Iron Link

Iron Link

Small circular iron ring that was most likely part of a bigger link of chain. This link was found in a Kentucky basement said to hold enslaved people. It is an example of the type of restraints used on those in bondage and a stark reminder of the inhumane conditions enslavers forced upon those they enslaved. By 1800, there were more than 40,000 enslaved men and women living on the Kentucky frontier.

The Filson Historical Society Museum Collection

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1957.14.5