This is an enslaved children’s wash basin made out of iron ore. It was mounted in a wooden bench that had two legs on each end. The children of Lewis Harvey’s slaves used the nine-inch bowl to wash their face and hands outside their cabin. It was made at the Botetourt Harvey Ironworks foundry. The foundry was built about 1859 and was located on Rocky Branch of Lees Creek near the intersection of Routes 666 and 600. Nothing remains of the site today.
Mr. Harvey’s home was called “Speedwell” and was originally in Botetourt County. In 1838 it became part of Roanoke County. Judge Oscar Elird provided this history and donated the bowl to the Botetourt County Historical Society, Inc. The bowl is part of a January-May exhibit on Botetourt furnaces and springs, which was curated by Rachel Edwards. She is a Botetourt resident, published author, and Creative Writing student at Hollins University. Rachel was a Hollins intern at the Botetourt County Museum of History and Culture during January of 2024.
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~ Botetourt County Museum of History & Culture
