About Our Freedom

Seashore Farmers' Lodge No. 767, located at corner of Sol Legare Rd and Old Sol Legare Rd on

James Island, south of Charleston, South Carolina. A sign on the premises indicates that it is now

operated as a museum and cultural center. Photo by Ammodramus taken 14 September 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 150th Anniversary Celebration of The Battle of Sol Legare and The Battle of Battery Wagner at Seashore Farmers’ Lodge Museum and Cultural Center at Sol Legare

JULY 15–JULY 16, 2013 at 1840 Sol Legare Road Charleston, SC

Two years following a massive restoration and in conjunction with the encampment reenactment of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment Co. I in anticipation of their first fight at Battle of Ft. Wagner (c. 1863), The Seashore Farmers’ Lodge Museum and Cultural Center invites visitors to join us and view the exhibits, relics and progress on this once dilapidated, century-old structure.

July 15th: Dusk

Outdoor viewing of the movie “Glory” - Campfire and Weenie Roast, living history, viewing of Glory

July 16th: 10 AM until 5 PM

The all-day event will run from 10-5 and feature a series of reenactments, food and skits; the presentation of an award of merit Ms. Georgette Mayo of the Confederation of SC Local Historical Societies and The Avery Center; and the unveiling of a period piece privy – constructed as a community project by Eagle Scout, Joel Milliken and his troop.

July 14-July 21:

The Seashore Farmers’ Lodge will be opened to this visiting from all over to hold encampments. For more information on reservations and dates scheduled, please email or call us.

150 years ago, the area now known as The Sol-Legare Community was actually a plantation held by the Solomon Legare Family of Charleston. During the Civil War, (1861-1865) Solomon Legare’s plantation was the site of several camps, artillery positions, and battles. On July 16, 1863, one of America’s first African American Army Regiments organized in the North and was led by Union General Alfred Terry. During the Battle of Sol-Legare, the troops bravely risked their lives to win the freedom of enslaved Africans who were held in bondage there and on numerous plantations throughout the south – 14 men lost their lives, 17 wounded, and 13 missing. The island was a center point to many battles fought in the area and at one point housed 5200 Federal troops. Additionally, the famed 54th Massachusetts Regiment camped on grounds near the Lodge prior to marching down Old Sol-Legare Road to fight at Battery Wagner. The Sol-Legare area is rich with Civil War history and its historical happenings.

The museum opened on April 16, 2011 and focuses on Coastal African American communities at the turn of the century ranging from The Civil War to present. The museum will feature several living history presentations, encampments and be open to the public for the viewing of artifacts. The soldiers will be dressed in period clothing and will conduct several skits and interactive sessions with visitors. The women of the 54th Massachusetts will be on hand as well, dressed in period clothing and hosting stories.

The museum is located off of Folly Road down Sol Legare Road on the right. For more information, please call Hope Brown at 843.437.1259, email: sollegare@gmail.com, or visit our website at sollegare.shutterfly.com.

December 4, 2012 marked the two year anniversary of About Our Freedom. This was the place I created to reflect upon the freedom of African Americans and whether we have embraced freedom to the fullest extent. I have learned firsthand that we need not be held hostage by the false percepts in the minds of others; we can freely plot our course past them.

In the months leading up to my decision to create this blog, I was deep within my own family history research. One person asked me this question which I answered boldly:

"So, you are PROUD of your race?"

I have analyzed that question countless times. The word race was never one that invoked the kind of feelings like the term I use for my people: family (or heritage). My ancestors come in different colors. I have applied the same efforts in identifying each one. There are some of every shade in my family today. They are mostly lawyers, doctors, judges, teachers, and other professions. They love each other, and they love to serve each other.

My concept of family goes beyond this to include every person of the human family on the face of this earth without regard to color, religion, or ethnicity, but I realize the question asked of me pertained to my being an African American. There is implied an element of surprise or curiosity that I would have some feelings other than shame.

Unfortunately, these experiences are not few or far between, and they serve a purpose for me. Of course, the purpose for me is not to attempt to reason or to try to persuade the heart or mind of another. Paradigm shifts are personal, and challenges will only cause you to be perceived as the one who brings offense.

