by Payton Waters

For my blog post, I chose to visit Middleton Place. Middleton Place is a plantation that was originally owned by the Williams family. After the original owner, John Williams passed away, the plantation was passed down to his daughter Mary Williams. Williams then married a man by the name of Henry Middleton which consequently led to the name change of the estate. The Middleton family were avid supporters of the Confederacy and they played major roles in the founding of the United States of America. The original main estate and north flanker were burned down during the Civil War, leaving only one building standing. Today, the one remaining house is staged with all original furniture, artwork, decor, and more that belonged to the Middleton family.

We have often discussed the vital role that Christianity and God played for many African Americans during this time period. Another structure that survived the Civil War was the Spring House and plantation chapel. The building was originally built in 1741 but the chapel was added in 1851 by Williams Middleton and his wife, Susan Pringle Smith. The idea for the chapel was encouraged by Susan because of her experience growing up on plantations with chapels for enslaved individuals. The actual construction is presumed to have been done by Williams’ three main slave carpenters, Billy, Henley, and William. The Spring House is perched atop a hill with the chapel on the upper floor. The chapel is located right along the edge of Mill Pond. The view of the water adds a sense of serenity to the already spiritual space.

The chapel itself was very small. It was about two-thirds the size of our classroom. There was a small cross placed above the fireplace, with two rows of three benches each facing it. This struck me because it is assumed that there were upwards of 800 slaves that resided on the Middleton plantation. In addition, the chapel was open for use for any white person living or visiting the plantation as well. While the slaves made up the overwhelming majority of the population at the estate, they still were only given a very small space to dedicate to their worship.

This space was dedicated to religious lessons, Sunday services, baptisms, marriages, confirmations, and funerals. Oftentimes, slaves from other plantations would come and get married in the Middleton’s chapel. These marriages would be recognized by Middleton Place and other plantations but they were not technically recognized by the South Carolina government.

Overall, the experience reaffirmed the idea that spirtuality was one of the main focuses of African American culture during slavery. It was clear that this particular chapel, no matter the size, was important to those that resided at Middleton Place and even those that were on other plantations. This chapel seemed to be one of the only places on the plantation that the slaves were able to exercise the same rights that their white owners were able to have wherever they pleased.

By: Dahlia Watson

Today I visited the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon on East Bay Street. The Architecture of the building was magnificent, representing a Georgian-Palladian design which showcased the significant wealth of its original owner. The large and informative posters on the top floor really captivated my attention. They provided information about historically significant Charlestians such as Rebecca Motte, remembered as a revolutionary war hero, and Benjamin Boseman, the first African-American Postmaster in Charleston. Additionally, there was a lot of information relating to the Transatlantic Slave Trade, positioning the Old Exchange building as a common slave auction in the heart of Charleston. I was extremely interested in a display box (although I wasn’t able to get a picture of it, sorry!!) which contained artifacts of enslaved persons. Within this box there were small metal tags which were attached to the enslaved people to indicate who they belonged to. Along with small metal tags that were indicative of a “free colored.” I was astonished to discover that free blacks lived on the Charleston peninsula and that even though they were free they still had to wear a little metal tag, similar to a dog tag, to indicate that they were not owned by other human beings. Also within this display box, two small rusted metal chains and a ovular metal band reveal the cruelties faced by enslaved persons in Charleston. The description of the ovular metal band denoted it as “slave collar” which was used as a torturing device while functioning to reveal which slaves were seen as dangerous or at risk for an escape. 

I have seen photos and artifacts like this before but it never ceases to amaze me. I am blown away by the immense degradation of one race for the complete comfort and luxury of another. The dingy, rusted metal chains inside of the beautifully exquisite architecture provides a very subtle clue on how early Charlestians became so wealthy and how they were able to sustain resources to fund the Revolutionary War. Seeing these artifacts made me very curious to know how enslaved persons were feeling during the time of the Revolutionary War and if they were aware that their labor was contributing to a war to keep them enslaved. Additionally, I was thinking about our discussion in class yesterday about Thomas Jefferson. What should we do with this history? Yes, as interesting as it was to see these artifacts on display and walk through the walls of where some of the most important decisions relating to the state of South Carolina were made, it all still feels a little too glorified. While the only thing we can do with history is study it to prevent it from occurring again, I feel as if these displays almost serve to desensitize our understanding of slavery in South Carolina. Perhaps it’s the portraits and letters written to, for, and about white men that hang and linger over these metal torture devices, unfit for our pets, but used on human beings. Perhaps it’s the busy, rambunctious tourists filing in and out, quickly gazing at human slave collars and casually scrolling to the next contextual piece in attempt to understand what that contorted piece of metal was. While artifacts provide tangible evidence of our troubling past, literature provides detailed and reflective accounts of the sentiments and perspectives of people from the past. Until the limited amount of African American literature that we have (due to laws preventing slaves to learn how to read and write) finds a home on modern syllabi this history of our past will continue to stay locked up, on display and separated from our comprehension.

