A local Boy Scout earning his merit badges installed the wall and original fencing, but the garden today is managed by Williamson County Master Gardeners who’ve returned it to historical accuracy while preserving and respecting the grounds. The first Master Gardener Project Lead, Jack Melnick, researched enslaved gardens to determine what was likely grown and how the enslaved maintained their small plot – and to the best of our ability, the garden is cared for in similar fashion today.

During the summer of 2014, seeds from crops grown in the main Carnton Plantation House Garden were harvested and preserved for use the following year. Since no digging is allowed on the property as it is hallowed ground, soil is brought in every year and placed on top of the raised garden to ensure nothing is disturbed. Today, the garden is managed by Master Gardeners Martha Hansen and Sunny Sargent with a team of a dozen Master Gardeners. Everything grown in the garden is an heirloom variety that came from the crops that were of that era, including Persimmons tomatoes grown by and from Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello garden, Calabash tomatoes, Aunt Lou’s Underground Railroad tomatoes that were transported via the under-ground Railroad. Additional crops include okra from the mid-19th Century, small amounts of cotton for educational purposes and varieties of peppers, including Fish and Bull Nose are still grown as they were during the Civil War era. Most recently, an 1850 watermelon was introduced into the garden as an heirloom grown for its superb taste. Lastly, broomcorn is grown and brooms are created.

The Period Enslaved Garden is maintained on part of a larger Williamson County historic property known as Carnton Plantation. Before, during and after the Civil War, the McGavock family maintained a 350-acre plantation, raising crops that included cotton. At the peak of production, there were 44 enslaved men and women working on the plantation who were housed in the one of only two, two-story enslaved quarters remaining in existence in the United States. The main garden for the McGavock family adjacent to the mansion was planted, maintained, worked and harvested by the enslaved. Today, the historic House Gardens and the Period Enslaved Garden are maintained by Williamson County Master Gardeners and used to teach the public about gardening during the Civil War era.