No, this question has empowered me to work to make sure that the same false precept:

does not limit the young school boy or girl left unchallenged by a teacher who believes it is not worth the effort to inspire to greater heights.
does not shame a man or woman into having apathy toward members of the community whose problems could be eased by a kind word or deed.
does not discourage us from researching, documenting, and preserving our history for future generations.

Limitations are opportunities for us to learn and grow, and bear fruit in the lives of others who await our help. "What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve" are the words of Napoleon Hill. In "Think and Grow Rich," he tells the story of his son who was born without ears and was told by doctors that he would never hear nor speak. Blair grew to be able to both hear and speak, finished college, and went on to help other people who could not hear or speak.

Faith, or principles of action, help us to overcome all limitations - those that we have adopted as well as those that exist in the minds of others. We must be aware of the false percepts that exist and steer around them, or we are not free.

I began About Our Freedom two years ago hoping that on this journey I would be led to resources that would help us to define what freedom really means to us today and what we can do to embrace the fullest measure of it. I just reviewed a nine page interview I conducted with my grandmother's first cousin who moved to Illinois from South Carolina in the 1940's. It is a blessing to have family members from that time period who can tell us about our ancestors and other family members who lived long before we came along.

I treasure all the recorded interviews that I have conducted and transcribed. Each time I reflect back on them and take them out to listen or review, I feel so much more connected to my forebears. I never want to get so lost in the records that I forget that I can learn just as much from the stories that survived too. Records are important, but not as important as the life lessons that were passed down through oral history.

My interviewees are full of so much wisdom and advice. I know that the principles my ancestors lived by helped them to be happy and successful. It is my lifelong task to keep recording and preserving as much as I can.

I have worked to pass these same values on to the next generation. People who do not share my heritage sometimes remark that it must be a great burden for my child to be put under so much responsibility. I smirk inside when I consider what might have happened if my parents had somehow decided I did not need to be overburdened by expectations to do better than the generation before. I am glad I belong to a family that set high values and expectations because I would not be the person I am today. I wake up every day hoping to make myself and the world a better place.

In this interview from 2005, I was able to learn more details about my great great grandparent's and their children. I always love asking what folks looked like and what they learned from the old sayings.

It is so rewarding to dive into records to try to document the things I learn from the oral history shared. The interviews I have served me over and over as I turn to them to glean more information time after time.

This was no different with the interview of my grandmother Otis' cousin. It was wonderful to hear the names of the different family groups in birth order. One of the questions I asked her was what her father, Pettis Chick, taught her. She said she remembered him telling her to work hard and be obedient.

Then she mentioned her Uncle Clarence, my grandmother's uncle. He and his wife taught at Fayetteville Teacher's College in North Carolina (Fayetteville State University), and she said Uncle Clarence wrote to her and gave her some advice: "Read your bible. Study your Negro history, and save your money." I received that advice as if it had come to me directly from my ancestors. My great uncle Clarence was taught well.

At the end of rereading the interview, I remembered a few years ago when I was coming through the Palmetto Leader on microfilm at the Richland Library. I remember stopping to look at an article and a photo of C. A. Chick who was affiliated with Benedict College. I remember feeling he was related to me, but I had no proof so I kept spinning the reel right past him.

That picture of C. A. Chick has stayed in my mind. I learned through oral history that this branch of my family all attended Benedict College. The person in the photograph I now know would have been Uncle Clarence. I must go back to retrieve it because it will give us an idea of what he looked like before he moved to Fayetteville.

Uncle Clarence must have a really strong connection with me because I also stumbled upon a photo of him and his wife in two different yearbooks for Fayetteville on Ancestry. The citation on the yearbook mentions Benedict College which leads me to believe I really did pass up that photo of him on microfilm. I e-mailed the yearbook photos to my mother as a surprise, and this was her response:

"I went on the computer and found uncle Chick and his wife! It brought tears to my eyes, because he was the one who wanted mom and dad to send me to North Carolina to go to college free. He was a Professor there then. I remember having met him in Union at one time when I was a kid, and Daddy took us to North Carolina to see them when we were little." - My Mom.

It seems that I must continue and gather the history that remains at Fayetteville State University. In the process of writing this article, I discovered there is a building there named after Uncle Clarence's second wife: Helen T. Chick, Fayetteville State University http://services.uncfsu.edu/departments/ITTS/GoogleMap/parking.cfm. In addition to that, I discovered a speech given by Uncle Clarence:

Social and Moral Obligations of High School Graduates. It appears in a periodical entitled Vital Speeches of the Day (8/15/59, Vol. 25 Issue 21, p658).

