The heritage turkey variety "Chocolate" was common in the South before
the Civil War.  This variety died out almost completely during/after
the war and there are very few in existence today.

There is an unsubstantiated story among heritage turkey people that
the chocolate turkeys were "owned" by black slaves and that white
plantation owners raised different varieties of turkeys.  The story
goes that after the war the former slaves did not want to raise
chocolates because they were a symbol of their former subjugation, and
the whites did not raise them because they were known as "slave"
birds.  I would like a reliable source (or more than 1) that documents
that "chocolates" were slave's turkeys, not plantation owner's
turkeys.   If this story proves true and can be documented it could be
a good handle to use to popularize this rare heritage turkey variety. 
Possible sources I think of are books about plantation agriculture and
slave property and economics.

Documentation that proves the story wrong would be disappointing, but
also acceptable.

Some Internet information on chocolates.
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Turkeys/BRKChoc.html
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/SPPA/TurkCensusRept99.html