometimes strident comments detract from an otherwise fascinating history.
February 5, 2014
Too much conjecture and personal judgement went into Griswold's book and not enough solid academic research. Griswold continuously mentions her background as a landscape historian (which seems irrelevant to the type of history that she is trying to write) yet she has no qualms about bashing the study of archeology, calling archeologists "a skeptical lot" who "chafe under what they perceive to be the unfair primacy of history as a discipline." She posits herself as a champion for the untold story of the Sylvester family while the archeologists that she mentions sporadically throughout the book seem to be the naysayers getting in the way of the more fantastical truth that she seeks to spin. While there were some interesting anecdotes and historical facts, overall I found the book to be lacking in the type of writing and research that I would expect from a scholarly historian. Additionally, there was not as much discussion of slavery on Long Island (which I was expecting given its primacy in the title and it being the central topic in the introduction to the book).
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March 28, 2014I stopped reading this book about 25% through it as I couldn't follow it anymore. I lacked the patience required to read more about European history to get to the heart of the story which is somewhere in this book. It's a great book for history buffs but too cumbersome for mere mortals like myself.
March 26, 2021
This is an interesting look at a Northern slave-holding estate. It’s a bit unfocused and could use a central thesis or clearly identified theme to help it stay on track; it’s competently written but not transporting. However, the history of American slavery beyond big Southern plantations needs to be addressed more, and this book is a decent look at an ignored portion of our national legacy.
November 15, 2017
If you love colonial history, you will want this book on your want-to-read shelf: Mac Griswold's "The Manor: Three Centuries at a Slave Plantation on Long Island". In it, Griswold has documented a disciplined approach to a new historic find, but more than that it, reads like a field guide for history hunters. If you have a curious mind and heart about who the first European settlers in America, some of the First Nation peoples they encountered, and about some of the first enslaved Africans in America, you will find this a fascinating study. Yet as thorough as Mac Griswold is, do not think you will have all questions answered. While some questions did find possible answers, many new questions emerged for me. Perhaps because of the title of the book, some readers will expect to hear more about those who were enslaved. So be aware that this is a book born out of the historian's curious mind as such studies what it can. Too many stories have been hidden and even more, have been lost, but this book does a remarkable job of giving the reader the big picture of how such a plantation came to be and some information who they were who built it and worked it.
Griswold is a cultural landscape historian who has authored works on George Washington's Mt. Vernon. I was drawn - fascinated really - with both the scholar's curiosity and experience of finding this place but also the many skills a historian utilities to tell one family's story: Nathaniel Sylvester and Grizzell Brinley. Our author takes us on a journey with her as she seeks the paper trails of the two families. One from Amsterdam, Holland and the other from London, England respectively. Also, Griswold takes us with her on her journey to Barbados where Nathaniel's brother ran a sugar plantation. We look over Griswold's shoulder as she stitches the paper trails into a narrative that at times is exciting and at the same time horrific. We're talking the beginning of slavery in America and the Sylvester family are among the first enslavers families. As the historian exams the various aspects of their upbringing she is seeking answers to how and why this family who creates a northern provisioning plantation could at the same time become Quakers? The tension of these seemingly polar realities is mind blogging. What was their social location context? How did they encounter and engage with religion and how did it inform them? What was life like in London as Grissell's father worked closely with the royals of the English Civil War period, and what impact did it have on Grissell? This book encompasses anthropological studies of European movements due to economic needs or empire building.
Who honestly knew about northern plantations and slavery in this period? So little was known when Griswold stumbled upon the owners of The Sylvester Manor Farm in 1984. So much of our history has been both lost and rubbed out.
I highly recommend this book as a fascinating study - maybe it is the history nerd in me. But in full disclosure, I bought this book after learning that Nathaniel and Grizzell Sylvester were my 10 times great grandparents. So you see, dear reader, I am struggling to learn what it means to descend from colonial families who were, among other things, those who enslaved men, women, and children. This is part of my story now and I wish I could say they were my only ancestors who were enslavers but that is not the case. So I tell you I still struggle to understand the draw of self-determination while at the same time denying others that same possibility. And I struggle to understand how the Sylvesters were drawn to the Quaker faith, yet Griswold's research of early Quakers was I have a better understanding of some of their practices which is quite helpful actually.
If you've read this far, I will tell you The Manor House has been and is still "owned" by descents of Nathaniel and Grizzell Sylvester.Their daughter, Elizabeth, is my 9 times great grandmother. It is now known as The Sylvester Manor Educational Farm and I hope to visit in the near future.