If that does not bring enough excitement to me, I discovered other resources in the process of writing this article, and I will be sharing my thoughts on each one after I have time to review them all.

Which Way? Chick, C.A. // Vital Speeches of the Day;10/1/52, Vol. 18 Issue 24, p764
Presents the text of a speech given by C.A. Chick, professor of economics and U.S. government at State Teachers College, on May 18, 1952 which deals with the future of African-Americans in southern U.S.
Signs of Hope. Chick Sr., C.A. // Vital Speeches of the Day;9/15/54, Vol. 20 Issue 23, p724
Presents the text of a speech given by C.A. Chick Sr., professor of Economics and American Government at Fayetteville State Teachers College in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on July 27, 1954, which deals with the rise of nationalism in Africa.

The West's Changing Attitude Toward Africa

C. A. Chick, Sr.

The Journal of Negro Education
Vol. 29, No. 2 (Spring, 1960), pp. 191-197
Published by: Journal of Negro Education

Article Stable URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/2293167

Recent Southern Industrialization and its Implications for Negroes Living in the South

C. A. Chick, Sr.

The Journal of Negro Education
Vol. 22, No. 4 (Autumn, 1953), pp. 476-483
Published by: Journal of Negro Education

Article Stable URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/2293523

C. A. Chick

The Journal of Negro Education
Vol. 16, No. 2 (Spring, 1947), pp. 172-179
Published by: Journal of Negro Education
Article Stable URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/2966185

The Role of Higher Education in Transmitting Democratic Ideals Into Behavior Patterns

I am past words knowing that my quest has led me right back to Rev. C. A. Chick, my great uncle, and professor of economics and American History. It makes me feel good to be able to do this work of keeping the causes of our loved ones alive. We are all still connected when we can perform the tasks that make us so. I like to think my Uncle Clarence has come to know me as I have come to know him, and I hope he is happy to see that I am following his admonition to "Study your Negro history."

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Joseph McGill, Jr has released the places where he will take The Slave Dwelling Project in 2013. These historical events are great places for descendants of former slaves and descendants of former slave holding families to meet and share facts and history. Anyone who has an interest in following the progress of restoring the places vital to African American American history should follow the highlights from Mr. McGill.

To stay posted throughout 2013, follow the blogs: Lowcountry Africana and About Our Freedom. "Like" The Slave Dwelling Project on Facebook. A like box is also down on the lower right column of this page. The following press release comes to you from Joseph McGill, Jr. - Robin Foster

Joseph McGill, Jr | Field Officer | Charleston Field Office
National Trust for Historic Preservation | William Aiken House l 456 King Street, 3rd Floor, Charleston, South Carolina 29403 |
Phone: 843-722-8552 | Fax: 843-722-8652 | joseph_mcgill@nthp.org | www.PreservationNation.org

From Joseph McGill, Jr:

Recap

Thirty nine overnight stays in extant slave dwellings is proof that the Slave Dwelling Project is doing well. The year 2012 saw a lot of firsts for the project. For the second consecutive year, a northern state was included in the project when I stayed at the Bush Holly House in Greenwich, Connecticut. Mississippi was the tenth state added to the project when I participated in the Holly Springs Pilgrimage in Holly Springs, Mississippi. The state of Georgia joined the project when I stayed in a slave cabin in Sautee Nacoochee. Virginia was the twelfth state added to the project when I stayed at Bacon’s Castle in Surry. Virginia also provided the opportunity for the first institution of higher learning to participate when I stayed at Sweet Briar College in Sweet Briar, Virginia. The first repeat visit was done at Boone Hall Plantation in Mt. Pleasant, SC. My collaboration with the group Coming To The Table was established when I joined them in Richmond, Virginia for their national gathering. That relationship with Coming To The Table was further enhanced when members of the group joined me for overnight stays in the Bush Holly House in Greenwich, Connecticut; Bacon’s Castle in Surry, Virginia and Sweet Briar College in Sweet Briar, Virginia.

