FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 30, 2020
Contact: Marie Cheek, Community Relations for Culture & Heritage Museums 803.909.7312 mcheek@chmuseums.org
“By Way of the Back Door” reflects on African American heritage at Historic Brattonsville
MCCONNELLS, S.C. – Historic Brattonsville’s living history programs look more deeply into how enslaved people lived on the plantation. “By Way of the Back Door” offers special guided tours at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. every Saturday during the month of February. Throughout the day, programs and activities highlight African American foodways and work on the plantation through the 18th and 19th centuries.
By Way of the Back Door special programing elements:
Feb. 1 – Focusing on plantation in the 18th century, learn about an enslaved man named Watt, his role in the American Revolution, and the war’s impact on African Americans in South Carolina.
Feb 8 – Enslaved cooks on the plantation infused their dishes with African food traditions; learn how their culinary repertoire influenced Southern foodways.
Feb. 15 – Moving into the 19th century, the plantation prospers in the cotton economy; learn how American history was shaped by enslaved field and domestic workers.
Feb.22 – As skilled tradespeople on the plantation, enslaved African Americans worked as blacksmiths, woodworkers, seamstresses and tailors; demonstrations of these trades underscore the value of the American working class.
Feb. 29 – Descendants of Brattonsville’s enslaved will be on site to share their family stories and offer insight on how African American culture persevered.
Historic Brattonsville is included in “The Green Book of South Carolina” – a travel guide to significant African American heritage and cultural destinations across the state. Learn more: https://greenbookofsc.com/locations/historic-brattonsville
“By Way of the Back Door” every Saturday in February from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. with special guided tours at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Historic Brattonsville is located at 1444 Brattonsville Road, McConnells, S.C. 29726.
Phone – 803.684.2327. For more information go to www.chmuseums.org
Admission: Adult, $8; Senior, $7; Youth ages 4-17, $5; CHM members and children 3 and under are admitted FREE.
Images:
“By Way of the Back Door” – Historical dressed interpreters reflect on the way of life for African Americans on the plantation during the 18th & 19th centuries. Photo by CHM staff taken during a previous event. For high-resolution images contact Marie Cheek.
About Historic Brattonsville:
Historic Brattonsville features over thirty colonial and antebellum structures, including two house museums. The plantation spreads over 800 acres and includes farmed land with heritage breed animals, a Revolutionary War battlefield site, and a nature preserve with miles of walking trails. Seasonal events, reenactments, and living history programs interpret Carolina backcountry life from the 1760s to the late 19th century. Historic Brattonsville is part of Culture & Heritage Museums of York County, S.C. The mission of Culture & Heritage Museums is to communicate and preserve the natural and cultural histories of the Carolina Piedmont.