Between the Waters VOLUME XVI, ISSUE I SPRING 2015 B O A R D O F TRU S T E E S Hugh C. Lane, Jr. Chairman Voices of the Village Benjamin T. Zeigler Vice Chairman s Robert McClary Benedict P. Rosen climbed the steps as part of his nationwide Treasurer of a former slave work to encourage preserva- cabin and stood tion of existing slave dwell- Albert Baruch Mercer, MD Abeside the fireplace, he point- ings. McGill has spent the Secretary ed out where his mother sat at night in dwellings in 14 the end of the evening, de- states, including Alabama, Roland Alston scribing her day as a cook’s Mississippi, Texas, Connect- Edward B. Bowers, Jr. helper at Hobcaw House. icut, and Massachusetts, Edwin H. Cooper, III McClary’s wife and five with one of his first over- W. Leighton Lord daughters leaned in and night stays in Hobcaw asked, “Why didn’t you ever Barony’s Friendfield Vil- Grainger McKoy bring us here before now?” lage. At the first annual Dale Rosengarten, PhD McClary answered quietly, “I Slave Dwelling Conference Minor Mickel Shaw was afraid you wouldn’t un- he organized in Savannah, C. Dorn Smith, III, MD derstand why I love this place he stated, “The Belle W. so much.” Baruch Foundation’s efforts at preserving and interpret- An ongoing collaboration INSIDE THIS ing the lives of all the resi- between The Belle W. Ba- dents of the plantation---not I S S U E : ruch Foundation and SC Edu- just the rice planters or Ba- cational Television is result- Robert McClary & Joseph McGill at Friendfield. Voices of the Village 1 ruch and his two most fa- ing in an interactive website, Photo by Eileen Keithly, Georgetown Times. mous visitors, Winston Between the Waters, featur- Churchill and Franklin Roo- ing interviews with former residents of the villages Joshua Shubrick, Sr. 3 sevelt---are to be commended.” of Hobcaw Barony, lived in by slave descendants Marianne Mackey 3 until 1952. SCETV created a one-hour film in Executive Director George Chastain welcomed 2011 that continues to air regularly, but director/ Friends and donors to a Thursday night supper at Special Tour 4 producer Betsy Newman said, “I felt compelled to dusk in the village, where guests heard why “these continue to seek other avenues of documentation. places matter.” He explained the Foundation’s An interactive website, to be launched in 2016, mission statement, broadened since Belle Baruch’s Executive Director 5 serves as a valuable resource to persons at all establishment of the Foundation, to include preser- Notes learning levels. By securing funding from the Na- vation of natural and cultural resources here at tional Endowment for the Humanities and the Hu- Hobcaw Barony. Summer Ecology 6 manities Council of SC, ETV has been able to ex- Camp pand our work.” Joe McGill opened many eyes with the revelations of the slave dwellings he has discovered in north- Volunteer Orienta- That funding also allowed for “Voices of the Vil- 7 ern states and his work to bring an awareness to tion Event lage” to be presented as a weekend program over the full story of slavery and its aftermath. Bob three days in March. Joseph P. McGill, Jr., founder McClary and his wife, now of Grosse Point, Mich- and director of the Slave Dwelling Project and Volunteers 8 igan, as well as an entourage of his extended fami- former program officer for the National Trust for ly were introduced that night. Lowcountry Giving 9 Historic Preservation, returned to Hobcaw Barony Day (continued on page 2) Hobcaw Happenings 10 Lecture Series 13 P A G E 2 On Friday morning, north provides a contrast 150 elementary stu- between rural heritage and Thank you to our dents attended a field urban existence. Opportuni- study and interacted ties for reunions and home- Event Sponsors: with musicians in the comings will yield infor- 19th century church mation new to both the fami- Georgetown Kraft and interpreters in lies and to the foundation.” the slave cabins, Credit Union Public programming contin- spoke directly with The McClary Family ued on Saturday in Friend- 85 year old McClary The Humanities field Village with Joe and were quizzed by McGill, also a reenactor with the 54th Massachu- Council SC McGill. Lee Brockington, a senior interpreter for setts Regiment, leading discussions on America’s the Foundation, remembers one third-grader’s SCETV history of slavery in the north and in the south. epiphany, “I learned today that slaves had children. Meanwhile, Bob McClary pointed out that emanci- I guess I knew that, but I just never thought about it pation did little to change the way of life of planta- before.” An education goal tion residents at Hobcaw Barony, but 20th Century sought by all the leaders that owners like Bernard and Belle Baruch did provide day was reached---thinking jobs, a schoolhouse, a free medical clinic, transpor- hard about the past. tation into town and access to