Slave Dwelling Project 2013

2013 will be just as exciting if not more. I will get the opportunity to apply to all of the 2013 stays all that I have learned from the first stay which occurred at Magnolia Plantation in Charleston, SC in May 2010, to the last stay that occurred at Boone Hall Plantation in Mt. Pleasant, SC in November of 2012. This knowledge will make for more robust programming associated with every stay and assist the public in recognizing extant former slave dwellings that may be hidden in plain view such as spaces currently used as guest houses, pool houses, garages, storage spaces, etc. More importantly, this knowledge will help the public in recognizing those extant slave dwelling that are in dire need of stabilization and restoration.

Hopsewee Plantation

The first scheduled stay, Hopsewee Plantation located on the North Santee River in Georgetown County, SC will be a repeat stay. In addition to the public programs that will be provided, local school kids will compete via essays to decide those who will spend the night in the two slave cabins located at the site. Additionally, this stay will be accompanied by a dinner and performances by storytellers Zenobia Washington and Sophia Jackson both of whom are natives of Georgetown, SC.

Laurelwood Plantation

Of all the stays scheduled for 2013, the one that I anticipate the most is Laurelwood Plantation in Eastover, SC because it is a true testament of why the project exists. I was originally scheduled to stay there on April 15, 2011 but its dilapidated condition dictated that I pass on that opportunity. The new owners Jackie and Jeremy Thomas vowed that the cabin would be restored along with the mansion. The contractor rushed frantically to get the cabin in a state that was inhabitable for a stay that was to occur on November 3, 2012. Unforeseen circumstances would not let that stay occur on that day. The happy ending is that the cabin has been restored and the owners have granted me unlimited access for educational purposes.

Holly Springs, Mississippi Pilgrimage

The Holly Springs, Mississippi Pilgrimage will be a repeat. In a program titled The Behind the Big House Tour, visitors will have the opportunity for the second consecutive year to tour the mansions and the slave dwellings. This is a concept that I have been trying to get other well established historic house tours to adopt but they all seem to be content with only telling part of the story. The 2013 stay will also include a stay at Rowan Oaks, the former home of William Faulkner.

The Salisbury

The Salisbury, North Carolina stay will be my first stay there but my second stay in the state of North Carolina. It will be special because it will coincide with Juneteenth. When the emancipation proclamation was issued on January 1, 1863, it meant nothing if there were no Federal troops in the area to enforce the document. Federal troops did not reach Galveston, TX until June 19, 1865. Commemorating this historic day of freedom has become a national event.

Old City Jail

July 18, 2013 is the sesquicentennial of the Assault on Battery Wagner on Morris Island, SC. This Civil War battle was depicted in the 1989 award winning movie Glory, starring Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington. Some of the African American men taken as prisoners during the battle were held in the Old City Jail in Charleston, SC. In addition to commemorating the battle on Morris Island as African American reenactors have been doing for the past ten years, for the 150th anniversary we will spend the nights of July 18 – 20 in the Old City Jail. See Afrigeneas Forum: Civil War Prisoners in Charleston.

College of Charleston

For the second consecutive year an institution of higher learning will be among the places stayed. That institution will be the College of Charleston which is located well within the city limits of Charleston, SC. It is said that 40% of the African American population of the United States can trace their ancestry back to the port of Charleston, SC. The College of Charleston stay and programs associated with it will provide the opportunity to interpret how institutions factored into chattel slavery in the United States. This stay will also provide the opportunity to further interpret how slavery existed in urban areas.

Ossabaw Island

Abolishing the international slave trade in 1808 did not end the institution of slavery in the United States. No longer did the slave ships deliver their cargo to the major ports such as Baltimore, Maryland; Charleston, South Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; or New Orleans, Louisiana but they still continued to deliver that cargo to more obscure places like the Sea Islands located off the coast of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. These islands make up the eastern most portion of the Gullah Geechee National Heritage Area Corridor. Ossabaw Island located off the coast of Georgia near Savannah was one of those islands. The overnight stay on Ossabaw Island will be my first in a slave cabin on a Sea Island. See: Restoration and Interpretation of Tabby Cabins.

Historic St. Mary’s City

Historic St. Mary’s City, Maryland will be my second stay in that state. The first was Sotterley Plantation in Hollywood. Quite surprisingly, this stay will happen as a result of a presentation that I gave at a public program at Sweet Briar College in Virginia. The organizers of the Maryland stay were audience members and made the offer and I of course accepted.

