Stagville State Historic Site, 5828 Old Oxford Highway in Durham, contains the remnants of one of the largest plantations of the pre-Civil War South. The plantation belonged to the Bennehan-Cameron family, whose combined holdings totaled approximately 900 enslaved people and almost 30,000 acres of land by 1860.
Stagville offers a view of the past, especially that of its African American community, by allowing visitors to guide themselves around its extensive grounds. It is free to visit Stagville State Historic Site. There are also many free and inexpensive events throughout the year.
It’s open Tuesday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Guided tours are offered. Call ahead to find out the times. They’re $2 for adults and $1 for seniors and children.
You might find this address to be better than the Durham one: 5925 Jock Road, Bahama, NC.
Self-guided tours are free, but do not include access to the buildings. You’ll need a car to get to all parts of the site, as it’s very large.
For questions about accessibility or accomodations, please email info@stagville.org.
Upcoming Events
Emancipation Tours at Stagville for Juneteenth
Thursday, June 19, 2205
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Free
Visit Historic Stagville at 11 am, 1 pm, or 3 pm on Juneteenth for Emancipation tours, a special guided tour exploring the history of emancipation and the first year of freedom at Stagville.
All guided tours are free on Juneteenth, thanks to the support of the Historic Stagville Foundation.
Each June, Historic Stagville offers special tours focused on Emancipation as part of the site’s commemoration of Juneteenth. This guided tour will highlight how enslaved people claimed their freedom at Stagville in 1865. The tour explores the detailed history of Emancipation on one of North Carolina’s largest plantations. Hear stories of how formerly enslaved families celebrated, defended themselves, and searched for family, while the plantation owners strategized to hold on to their power and wealth. Stories of love, loss, labor, and family illuminate the complex history of freedom in the 1860s.
The Emancipation tour lasts about 90 minutes, with outdoor and indoor stops. The tour includes walking outdoors on uneven surfaces, stops inside historic buildings, and one 3/4 mile drive in your own vehicle.
Juneteenth at Stagville Open House
Saturday, June 21, 2025
10 a.m. to 2 pm.
Free
Almost a thousand people were emancipated from the Cameron plantations at the end of the Civil War. Visit Stagville for the site’s annual Juneteenth event to remember the struggle and celebration of freedom at one of the state’s largest plantations. Explore local history about slavery and freedom, and visit original slave quarters at Horton Grove to reflect and remember enslaved ancestors. Stories of love, loss, freedom, family, and resistance will illuminate the complex history of the transition to freedom in 1865.
Community Reading of Frederick Douglass’ 4th of July Speech
Friday, July 5, 2025
10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Horton Grove, 5925 Jock Road, Bahama, NC
Free
Commemorate Independence Day with a reading of Frederick Douglass’ powerful Fourth of July address, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July.”
This is a participatory community reading. Every year, 60 volunteers sign up to read passages from the speech in front of the slave dwellings at Horton Grove. You may sign up as a reader when you arrive.
Douglass delivered this powerful abolitionist speech on July 5, 1852 at an Independence Day celebration in Rochester, New York. Douglass’ speech remains one of the most famous abolitionist texts in U.S. history. The speech resonates today, inviting all to reflect on the history of slavery, freedom, and the United States’ founding ideals.
Bring a chair or blanket to sit on the grounds. The event will be outdoors at the historic slave quarters at Horton Grove. Attendees must walk less than one hundred yards over uneven grass or gravel to reach the reading site.
This free event will last about 1 hour, with the option to tour the original slave dwellings at Horton Grove available afterwards.
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More Events
Check out our list of free and cheap events in Raleigh and the rest of the Triangle this weekend, or our full event calendar in the Triangle, or just look at few upcoming events here:
