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Call & Response Call & Response News from the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission Spring/Summer 2012 Volume VII, Number 2 Message from the Chair Bhakti Larry Hough http://shpo.sc.gov/res/Pages/SCAAHC.aspx & http://scaaheritagefound.org/ A look at South Carolina African SCAAHC Board Members: American historic preservation over the past few Mr. Michael A. Allen months reveals a picture of hope and fear with Mount Pleasant Dr. Abel A. Bartley shades of irony. Clemson I want to end this message on a positive Ms. Felicia Flemming-McCall Cheraw note, so I will start with the fears. I wish I felt Ms. Jannie Harriot better than I do about the prospects for the Hartsville general appreciation, value and preservation of Mr. Bhakti Larry Hough Hemingway African American sites of historic significance Mr. Joseph J. James going forward. The demolition of the George Columbia Elmore store in Columbia recently is all the Mr. Terry James Florence evidence we need—to borrow a phrase —to be afraid, be very afraid. Dr. Barbara Williams Jenkins Elmore did more for African American people in this state— and Manning suffered economic ruin because of it—than most of us will ever do. Mr. Leon Love Lexington That, however, did not prevent the African American church that Mr. Joseph McGill, Jr. owned the building from demolishing it one week after Historic Ladson Columbia Foundation placed a state historic marker in front of it on Ms. Alada Shinault-Small North Charleston Gervais St. You’d think the building was safe; it was an African Ms. Strauss Moore Shiple American historic site owned by an African American historic York institution that is essentially the spiritual core of African American Ms. Martha Scott Smith Columbia history in the US. And look what happened. See my op-ed that was Mr. E. Richard Walton published in The State newspaper on page 5. Greenville Mr. Bernie L. Wright So, those who advocate for the preservation of Orangeburg African American historic sites don’t have the strongest of allies in Mr. Michael Bedenbaugh the African American community as a whole. As I mentioned in my Ex officio, Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation op-ed column, I understand that historic preservation in the African Dr. Millicent Brown American community is a complex issue. Reasonable people will Ex officio, Claflin University disagree about historic preservation as a major priority. Historic Dr. Bobby Donaldson Ex officio, University of SC preservation done right and well is expensive, and I don’t expect Ms. Lisa Randle saving old structures to resonate too highly among people who have Ex Officio, Magnolia Plantation & Gardens suffered disproportionate rates of unemployment, foreclosures and Ms. Denise Riley Ex officio, The Governor’s Office Dr. Larry Watson continued Ex officio, SC State University Ms. Joy Young The mission of the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission is to identify and Ex officio, SC Arts Commission promote the preservation of historic sites, structures, buildings, and culture of the African American experience in South Carolina and to assist and enhance the efforts of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Message from the Chair continued the cabin back to life. The cabin was built for slaves other financial issues during the recent economic in the 1850s. It later became a sharecropper's downturn. Major reservoirs of resources just aren’t house and was a family home in the 60s. I found there. And of course, it is a property owner’s right to Thomas’ quotes from a WIS-TV news report notewor- do whatever he/she wants with his/her property. thy: “You've got an opportunity to save these build- Still, preserving tangible history is important ings, but I guess in these economic times it's not in because it is a critical tangible and intangible stone the forefront of people's minds. But once they're in the spiritual and cultural foundation of any gone, they're gone. So it's really important that we success, prosperity and abundance that African save what's left," Thomas said. He added, "There's American people enjoy. Challenges, notwithstanding, no substitute for children learning their local history, if we don’t continue to aggressively advocate and and better than seeing it in a textbook is being able educate, I fear we will continue to lose important to touch and feel it, and see how these buildings African American historic sites at the hands of came into existence." Thomas hopes to have the African American people. cabin done in the next few weeks. There is still reason to hope. There are many From the city of Rock Hill to Beaufort and African Americans who believe in the importance of Georgetown counties, sites and properties are under preserving African American history and have made threat in various ways. The SCAACH will continue to vocations and avocations of preserving and support- raise