Boone Hall Plantation

Boone Hall Plantation in Mt. Pleasant, SC will be a stay of opportunity. The Assault on Battery Wagner, the battle depicted in the movie Glory will be reenacted at Boone Hall Plantation in 2013. Although the battle historically took place on Morris Island which is located in the Charleston harbor, it is logistically impossible to reenact a battle there because you can only get there by boat. While the reenactors sleep in there encampments, I will again inhabit the slave cabins.

Invitation

For those of you who shared the slave dwelling experience with me in 2012 or in any prior year, you know the routine, you are welcome to participate in any future stay(s). For those of you who have not shared the experience but would like to, please let me know as-soon-as-possible. I must seek permission from the property owners for your participation. I am especially interested in sharing the experience with descendants of the enslaved associated with the dwellings; descendants of slave owners; or descendants of a slave and a slave owner. Whatever the category, all are welcome because the ultimate goal is to bring much needed attention to extant slave dwellings in the United States.

The Slave Dwelling Project 2013

Hopsewee, Georgetown, SC - Friday, March 1
Laurelwood Plantation, Eastover, SC - March 8 – 9
Pilgrimage, Holly Springs, Mississippi - Friday, April 12 – Sunday, April 14
Ossabaw Island, Georgia - Friday, May 10 – Saturday, May 11
Juneteenth, Slave Dwelling, Salisbury, NC - Friday, June 14 – Saturday, June 15
Old City Jail, Charleston, SC - July 18 – 21
College of Charleston - Wednesday, August 28
Historic St. Mary’s City, Maryland - Sunday, September 22 – Tuesday, September 24
Boone Hall Plantation, Mt. Pleas., SC - November 8 – 10

Source: examiner.com via Robin Foster: Genealogy & More on Pinterest

We are so very fortunate to have you on the front lines pioneering the cause to share the history of our ancestors at these sites, Joe. We wish you continued blessings and health as you strive to make sure our heritage continues to be shared and preserved. We also hope that those who should take part and open doors will soon do so. We appreciate your dedication. The accounts of the following participants will be published separately:

Crystal Rossen

Dave Griffith

Lynn Rainville

Mike Hayslett

Toni Battle

Stay tuned!

Robin Foster

About Our Freedom

Pioneering efforts continue at Sweet Briar College

By Joseph McGill, Jr. | Field Officer | Charleston Field Office

National Trust for Historic Preservation | William Aiken House l 456 King Street, 3rd Floor, Charleston, South Carolina 29403 |

Phone: 843-722-8552 | Fax: 843-722-8652 | joseph_mcgill@nthp.org | www.PreservationNation.org

Despite spending a night in 37 extant former slave dwellings in 12 states in 2 ½ years, bureaucracy has always been a challenge for the Slave Dwelling Project to overcome. Private owners and not for profit organizations get it and are well represented among the 37 stays, however, state and nationally owned entities and institutions of higher learning had never given the project the green light. That would all change with stay number 38, Sweet Briar College.

Sweet Briar College in Sweet Briar, Virginia was founded in 1901, the legacy of Indiana Fletcher Williams, who left her entire estate to found an institution in memory of her only daughter, Daisy, who died at the age of 16 in 1884. At the time of Mrs. Williams' death in 1900, her estate consisted of more than a million dollars, and over 8,000 acres of land, including the Sweet Briar Plantation.

On Saturday, October 6 I found myself transitioning from Bacon’s Castle, my first stay in Virginia, to Sweet Briar College which would be my second. That transition required a 2 ½ hour westward drive at night. Luckily for me, I was joined by Toni Battle who had traveled all the way from San Francisco, California to participate in both stays. I knew that Toni had at least one person who was lynched in her family tree but I found out during the drive that there were at least two more people who were lynched in her ancestral past. The details were not pleasant but what accounts of people being lynched are? The details of the matter helped to keep me focused on the unfamiliar highway 60 westward drive through the winding foothills of Virginia.

Arriving late into the night, the hospitality began immediately with the security guard escorting us to our quarters, which was located between the big house and the slave cabin. Toni immediately speculated that this was once the quarters of the overseer. The stay in the slave cabin would occur the following night. The security guard then gave us a ride to the dining hall. During the late night meal in the dining hall and upon our return to the quarters, Toni and I had ample time to recap our stay at Bacon’s Castle the previous night and anticipate the remaining time that we would spend at Sweet Briar College before we both turned in for the night.

