LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Roots 101's latest artifact was tucked away in a barn loft in Shelby County, near Louisville, for more than a century.
Lamont Collins, the founder of the Roots 101 African American Museum in Louisville, has two words for it: “Evil. Diabolical.”
The “Slave Box”, is a truly terrifying discovery.
“The enslaved person would step into it, and then the door would close," Collins said. "If you look closely there’s also a leather strap.”
He said his research shows it was used on a then-plantation in Shelby County for punishment and isolation.
“We know it's authentic, 1840 to 1850 when it existed on the property," the museum's founder said. "It was a torture chamber of the 1800s.” The hinges and the design of them even reflect the shackles of the time.
Collins called it one of his most significant artifacts.
“I think it’s a story we have to understand in America, that the torture, the strength, the resilience, that Black people had to go through in this country is real,” he said.
The descendants, who still live in Shelby County, didn't want to be identified but are helping Collins with its history.
“The family that had it didn’t feel good about the history of it; they felt good enough to share the history, but not the humiliation of having it, but fine enough to say go ahead and tell the story,” he said.
Collins said he’s learned that enslaved people would be put in the box for a day, two days, sometimes even a week. Louisville’s famed sculptor Ed Hamitlon has been asked to add reality to the box, and add a bronze head of a person on top of it.
The Slave Box is a shocking reminder of the United States' cruel past, but one that Roots 101 believes meets their mission of pulling Americans back together.