Griswold is a cultural landscape historian who has authored works on George Washington's Mt. Vernon. I was drawn - fascinated really - with both the scholar's curiosity and experience of finding this place but also the many skills a historian utilities to tell one family's story: Nathaniel Sylvester and Grizzell Brinley. Our author takes us on a journey with her as she seeks the paper trails of the two families. One from Amsterdam, Holland and the other from London, England respectively. Also, Griswold takes us with her on her journey to Barbados where Nathaniel's brother ran a sugar plantation. We look over Griswold's shoulder as she stitches the paper trails into a narrative that at times is exciting and at the same time horrific. We're talking the beginning of slavery in America and the Sylvester family are among the first enslavers families. As the historian exams the various aspects of their upbringing she is seeking answers to how and why this family who creates a northern provisioning plantation could at the same time become Quakers? The tension of these seemingly polar realities is mind blogging. What was their social location context? How did they encounter and engage with religion and how did it inform them? What was life like in London as Grissell's father worked closely with the royals of the English Civil War period, and what impact did it have on Grissell? This book encompasses anthropological studies of European movements due to economic needs or empire building.
Who honestly knew about northern plantations and slavery in this period? So little was known when Griswold stumbled upon the owners of The Sylvester Manor Farm in 1984. So much of our history has been both lost and rubbed out.
I highly recommend this book as a fascinating study - maybe it is the history nerd in me. But in full disclosure, I bought this book after learning that Nathaniel and Grizzell Sylvester were my 10 times great grandparents. So you see, dear reader, I am struggling to learn what it means to descend from colonial families who were, among other things, those who enslaved men, women, and children. This is part of my story now and I wish I could say they were my only ancestors who were enslavers but that is not the case. So I tell you I still struggle to understand the draw of self-determination while at the same time denying others that same possibility. And I struggle to understand how the Sylvesters were drawn to the Quaker faith, yet Griswold's research of early Quakers was I have a better understanding of some of their practices which is quite helpful actually.
If you've read this far, I will tell you The Manor House has been and is still "owned" by descents of Nathaniel and Grizzell Sylvester.Their daughter, Elizabeth, is my 9 times great grandmother. It is now known as The Sylvester Manor Educational Farm and I hope to visit in the near future.
September 2, 2013
This is a fascinating book for persons interested in New England history, slavery in New England and elsewhere, archaeology, genealogy, architecture-- a skillfully researched and comprehensive story. Sometimes a bit too dense for me but there was so much beautiful writing and so much interest in the ongoing research that I kept on reading.
When I handle original documents, perhaps two or three hundred years old, I am thrilled by the knowledge that I am reaching back through time-- touching what was touched by men and women long dead. This is a sense that Mac Griswold clearly feels repeatedly in her work. She writes of being permitted to touch an 18th century cream silk waistcoat in the collection of the Shelter Island Historical Society; "the marks of the shoulder blades and back muscles of the man who wore it...outlined in sweat and dirt on the back of the garment".
Such imaginative feeling arising from contemplation of the facts and artifacts in her research abounds in the writing. In another example, she looks behind the glass-paned doors of a bookcase and sees a jumble of choice antique pottery and porcelain alongside worthless souvenirs made of papier-mache and plastic.
"They remind me of the figures of the century I have just traveled through-- coarse or fine, cruel or kind, thoughtful or fatuous, sad, heroic, grotesque, beautiful, sometimes all at once"
When I handle original documents, perhaps two or three hundred years old, I am thrilled by the knowledge that I am reaching back through time-- touching what was touched by men and women long dead. This is a sense that Mac Griswold clearly feels repeatedly in her work. She writes of being permitted to touch an 18th century cream silk waistcoat in the collection of the Shelter Island Historical Society; "the marks of the shoulder blades and back muscles of the man who wore it...outlined in sweat and dirt on the back of the garment".
Such imaginative feeling arising from contemplation of the facts and artifacts in her research abounds in the writing. In another example, she looks behind the glass-paned doors of a bookcase and sees a jumble of choice antique pottery and porcelain alongside worthless souvenirs made of papier-mache and plastic.
"They remind me of the figures of the century I have just traveled through-- coarse or fine, cruel or kind, thoughtful or fatuous, sad, heroic, grotesque, beautiful, sometimes all at once"
November 14, 2019
Imagine entering a home built in the early 17th Century, owned by the same family for over 250 years. The house is a time capsule: A letter in the library written by Thomas Jefferson, Native American pottery on shelves, a chair made from the elm tree in Cambridge where a military leader named Washington took command of his troops in the field, Longfellow's coffee cup . . .
Now imagine seeing what is pointed out as the slave staircase behind the library that winds up to the attic where the human property slept and where their drawings of ships in the harbor are scratched into the roof joists. Where do you think this slave plantation is located? Virginia, South Carolina, or maybe Georgia? The house and its surroundings are located in New Jersey. In this book by Ms. Mac Griswold, you will discover things about history that has been whitewashed . . . pun completely intended. Slow at times and can bog down in places, the details of years of research and amazing insight of history all started when the author "discovered" the secrets of a gorgeous house on an island in . . . 1984!
If you love history, put down what you're reading and get this book.
