Fire damages building at former plantation, historic site in Durham

Fire damaged a building at the Stagville state historic site in Durham County Monday morning.

The Stagville site is part of the former Bennehan-Cameron family plantation – one of the largest in the state – and offers educational programs about the lives and work of the approximately 900 enslaved people who worked the land there, according to the official website.

Stagville, at 5828 Old Oxford Road in Durham, reopened to the public May 29, according to the site Facebook page, for tours of the grounds and outdoor spaces. The buildings – including original slave quarters, a massive barn and a Bennehan family house – remain closed to the public.

A Juneteenth celebration – marking the Emancipation Proclamation which freed slaves in the United States – is planned at the site on June 20. The event, which is free to the public will feature storytelling, local history and more. "Learn about lives, culture, and labors of Stagville families through slavery and freedom," the event description says.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire.