The Audience May Change, But The Story Is Still The Same

The year 2018 was great for the Slave Dwelling Project. I got to travel more with living historians as we traversed this nation visiting historic sites while chasing the footprints of slavery. Our applied method of sleeping in slave dwellings is now enhanced by living historians who interpret the lives of the enslaved in period dress. Our campfire conversations about slavery and the legacy it left on this nation has also become a major component of what we now offer.

The year 2019 is keeping up that pace. Our first sleepover for 2019 involved a sleepover and living history components. It was held at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens in Charleston, South Carolina. I proclaim Magnolia Plantation the unofficial headquarters of the Slave Dwelling Project.

It was at Magnolia Plantation that in May of 2010, I launched the Slave Dwelling Project. I am now employed there on a part-time basis, so if you come to Magnolia Plantation on Monday or Tuesday, come on the “From Slavery to Freedom Tour” with me.

It is in the restored cabins at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens that I have spent the most nights. It is also there that the living historians have convened the most.

The sleepover:

The Slave Dwelling Project now has the ability for anyone wanting to participate in sleepovers to sign up on the website. Great capability, something less that I must personally track, plus signing up for something increases the propensity to attend. That theory was proven wrong because we only mustered eleven people for the sleepover. What was lacking in quantity was gained in geographic diversity as the participants came from New York, North, and South Carolina.

We proceeded with business as usual. Mother Nature could not have delivered better weather on a Winter’s night. The overnight temperature was 50 degrees or greater. All the participants got to the plantation on time and chose their places to sleep inside one of four restored cabins. The new restaurant we chose, Ms. Rose’s was great.

The conversation around the campfire was somewhat awkward. Let’s just say that we were not all on the same page. Some of the details may be revealed in the entries of some who participated in the conversation and sleepover.

Living History:
This would be the third consecutive year that the February event at Magnolia would cater to school children. It was for that reason that we slept in the cabins on Thursday night and conducted the living history on Friday.

For the living history, we brought the full package. In alphabetical order:

Jerome Bias, from Mebane, North Carolina is our main cook and serves on the Slave Dwelling Project’s operations team. Jerome spent the night in the slave cabins with us. As our main cook, it was necessary for Jerome to get there the night before to ensure that the outdoor fire for his cooking demonstration was going at least two hours before the kids arrived on Friday. There is also a lot of equipment Jerome transports to make outdoor cooking possible. Jerome and I have traveled to more sites together than any other members of the group.

Sara Daise, from Pawleys Island, SC is an original member and the youngest of the crew. Her presentation is the “History of Gullah.” Initially, she hesitated about conducting her program in period clothing. Now she wears her outfit proudly and does a superb job in representing the lives of the Gullah – Geechee Ancestors in her presentation.

Carolyn Evans is from Raleigh, NC and is returning to the team for a second consecutive year. Carolyn is a storyteller who portrays Harriet Tubman. Carolyn participated in the fireside conversation, but not the sleepover.

Germaine Jenkins is from North Charleston and is the owner of Fresh Future Farm. She serves on the team as a cook assistant and is returning to the team for a second year. 

Christine Mitchell lives in North Charleston, SC and is my coworker at the Old Slave Mart Museum in Charleston, SC. Christine is an original member of the team, her presentation is titled “The Business of Slavery,” I personally refer to the lecture as “The Buying and Selling of People,” but Christine made me change the title.

Nicole Moore lives in Atlanta, GA, she is a board member of the Slave Dwelling Project. She is Manager of Education and Museum Content at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, GA. Her role on the team is cook assistant, however, her role this time was to shadow me in anticipation of her taking charge of the next sleepover/living history program that will be held at Magnolia Plantation in July. 

Rodney Prioleau lives in Hanahan, SC and is new to the team of living historians. Rodney demonstrates brick making, a vital component of the story we tell. This would be his second event with us. His first was three weeks prior at Hampton Plantation in Charleston County.

Gilbert Walker is from Savannah, GA, he is an original member and is our blacksmith.

Dontavius Williams is from Edgemoor, SC, an original member of the team, he wears many hats, which includes cook assistant, lead cook, but he shines more as a storyteller. Dontavius participated in the fireside chat and the sleepover. 

We wanted to hit the kids with some new ways to keep them engaged this year. Our solution was creating an activity sheet, which would require each kid to answer questions to receive a prize in the end. They would have to visit the cook, brick maker, blacksmith and storytelling stations to answer all the questions. This worked well, except that the educators of the group are now redesigning the activity sheet to make it more challenging for the kids, but that’s a good problem to have.

Conclusion

I paint the Magnolia Plantation event a success. We transformed cabins, originally lived in by enslaved rice growing field hands, into an open classroom. We told the stories of those who were muted and considered less of a person by law. We told of their skills as cooks and how they made do by supplementing the mush and slat-pork they were issued on a weekly basis with those ingredients that they found in nature or created. They are ingredients that we still use today in cooking.

We told of the stories of the blacksmith whose skills were needed for plantations to become self- sufficient. Yet, it was highly probable that if allowed to be hired out, and if he could keep the money he made, he, more than most of the enslaved could strike a deal to buy his freedom, and, if it applied, the freedom of his family.

