the main building was a four story jail or baruch -- barracks.wo-storyalso a structure used as a kitchen. there was also a smaller structure in the southwest corner of the lot that was described as a dead house or a morgue. if a slave trader knew there was an enslaved person in that jail that was sick, they would remove that persons of this other structure so as not to infect the larger population. thousands of enslaved people were sold here between 1863. the largest slave sale that i know about was 256 enslaved people. dollars, an enslaved man who was in the prime of his life, very strong and able bodied, could be sold for, today, about $35,000. of course, if you had a special trade or skill, you would be worth more. enslaved people had to be prepared for sale, especially if they had traveled from a great distance. person -- let's say they were coming from richmond, virginia. it could take a long time. by the time they got here to ryan's mart, they would not be in any condition to be sold. they would be bruised, probably, with the shackles and c