The next morning while walking to breakfast, Toni and I had the opportunity to take in the full beauty of the Sweet Briar College campus. While at breakfast I met my host Dr. Lynn Rainville. Since I could not remember how Sweet Briar College became a stop for the Slave Dwelling Project, I asked Dr. Rainvlle to remind me. She stated that she heard me on National Public Radio (NPR) when the project was in its infancy. Being quite knowledgeable of Sweet Briar’s history she was quite forthcoming about the complete history of Sweet Briar when it existed as a plantation and started as a college. I learned from her that Elijah Fletcher the founder of the plantation was a former abolitionist from Vermont. I also learned that the college was founded in 1901 for the education of White women. It would later take a court order to break the will to allow the college to be integrated. After breakfast, Dr. Rainville accompanied us to see the cabin. She verified that Toni was correct in assuming that the house that we stayed in the previous night was historically the house of the overseer.

Like the stay at Bacon’s Castle, I again had the opportunity to witness Toni experience the cabin for the first time only this time the same applied to me because this was also my first time in the cabin at Sweet Briar. Inside it had hand hewn logs that were still virtually round with the only flat side coming in direct contact with the ceiling. Above the ceiling was an attic that was converted into living space, like other cabins I’ve seen, access could be gained to the upper level by some steep stairs. It was less than half the size of the cabin at Bacon’s Castle but larger than some of the other 37 of which I have stayed. After the last inhabitant of the cabin moved out in the 1920s, the cabin had been used for many things to include a classroom and farm tool museum and had been modernized accordingly as evidenced by the electrical outlets along the wall. A forge from its existence as a farm tool museum still occupied a corner.

Dr. Rainville had my remaining time at Sweet Briar College chalk full of activities. My first official duty was to give a slave dwelling presentation in the Sweet Briar College Museum, an event that went exceedingly well. After the presentation, I led the group on a tour of the slave cabin. During the tour of the cabin, I met Dr. Jo Ellen Parker, the president of Sweet Briar College. I took the time to thank her publicly for allowing the Slave Dwelling Project to come to Sweet Briar College. Additionally, I requested and received her permission to leverage the stay at Sweet Briar to help convince other leaders of institutions of higher learning to follow this fine example.

The tour of the slave cabin was followed by a tour of the big house appropriately, where the college president now presides. Dr. Rainville took charge and did not sugarcoat any of the history. It reminded me of a similar tour I took at Hopsewee Plantation in Georgetown County, SC that I also loved. The senior White tour guide at Hopsewee was quite knowledgeable of the history of the plantation and was quite professional in telling the whole story.

Dr. Rainville had arranged for 8 other people to share the sleepover in the slave cabin with me. It was an interesting mix of people which included Crystal Rosson whose ancestor was the last to inhabit the cabin. Knowing this made the night even more special for all involved. The night was made even more special by Toni Battle’s smudging or blessing the space and the pouring of libation. We created a powerful circle where ancestors were called, confessions were made and tears were shed. After some storytelling and a sweet song which was sung by Barbara Payne, we all drifted off to sleep.

When we all woke up the next morning in denial of snoring, Lynn then made an attempt to leave the cabin and at that moment we found ourselves mysteriously locked in. Apparently, David Griffith got up early and left the cabin mistakenly engaging the outside latch. Lynn informed us that David would be back and a professional photographer was on the way but I took the opportunity to speculate out loud about how we came to be locked inside the cabin. David indeed got back before our thoughts got too outrageous, however he did deny locking the door. The group’s time at the cabin was concluded by photographic documentation before most of us proceeded to the dining hall for breakfast. It was at the breakfast table that I had the opportunity to talk candidly with Crystal whose ancestor was the last to stay in the cabin about her experience. She mentioned that without the Slave Dwelling Project, she would never have interacted with that space in any similar manner. I informed her that I wanted her to speak about her experience at a presentation that was planned during lunch. Not only did I want her to speak but I wanted her to be the closer, she hesitatingly accepted. I also asked Michael Hayslett to give an account of his slave cabin experience during the presentation.