The Charleston Museum is full of wonderful history dating back to the beginning of time. Nevertheless, for the purpose of this blog, I spent a lot of time in the American Revolution exhibit: the late 1700s, and the early 1800s.

What struck me so much about the American Revolution in the Americas is just how much of an impact it had on not only South Carolina, but also African Americans and the indigenous people. I learned some interesting facts about where Charleston stood at the time of the Revolution’s start. It was the “fourth largest city”: a place of trade, especially cotton, and slavery. However, the Lowcountry and Backcountry had been divided by those who supported the British and those who did not. Because of this, the two countries became hostile towards each other. There were so many different people, and most of them supported either the Crown, Loyalists, the patriots, or the Whigs.

What really struck me was how South Carolina, especially Charleston, was put under siege during the Revolution–almost as bad as the Civil War, which was another exhibit I looked at. Charleston was captured and many people were either enslaved or taken hostage. The British stayed in Charleston until the end of the war. It was just incredible learning how strong the civilians stayed during this time, because they believed they could gain their independence. What proved that to them was the Battle of Sullivan’s Island. The British attacked Fort Moultrie and came ashore to spread even more death and destruction inland. However, despite the fort not being finished, it still withstood the cannon fire rather well, allowing for a nice shield for the American troops. Many were killed, yes, but the Americans did not give up, and eventually, the British troops pulled back. The exhibit said that it was that battle where Americans knew they had a chance in the war. In my opinion, I think it was a turning point for it.

The aftermath of the war was devastating, especially on the Native Americans. Since we’ve been talking a lot about the natives in class, I decided to spend some ample time studying this part of the exhibit. Starting from the year 1685 to the year 1790, the native population dropped drastically–especially at the end of the war. Between 1715 and 1790, over 4,000 Native Americans lost their homes as more slaves started to move into the county. At the end of the war, people pushed their enslaved territories further inland, which put pressure on the native tribes. The exhibit said that these invasions caused a lot of conflict and violence, but at the end of the day, the settlers won. Many Native Americans were either killed or converted. The Revolutionary War caused them to lose their identities. This was both fascinating and disturbing to me.

I ended my exploration on the tale of Francis Marion, a well-known soldier during the Revolutionary times. I never knew that he gained his military expertise by fighting against the Cherokee. They took their environment and terrain into consideration, and Marion learned from that to assist him in his famous “The British are coming!” run. Marion was good with stealth and surprise attacks. It was much like a fox, so that was why he was given the nickname the “Swamp Fox” after he died.

Overall, I really enjoyed my visit to the museum. I learned a lot about South Carolina and how big of a role it played in the Revolutionary War. At the end of the day, people knew the state by its role in trade and cotton, and its part at the Battle of Sullivan’s Island. If the Americans had not won that battle, I feel that our history would be very different.

By: Grace Nichols

The Heyward-Washington House, built in the early 1770s was once lived in by founding fathers, but now is a house museum full of Charleston artifacts. These artifacts, mainly high style furniture from the late 18^th century reflect the material culture of Charleston elite. The tour focused on the patriots and founding fathers who stayed in the house. Thomas Heyward Jr., one of the youngest men to sign the Declaration of Independence lived in the house after his father built it for him. Heyward also participated in the Siege of Charleston against the British and was exiled to St. Augustine for a yearafterwards. The house itself was an extra downtown home for Heyward as many rich plantation owners lived on their plantations full time and had another central downtown home for the convince of entertaining and conducting business. With that purpose in mind, many patriots met in the home including George Washington, who stayed there for a small period when visiting Charleston.

Bookcase The house’s most grand piece of furniture was a library bookcase, considered to be “a masterpiece of its time,” and one of the best examples of early American furniture. This Holmes bookcase was made by Martin Pfeninger using expensive Mahogany and Cyprus wood native to Charleston. With ornate German-esc curvatures and fixtures such as the moveable flowers on top the piece was extremely expensive then and solidified the elite status of the owner.