 

 

We demonstrated how bricks were made. It is highly likely, that all the bricks in the city of Charleston, South Carolina that were made prior to 1860, were made by slave labor.

We told the audience about the business of slavery; we shared with them the roots of Gullah Geechee; we told stories about Harriet Tubman and Adam the blacksmith.

Thank you, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. As we strive to tell a more complete story of what historically happened on plantations, it is great to know that you are not afraid of the subject. Charleston, we will again present this program July 6 – 7, 2019 and October 4 -5, 2019 at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. I hope that you will be able to join us.

Cheri Bressard Lontrato

Hello!
First of all, thank you for all you are trying to do to bring awareness of the enslaved and access to the dwellings!
My 2 guests and myself were very excited to learn about our history and actually sleep in a cabin that was slept in by the enslaved families all those years ago.

Unfortunately, the campfire conversation was not what I thought or hoped it would be. There seemed to be no agenda but to have an open discussion of whatever anyone wanted to talk about. It was all over the place… From being bullied in school, to poison ivy, to some slavery discussion, to tours not promoting the cabin tours, etc. etc.

Apparently, we are on all levels of knowledge of what the stories of the enslaved are…from having a 17 yr old student..to someone like me that is in beginning stage of trying to learn more…to having people be 3rd time attending..to very educated people on the subject (yourself) present. I personally feel I have a lot to learn and understand about this part of my history, but could not ask questions because there was no agenda of sequence to follow that we were discussing…it was all over the place and quite confusing to be honest.

I feel I would have walked away with quite a lot of knowledge and understanding if there was an agenda loosely followed such as-
— Stories of enslaved Africans background and overall culture
-touching on treatment, work, language, arts/skills, religion, food, family life

Then open for discussion and questions. I personally know several of us would have many questions for you

—Freedom of the enslaved
—Contribution/impact on history local, regional, national, globally
-Open for discussion/questions again

—Present … how are we trying to honor enslaved ancestors? What areas are being found of dwellings etc, misc open discussion

I walked away disappointed with very little added knowledge than I already knew. People were excited to hear about my experience afterwards, and unfortunately, I couldn’t tell them very much. Nothing was even discussed specifically about the Magnolia cabins that we slept in and the enslaved that lived in them….
This is my experience.

Susan Mcburnett

I spent the night at the slave cabins at Magnolia Gardens with Joe Mcgill and the other members of the Slave Dwelling Project. I always learn a lot when I am with this group. I invited my friend Val who is a tour guide in Charleston. She is actually doing the slave tour there. We had a very interesting discussion about what tour guides are allowed to talk about and about how a lot of tour companies do not like to talk about the history of slavery. Which to me doesn’t make a lot of sense. Most of Charleston’s history had to do with slavery. The buildings in Charleston, the plantations that surround Charleston and the Civil War. How can you not talk about it. History is very important to me and what I want to know is the real history. I don’t want to be told stories that make it look good. I want the real history. I think by sugarcoating history, we are disrespecting it.

I think the people in this group are very interesting and I have a deep respect for them and the knowledge they have of this subject. There was also a family that came that didn’t seem to get out of the discussion what they wanted. I think they thought it would be more like a class or lecture than a discussion. I wish they had tried to participate more, then they might have understood more of what this group is trying to do.

Pastor Greg Van Dyke
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church

I arrived at Magnolia about 5:30 on Thursday evening. Joe was still sweeping out the dwellings. Things were quiet, even tranquil, and yet I know the history of this place. The lives that were shared there, and the lives that were robbed of so much there.

Joe told me I could go ahead and pick a spot, so I went to the last dwelling. As I stepped through the door I had my first thought of “what have I gotten myself into?” as I tried to find a place to roll out my mat and sleeping bag. Momentarily I considered sleeping in the car, but that thought gave way to the recognition of so many human beings that had no choice but to sleep there, those who were there by force and not of their own free will. I rolled out my mat and sleeping bag.

As others started to arrive and we introduced ourselves to one another, it became clear that we were all here for the same experience. Yet, we were not all there from the same experience. Women and men, white and black, Northern and Southern, younger and older, each brining a piece of ourselves into a state of not knowing what to expect.

At dinner the restaurant was superb and the conversation engaging, and a bit challenging. Once we arrived back at Magnolia and the fire was casting its glow, Joe told us that our agenda was his agenda for the evening. He told us that the conversation around that fire, had the potential to shine the brightest light of all.

Joe was right. I listened a lot. I spoke when I had something to say. Over the course of that conversation I realized how far we’ve come since the enslaved lived in those dwellings. Yet, I was reminded of how much further we have to go, to deepen and extend the conversation from history, into the present, and on to the future.

It was clear that Joe, Jerome, Dontavius, and the rest of their team had done this before. They were patient with our questions and our stories. They let us build our own experience of this place, and they weren’t afraid to share their own.

I felt humbled to be there. It felt like holy ground.

I earned an even deeper respect for the women, men, and children who were robbed of so much. I have never seen their faces, and will likely never know any of their names. Yet, they have shared a part of their story with me, and I am thankful for that. I hope to be a good steward of that story, so that they might be honored by what I do with this experience.

We have a long way to go still in understanding the history and the consequences of enslavement. Yet, The Slave Dwelling Project and the experience they provide is a gift beyond price to building dialogue, sharing stories, and casting a vision for the future.