food from the woods A lunchtime lecture to a com- and marshes. Laura Herriott, a resident of nearby munity group featured Brock- Sandy Island, of- ington and William P. Baldwin fered servings of as they discussed the role of her Lowcountry race relations on the cooking, reflective Waccamaw Neck. Through the of southern food- published memoirs of Gene- ways shaped by vieve “Sister” Peterkin, readers West African in- Robert McClary & Lee Brockington learned of the struggle to fluences. bring equal opportunities A noon presentation from the pews of to the black population of Between the Waters Friendfield Church galvanized the pro- the area in the 1930s. As Blog: gram participants to continue to seek the comparisons were made makinghistorybtw.com truth, to preserve buildings and their sto- to Bob McClary’s life, ries, and to support Hobcaw Barony in its new residents in the audi- mission to be a laboratory for learning. ence heard of the co- dependency between About 650 people were present or partici- white and black persons pated via the social media campaign. after the Civil War and especially during the Great “SCETV’s Between the Waters Project” is enabling Depression. various voices to tell a more complete story of the Friday evening, panelists McGill, McClary and *All photos from this Brockington were led by Dr. Valinda Littlefield, director of the African American Studies program event were provided by at University of South Carolina (USC), in a discus- Eileen Keithly, The sion that was streamed over the internet and provid- Georgetown Times ed a “live chat” opportunity from an audience via www.makinghistorybtw.org. Ramon Jackson, the NEH Scholar hired through SCETV’s three year grant project, organized the special features of the broadcast and commented on the powerful moments that celebrated McClary’s homecom- plantation. Future collaborations with universities ing. “Hobcaw has made a step for- and colleges already in place promise a broad spec- ward toward connecting slave de- trum of possibilities to expand the knowledge of scendants to their ancestral space. Laura Herriot (Right) & Guest the natural and the human evolution of Hobcaw The stories of their lives here and Barony. their migration in many cases to the BETWEEN THE WATERS VOLUME XVI, ISSUE I P A G E 3 In Memory of Joshua Shubrick, Sr. New Volunteer 1933-2015 Coordinator arianne Mackey Natural Resources volunteers joined The Belle are building duck boxes and W. Baruch helping to count Red-Cockaded Foundation in Woodpecker nests. Marianne MJanuary to lead our team of 90+ arranges training for all of these volunteers. Her responsibilities and works with volunteer will include recruiting, schedulers to ensure adequate educating and appreciating the volunteer staffing for the growing corps of volunteers at myriad of activities taking place Hobcaw Barony who make at Hobcaw Barony every day. daily operations a reality. She concludes, "Hobcaw Barony is an extraordinary With over 30 years experience place, bringing together natural in client management, project beauty and conservation, management, strategic and Above: Rendering of Joshua Shubrick, Sr. at Friendfield Village by artist forestry and marine research tactical planning in the financial Maura Kenney and 37 historically significant services arena, Marianne is no buildings. This 16,000 acre stranger to teamwork and ormer Hobcaw Barony resident Mr. Joshua Shubrick, nature preserve and learning innovation. She explains, “My Sr., left a lasting legacy of his life at Hobcaw Barony center could not be run without before passing away in March. As a volunteer for The responsibilities were most often the very critical efforts of our in the introduction of new Belle W. Baruch Foundation after a career in dedicated volunteers. It is my FWashington, DC, Joshua participated in many projects that products and services, and their honor and pleasure to work expansion into new markets. revealed his quest for finding peace at home. with them." Ultimately, it was all about The son of Nellie McCants and grandson of Timothy and managing teams and clients After twenty years of Josephine McCants of Friendfield Village, Joshua attended the through change. This vacationing in Pawleys Island, one-room Strawberry School at Hobcaw Barony. After experience will serve me well Marianne is now a five-year graduating from Howard High School in Georgetown, he served as Hobcaw Barony continues to resident of DeBordieu Colony. in the US Army’s 82nd Airborne in Korea and worked for the US evolve.” Postal Service in DC. Hobcaw Barony Volunteers Joshua and his wife, Alice, returned to Georgetown in 2000. He work as docents for our public became active at First Baptist Church and at Hobcaw Barony, tours and programs as well as assisting with public programs and plantation heritage school with school field studies.