Now imagine seeing what is pointed out as the slave staircase behind the library that winds up to the attic where the human property slept and where their drawings of ships in the harbor are scratched into the roof joists. Where do you think this slave plantation is located? Virginia, South Carolina, or maybe Georgia? The house and its surroundings are located in New Jersey. In this book by Ms. Mac Griswold, you will discover things about history that has been whitewashed . . . pun completely intended. Slow at times and can bog down in places, the details of years of research and amazing insight of history all started when the author "discovered" the secrets of a gorgeous house on an island in . . . 1984!
If you love history, put down what you're reading and get this book.
January 20, 2015
Could have been such an interesting book - a wasted opportunity. Author fills this book with their sanctimonious and historically color blind opinions where they have no place. Ascribes motives and thoughts to people whom a good author (and a good person) would have at the very least questioned her subject (or kept their opinions to themselves). Trashes historical figures even when the evidence shows they handled a situation in the exact opposite manner that she condemns (because she FEELS they felt a certain way). I really wish there would have been a way to learn about this amazing history without the embarrassing and childish dicta. I say phony because the author derides the lady of the manor that invited her to a party where everyone was white. I suggest Mac Griswold "googles" herself and checks out all of the online images of her. There is not an "all white" party on the east coast that she hasn't happily attended. There is nothing wrong with that - but Mac Griswold would tell you there was.
August 29, 2013
It has a good large section dealing with the colonial era, both historical stuff and bits of archaeology, but then later years are covered more quickly and unevenly... although it seems the family only lived there erratically, which is why the house survived as-is for all those decades. Also, despite the constant reminders of racial inequalities, we never hear anything from the various black and Indian people themselves. There are a few brief sections dealing with the historical records of a few, but they are still elusive ghosts. Perhaps it is too difficult to reconstruct simply using the official records of the plantation owners, but you don't have to wring your hands every other page.
In short: good colonial bits if you have an interest in that area, the rest is erratic.
In short: good colonial bits if you have an interest in that area, the rest is erratic.
September 17, 2016
I'm torn about this book. I appreciate that it brings light to northern slavery as this is a part of our past that has been hidden for quite some time.
However, it's just kinda dry. I read A LOT of non-fiction, and I am particularly interested in the history of slavery, but this one couldn't grab my attention in the ways some other ones could (like SLAVES IN THE FAMILY, for instance.)
Couldn't stay awake to finish it, although I appreciate the research.
However, it's just kinda dry. I read A LOT of non-fiction, and I am particularly interested in the history of slavery, but this one couldn't grab my attention in the ways some other ones could (like SLAVES IN THE FAMILY, for instance.)
Couldn't stay awake to finish it, although I appreciate the research.
July 10, 2013
Fascinating book, especially for me as Nathanial Sylvester was my 7th Great Grandfather. What a treasure for my family to have someone do all of this research! I would love to visit The Manor to see it and the land around it in person.
July 31, 2013
Amazing account of slavery in my own backyard. Equally amazing is that the manor on Shelter Island has been owned by the same family for 350 years.
July 31, 2013
Loved this book! Very interesting that this home on Shelter Island, NY has been in the same family for so many years. Also, the fact that this was a Northern home that had slaves was fascinating.
August 6, 2013
LOVE LI history! I miss the East End!
April 20, 2022
I debated what my rating should be and settled on 3 because I believe the author needed an editor to help her organize and sort through all the copious research she had done and focus on what was most relevant to the book she wanted to write. It was a slog to read with way too much extraneous detail. On the other hand, I enjoyed some parts of the book—the nature of slavery in the North, the history of Sylvester Manor and the people who lived there, etc.
December 10, 2017
Honestly, I didn't get very far into this book before I gave up. The premise of the book sounded interesting, but just giving short history lessons about every topic there was a document for really wasn't doing it for me.
July 8, 2020
This is a book that I’ll listen to again. There is so much history here and the way the writer put this information together was like connecting the dots of history across three centuries of time. I greatly appreciate the work that went into this book.
March 4, 2025
A fascinating first third and quite educational. But the mext two thirds of the book were too detailed and difficult to follow the lives of subsequent generations. A short narration would have sufficed.
August 1, 2017
A well written history. My only complaint is that there seemed to be a fair amount of conjecture involved in order for her to fluff out the story and make it flow.
November 26, 2017
This was a great written book on history. I liked hearing what the archeologists found and how they connected it to the different plantation owners.
November 10, 2018
I was expecting a story instead I got a dissertation. Really, really hard to get through. Very dull. Chapters 4 and 13 are really the only ones worth reading and it’s truths will disturb you.
February 14, 2019
PopSugar Challenge - A book you meant to read in 2018
June 10, 2019
Unable to finish this book. It seemed to just ramble on and on....couldn't stay focused.
February 3, 2020
A bit of Long Island history that has been hidden in the shadows for too long. Well written and fascinating about slavery on Long Island.
April 17, 2020
Finally finished on the third attempt. Why did it take 3 attempts ? Maybe because the author is so turgid. The history is fascinating but the telling is not.
May 1, 2021
Enlightening.
April 6, 2024
This book ended up being very little about the actual Manor house.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews