Charleston, SC

Denmark Vesey Residence
DESCRIPTION: Denmark Vesey (1767-1822) was born enslaved on the Virgin Islands; He settled in this residence, opened his carpentry shop and became a successful businessman; He planned an uprising against slavery in 1822 that was thwarted by a leak beforehand; his home is a National Historic Landmark

ADDRESS: 56 Bull Street  MAP

Catfish Row
DESCRIPTION: African American residents sold produce on window sills on this section of Church Street, which was the inspiration for Catfish Row in the Dubose Heyword story of Porgy; the story later became an opera and movie Porgy and Bess, providing a fictionalized glimpse of Charleston’s Black life during the 1920’s; the character Porgy was based on an actual Charlestonian, Samuel Smalls

ADDRESS: 91 Church Street  MAP

Aiken-Rhett House
DESCRIPTION: Built by merchant John Robinson in 1818 and acquired by William Aiken, Jr. in 1833 resulted in remodeling, which created one of Charleston's most palatial residences; one of the nation's most complete and compelling glimpses of early urban life for African Americans; listed in the National Register of Historic Places

ADMISSION: $7

DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Sat 10a-5p; Sun 2p-5p

ADDRESS: 48 Elizabeth Street  MAP

PHONE: 843-723-1159

Drayton Hall
DESCRIPTION: Established as Ashley River plantation in 1738, the ‘Big House’ provides a graphic record of African American craftsmanship; nature trails lead visitors to work sites and landscapes; take advantage of resources for genealogical searches here; historical photos and videotapes of African American life are also present; Don’t miss the African American Cemetery, Sacred Site, along the long drive in; gravesites are of slaves and freedmen who lived and worked on the plantation

ADDRESS: 3380 Ashley River Road  MAP

PHONE: 843-766-0188

Magnolia Plantation
DESCRIPTION: Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, Magnolia Plantation has been the ancestral home of the Drayton family since 1676; includes over 30 acres of gardens making it the oldest major public gardens in the U.S; features miles of canoe, bike, walking trails and a “Street” of antebellum slave cabins and the Native American ceremonial mound; also has Biblical Garden, Barbados Tropical Garden, and petting zoo

ADDRESS: 3550 Ashley River Road  MAP

PHONE: 843-571-1266

WEBSITE: http://www.magnoliaplantation.com

Middleton Plantation
DESCRIPTION: Settled in 1741 by the politically affluent Middleton family, today Eliza’s House is the former home of two freemen, Ned and Chloe; the current house was built circa 1870; a self-guided tour of the stable yards provides a glimpse of the tasks slaves performed here; educational group tours available

ADDRESS: 4300 Ashley River Road  MAP

PHONE: 843-556-6020

Jenkin’s Orphanage
DESCRIPTION: Founded 1891 by Rev. Daniel Jenkins, a Baptist minister, the orphanage occupied this structure 1895-1939; building also served as Marine and Confederate hospital during the Civil War and as a free school for Black children 1866-1870

ADDRESS: 20 Franklin Street  MAP

Old Jail
DESCRIPTION: Built in 1802; free Black sailors were confined here until their ships left as mandated by the Negro Seaman’s Act, passed in response to Denmark Vesey’s failed uprising plan in 1822

ADDRESS: 21 Magazine Street  MAP

Burke High School
DESCRIPTION: Built in circa 1948; this historically Black high school had several famous graduates, including former Charlotte mayor, Harvey Gantt, who went on to desegregate Clemson College (now Clemson University) in 1963; the school is closed now, and stands directly across from the new Burke High School, which Gantt helped build

ADDRESS: 244 President Street  MAP

PHONE: 843-724-7784

WEBSITE: http://www.cofc.edu/avery/gatheringmembers_01.htm

Mt. Pleasant, SC

Charles Pinckney Natural Historic Site
DESCRIPTION: Last protected remnant of Snee Farm, the country estate of Charles Pinckney (1754-1824) is the Charles Pinckney Natural Historic Site; Pinckney was a statesman, revolutionary war officer and a principal framer of the U.S. Constitution; the site contains archeological discoveries, an 1820’s tidewater cottage, and interpretations of African-American life and contributions during the colonial era; 9a-5p daily (until 6p Memorial Day-Labor Day)

ADDRESS: 1254 Long Point Road  MAP

PHONE: 843-881-5516

Boone Hall Plantation
DESCRIPTION: Settled in the 1680’s, “Slave Street” features nine original slave row houses brick, tiles, rice and pecans were the plantation’s primary commodities; a row of brick slave quarters dating back to the 1740’s and the ‘big house’ built in the 1930’s on are open to the public during normal business hours; one of the slaves cabins was used in the movie Alex Haley movie Queen starring Halley Berry

Mon–Sat 9a–5p, Sun 1p-4p

ADDRESS: 1235 Long Point Road  MAP

PHONE: 843-884-4371

Morris Island, SC

Fort Wagner
DESCRIPTION: Massachusetts 54th Colored Regiment, portrayed in the movie Glory fought heroically on this island in Charleston’s harbor; see Colored Troops Glorious Assault on Fort Wagner

ADDRESS: entrance to Charleston Harbor  MAP

McClellanville, SC

Hampton Plantation State Park
DESCRIPTION: Homestead to the Horrys, a French Huguenot (Protestant) family who came to South Carolina to escape religious persecution in their homeland, the ‘big house’ dates back to 1750; by 1760, there were 320 slaves on the property -- a contridiction of Christian values; the house structure is offers a look at African-American craftsmanship of that period; guided house tours to interpret slave life and a self-guided tour of the former rice fields punctuate this experience

ADDRESS: 1950 Rutledge Road  MAP

PHONE: 843-546-9361

Rantowles, SC

Stono River Slave Rebellion Site
DESCRIPTION: On 9 September 1739, an Angolan slave named Jemy led a small group of African slaves to raid a planters house for tools and weapons; they marched towards Spanish controlled St. Augustine, where they thought they were heading to freedom; over time the group grew to 80 escaped slaves; they burned plantations and killed suspected plantation owners along the way; after marching about 12 miles South, they encountered militia who killed nearly half of them; shortly after the rebellion, rigid Slave Codes were passed in the Southern colonies to limit the freedom and rights of all enslaved people and Free Persons of Color; a National Historic Landmark

ADDRESS: off US Route 17, on the west bank of the Wallace River before you enter Hollywood, SC  MAP