its voice in appropriate and necessary ways ing the preservation of their history. These individu- when and where saving sites, structures and proper- als and organizations give us reason to hope that ties is a feasible alternative to destroying them or their efforts will help our community to evolve on destroying their historical integrity. this issue. See page 9 for an account of an African I trust that you will enjoy this edition of Call American church in Hilton Head that is celebrating & Response. Please contact me or any commis- local history with a state historic marker. sioner with feedback and input on the newsletter or The irony, and another reason to hope, is any other topic related to our mission. Please share that African American history is nothing more than with your family and friends information about the South Carolina history and American history that re- SCAAHC and its work and encourage them to join flects African American heritage. There are persons the South Carolina African American Heritage Foun- and organizations who appreciate it for no other dation (SCAAHF), the SCAAHC’s fundraising and reason than that. If it were not for the various kinds administrative arm. We appreciate very much any and levels of work, support and assistance of non- support you can give us. African American people, organizations and institu- tions in African American historic preservation, the state of that preservation would be dismal, indeed. That’s mainly because of the resources required. Therefore, though it is not an anomaly, it is still ironic that a major boost to African American historic preservation in SC so far this year is coming from a white Englishman, Jeremy Thomas. Thomas bought Laurelwood Plantation, located in Richland County, and the nearby slave cabin, one of the last known in the state. With inspiration from SCAAHC member Joseph McGill who is sleeping in slave cabins around the country, tech- nical assistance from SCAAHC member Jannie Harriot and a lot of help from SCAAHC ex-officio member Michael Bedenbaugh and the Palmetto Trust for Historic Preservation, Thomas is bringing 2 In The News over one hundred people in attendance. The audi- ence was welcomed by Kitty Robinson, director of A Mad Dash for Freedom: Historic Charleston Foundation. Jannie Harriot of Honoring Robert Smalls the South Carolina African American Heritage 150 years later Commission and Katherine Pemberton of Historic Katherine Saunders Pemberton Charleston Foundation followed with brief remarks. Brandon Allen then sang the spiritual My Lord, What a Morning. Finally, the four great, great, great grand- The daring and courageous story of Robert sons of Robert Smalls unveiled the historical Smalls’ seizure of the Confederate ship The Planter marker. began in the pre-dawn hours of May 13, 1862 at the The short ceremony was followed by a southernmost wharf on Charleston Harbor. One- reception in HCF’s 3rd floor Community Room and hundred fifty years later, that story has been com- was sponsored by the Edwin Gardener Memorial memorated at the site with the placement of a Fund of the Community Foundation. From this South Carolina State Historical Marker. vantage point, attendees could see the path taken Smalls, an enslaved mariner, comman- in Charleston Harbor by Robert Smalls and his deered the ship loaded with friends and family 150 years ago. Confederate guns, when its captain and others were ashore. He and fellow crew members took the ship from the Southern Wharf – just to the east of the Missroon House and sailed it north to another wharf to pick up their family members. They then sailed it into Charleston Harbor, through the Confed- Top: SCAAHC member Jannie Harriot erate lines, delivering the offers remarks in front of the veiled ship and its contents to the marker. SCAAHC member Joe McGill stands to her left. Union fleet, thus securing their freedom. Robert Left: Three of Robert Smalls’ great, Smalls went on to a distinguished career in the Un- great, great grandsons pose in front ion Navy and in public service on the state and na- of the marker. SCAAHC member tional levels. Terry James is in the rear. Historic Charleston Foundation spearheaded Below: Attendees listen carefully during the program. the effort to place a historical marker just to the Photos provided by the author south of its building at 40 East Bay Street at the Battery and worked with the Smalls Family of descendants, the African American Historical Alli- ance, the State Historic Preservation Office, the City of Charleston and the Arts and History Commission. The African American Historical Alliance also made a generous contribution towards the fabrication of the marker. The sesquicentennial anniversary of the seizure of The Planter was commemorated in May 2012 by a number of events, including the Katherine Saunders Pemberton is Associate Director of dedication of this state historical marker.
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