After breakfast, Toni, Dr. Rainville and I had some down time which was used to go to the overseer’s cottage to shower, change clothes and check out. After checking out, we drove to the slave cemetery which was located on a hill on the campus. In her spare time, Dr. Rainville documents the often forgotten and neglected graves of African Americans. She did a beautiful job of ensuring that the African American grave site on the Sweet Briar campus is properly marked and recognized. Toni in her reassuring and special way ensured that we paid proper respect to the ancestors who were laid to rest in this sacred space. In all fairness, we visited the grave site of the plantation and college founders which is located on a hill overlooking the college.

I adjusted the lunch time presentation to address dwellings in all 12 states that I have stayed in to date. Toni Battle, Michael Hayslett and Crystal Rosson all participated in the presentation as I requested of them. As promised, Dr. Jo Ella Parker, President of Sweet Briar, attended the lecture. During the question and answer period, I was made aware by some community members of other slave dwellings in the area that need immediate attention. One couple that resides in Historic St. Mary’s City, Maryland made me aware of slave dwellings there. It was then established that with the work that Dr. Rainville is doing to reinterpret the slave cabin at Sweet Briar College along with the support that she is getting from Dr. Parker, the network is now in place to start the process of saving the endangered properties mentioned in the question and answer period and other like properties in the area of Sweet Briar College.

The plan was then to address Dr. Rainville’s class after the lunch time presentation. A local TV station changed that plan. They interviewed me but appropriately they were more interested in the Crystal Rosson story, so much so, that they wanted to interview her inside the cabin. Toni and I said our goodbyes to Dr. Rainville and proceeded to the cabin with the TV camera crew and Crystal. And that’s how it ended, with Crystal being the closer.

Afterthoughts:

Patience is certainly necessary when trying to establish the legitimacy of oneself or a project. Spending a night in 38 slave dwellings in 12 states over the past 2 ½ years are major steps in the direction of establishing legitimacy for the Slave Dwelling Project. To that end, stay number 38, Sweet Briar College, has thrown out the gauntlet. Before Sweet Briar, other institutions of higher learning, government and state owned entities that are stewards of extant slave dwellings have been approached to participate in this project, to no avail.

One major reason that slavery prospered was because it was an institution. In an ironic twist, generally, institutions have not yet embraced this project. I want the bureaucrats to know that I come in peace, not ghost hunting, not seeking reparations, and not looking for artifacts but to simply acknowledge you for doing the right thing by owning and restoring an element of the African American built environment. Furthermore, I want to use your example to encourage others to do likewise.

Before I paint all bureaucrats with one brush, let me announce that the College of Charleston will be added to the 2013 schedule for the Slave Dwelling Project. Additionally, I am in communications with the Superintendent of Kingsley Plantation about spending a night in a slave cabin at that location, in fact, I got the email requesting a phone call or face-to-face visit while I was at Sweet Briar College.

Thank you, Sweet Briar College, for taking a chance on the Slave Dwelling Project.

http://www.wset.com/story/19766737/slave-dwelling-project-spends-the-night-at-sweet-briar

Thank you so much, Toni, for sharing your insights with us. We appreciate you for all the great photos you uploaded on Facebook to help us share the experience. We know the ancestors are proud that you helped to bring them to light through your experience on this Slave Dwelling Project stay.

Robin Foster
About Our Freedom

From Whence We Come
Written by: Toni Renee Battle

I met Joseph McGill, Jr. in March of 2012 and he told me about his work through The Slave Dwelling Project. I found within my spirit an immediate response to his work. My steps were being ordered to partake in this ancestral journey. We met at the Coming To the Table (CTTT) national gathering, which brought together descendants of the enslaved, slave owners and slave traders for the purposes of healing from the legacy of slavery, but also doing action work, creating safe spaces for difficult conversations and family history research in today’s times.

Devin Berry, who is also a member of CTTT, and I committed to attending a slave dwelling overnight with Joseph during the same weekend. Through community donations, he and I were able to embark on an incredible experience that will last a lifetime.

We arrived in VA and spent our first day in Surry, VA at school assemblies watching Joseph, dressed as a Black union soldier, provide a historical narrative to the youth, 1st through 12th grades, and also give some background to the previous slave dwellings he had visited in the past. We also had an opportunity to explore Bacon’s Castle plantation together with Joseph, prior to the other guests arriving for that evening’s overnight.

As we drove onto the plantation grounds, Devin and I turned to each other asking the same question, “Did you feel your breathing change and your chest tighten up?” It was as if, our ancestral spirits were responding to the history of the land we had just drove onto. We quickly got out of the car and began taking photos of the “BIG house” and of the incredibly long driveway leading onto the plantation grounds.

