Williams' Private Jail (Slave Pen)

Title: Williams' Private Jail (Slave Pen)
Date: 1850 (Prohibited)
Description: A private home owned by William H. Williams, the Yellow House was one of two notorious slave holding pens in Washington, DC. The two-story home housed slaves temporarily in the basement; traders removed them to the yard on auction day for the convenience of buyers. A 12 foot high wall (originally wood, then brick) encircled the structure, guarded by ferocious dogs. Pens like this one operated until 1850, when the slave trade was abolished in Washington, DC. Williams sometimes held other prisoners here, as well, on a contract basis.
Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. View original.
Coverage: 1800-1829; 1830-1859