Another piece of furniture that does not “priceless” stature of the bookcase, but caught my attention was a traveling dresser. At first glance, this dresser looks like a normal one, but it breaks off into 3 separate pieces with handles on the sides that turn the dresser into a traveling trunk. For the purposes of traveling back and forth between a plantation house and a downtown home this piece of furniture works perfectly for rich Charlestonians.

Dresser and Suitcase Trunk

One discrepancy I had with the tour relates to our class discussion we had on Thursday. For my discussion post I relayed how important it is to remember history accurately. To educate history properly, people and certain events should not be glorified, but rather the context must be laid out in a way that also condemns any wrong doings. The Heyward-Washington House tour failed to properly communicate the immense role Charleston had in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. While they did mention slavery, it was not a point they highlighted very much. They focused more on the material culture and figures important to the house’s history (so Heyward, Washington, and two early feminist daughters in the family). It felt that they were trying to lean away from the darker parts of history and highlight figures that made the house’s history more positive.

Conversely, a few weeks ago I went to the Edmondson-Alston House (a house museum in Charleston) for another class, and there they made sure to bring up the role that slave labor played in the house’s history. There, they immediately explained that the house was built using slave labor, something not mentioned at the Heyward-Washington house, but I can only assume that slave labor was used to build the house. They also gave some examples of horrible things the slaves had to do there, and really got into Charleston’s role in the slave trade which included how the slave badge system worked in Charleston. At the Edmondson-Alston House they also had a list of all the known names of slaves that worked in the house. This is the right way to do it, explaining the horrible things rather than glossing over so we can remember history accurately and honoring the people who were harmed. Overall, I did enjoy seeing the Heyward-Washington House. It had very beautiful things inside that showed the wealth of some 18^th century people, but I had issues with the lack of talking about the role enslaved people played.

By: Sarah Savage

After reading the potential museum options for this blog post assignment, I found myself gravitating towards the Old Exchange and Provost’s Dungeon. I can’t explain why I chose this one really, perhaps because I had never heard of it before, or maybe even because the word “dungeon” piqued my interest. Either way, I made my decision, and punched 122 East Bay Street into my GPS and I was on my way. When Siri informed me that I had arrived at my destination, I was surprised to discover that I was actually familiar with the building that was the Old Exchange. I had passed by it several times in the four years that I have lived in Charleston, but never knew what it was. The building had always intrigued me, but it is right smack dab in the middle of tourist central, so I suppose that’s why I never investigated further. Once I walked up the grand steps, I was greeted by a man in an authentic colonial costume. I thought to myself, “Damn, I like this place already.” Once inside, my spirits were once again lifted when I spoke to the lovely elderly lady behind the counter (also dressed in colonial garb) and she informed me that there was a student discount. Score! Once I started walking around the museum, I couldn’t help but think to myself that there was a lot of open or empty space that was not being utilized. Maybe this was just an OCD observation, but I felt as though there was so much more room for other displays. There were several portraits on the walls, including descriptions which I enjoyed reading. Additionally, I loved the fact that the museum’s artifacts and displays were tailored around Charleston itself. We were given pictures of Washington in Charleston, as well as a brief biography of Francis Marion. Perhaps the most interesting display that I came across in the entire museum was the one that described the lives of women during the eighteenth century. Don’t get me wrong, battle history is always interesting, as well as the words of Jefferson and Franklin, but what about the women? There are unfortunately not many women who rose to notable status during this time, because someone had to be at home making dinner and raising the children. And I think that the part that women played in this time period is just as historically important as any other aspect of the American Revolution. The two displays were titled “Women in Public Life” and “Private and Family Life”. I found this display both intriguing as well as important because it is so often overlooked. The first sentence really set the tone for me: “Women’s lives within the public realm were heavily regulated both culturally and legally.” I was so interested in this text because it showed that women really did not have any shred of agency. I was shocked, however, to discover that the state of South Carolina “had one of the highest rates of female property ownership in the colonies.” I can’t say that I expected this from the state of South Carolina, but I am certainly impressed nonetheless. My favorite part of this display, however, were the words of colonial women taken from their own journals. These women relay their stresses and fatigues with their personal and privatized lives, and these quotes make for an excellent primary source.