After parking, Joseph excitedly asked us if we were ready to visit the slave cabin we would be staying in for the evening. Devin and I immediately said at the same time, “YES!” The three of us walked behind the big house and saw a cabin sitting just beyond a tree. It was white-washed and rustic. The closer we got, the more emotion I felt. Here we were, three Black folks in 2012, descended from the enslaved, two of us Black men, one of us descended from the enslaved, slave master and slave trader, about to walk into our ancestral past; what a moment!

As Joseph opened the cabin doors, Devin and I looked at each other and entered sacred space. If the walls could talk there would be stories of pain, horror, joy and sadness. The wood seemed to scream at me as I ran my hands along its roughness. Immediately I begin singing, “There’s a sweet, sweet spirit in this place, there’s a sweet, sweet spirit in this place!” You could feel the ancestors’ spirits within this dwelling. I immediately felt a sacredness in the space as the three of us took photos. To see Devin dressed in jeans and a tee-shirt and Joseph in a union uniform was as if the past and present were talking at the same time. As Black men standing there, with one foot in the past and one foot in the present, in a slave cabin was very powerful. The three of us experiencing it together was as if the ancestors were whispering over our shoulders as we looked out the window onto the slave quarters, “From whence we come!”

Later that evening we met the rest of the group that would be staying with us and proceeded over to the slave cabin. During the evening we blessed the cabin, conducted libation, celebrating the ancestors and those who were enslaved on the land and then we gathered together in the two rooms of the cabin. We shared sacred stories of our family histories and we were blessed to hear the Anderson sisters (two women from the Surry, VA area) share with us that their great-great grandmother had been enslaved at Bacon’s Castle Plantation and they were overnighting as a way of paying respects to her memory. I asked one of the sisters what it felt like for her to be in the cabin, on the land her ancestors had been enslaved on; she responded, “I thought I would feel anger, but I feel nothing but my grandmother’s love as if she’s right here with us. I can’t begin to tell you what an amazing experience this is for us! It’s very healing. I’ve drove past this plantation the last 30 years and wanted no parts of it. But The Slave Dwelling Project seemed different. It told OUR story.” We all listened in great appreciation and reflected on our own feelings.

I laid down with Prinny Anderson (another CTTT member) and Devin on purpose, because I wanted to have the experience of us sharing this sacred space together. During the night, Prinny and I heard a woman singing in the distance. We both later smiled, feeling our ancestors were letting us know they were in the space with us. Before dawn, we were awakened by Mr. Joe Jenkins, of Surry, VA. Before dawn he sung the Muslim morning call to prayer. He sung it in honor of the enslaved who were Muslim and forced to convert to Christianity as a means of stripping them of their identities. One of the first things that were done to the enslaved were before boarding the slave ships, they were baptized into Christianity and given “good, Christian” names. They were forbidden to practice anything representative of their previous culture, traditions, religions or language. As Mr. Jenkins’ deep voice travelled the slave cabin, my very soul answered. My body sat straight up and I rose and walked to the other side where he sat singing in the new day. I sat with others, as tears ran down my face in awe of the very reverence of the moment.

The day was filled with the community coming out to learn about the history of Bacon’s Castle, which for the first time included the enslaved narrative in a very authentic way. Many from the Black community in Surry, stated it was the first time many of them had been on the land in decades. They believed The Slave Dwelling Project had provided an opportunity to begin a new chapter of healing from the legacy of slavery. Family members descended from the enslaved of Bacon’s Castle shared oral stories of their ancestors, elders shared experiences of their families sharecropping post slavery and some shared their hopes that the day had birthed a starting point of a new relationship with the plantation’s past. There were tears, sacred storytelling, laughter, cooking of traditional Black and Native food dishes, and lots of hugging and listening to shared pains and joys. I found myself at a tree facing the slave cabin and being brought to tears as I looked around. Wasn’t this what the ancestors had just whispered over Devin, Joseph and my shoulders the previous day? “From whence WE come!”

The Slave Dwelling Project was an opportunity for me to not only pay homage to the ancestors and educate others about the need to preserve these dwellings as part of the historical narrative, but it was also a way for me to begin healing some of the generational grief and wounded history within my ancestral line. This was one of the most sacred experiences of my entire life!