Media Alert
For Immediate Release: Feb. 18, 2025
Media Contact:
Marie Cheek
Community Relations Coordinator
Culture & Heritage Museums
www.chmuseums.org
803.909.7312 mcheek@chmuseums.org
Ancestral Burial Ground to be reconsecrated by the Brattonsville Descendant Community
McCONNELLS, S.C. – Recent archaeological examination has determined that a forested five-acre plot at Historic Brattonsville is the final resting place for at least 481 people of African descent and one of the largest enslaved burial grounds in the Carolina Piedmont. Identified with ground penetrating radar, the graves, many without a surviving marker, are oriented toward the rising sun. The cemetery has been the focus of many years of ongoing research organized by Culture & Heritage Museums, stewards of the 800-acre site.
Actively engaged throughout the process, descendants of the interred chose to name the cemetery the “Enslaved Ancestral Burial Ground.” The Brattonsville Descendant Community elected to honor their ancestors by placing markers at each of the 481 graves and have planned a reconsecration ceremony on February 22.
“Approximately 25 years ago I learned that I am a descendant of a family that was enslaved on the Bratton plantation – the Crawford family,” says Margaret Crawford Parson Willins, who also serves on Culture & Heritage Museums’ board of commissioners. “The descendants had conversations about restoring the cemetery for several years before a grant was received for the project. We have been adamant that we owe to our ancestors the preservation of their legacies, for it is on their shoulders that we stand. My journey in witnessing this project come to fruition has been an emotional roller coaster – from sadness and anxiety to anticipation, pride, and excitement. I am thankful to God, to the descendants, and to the individuals at Culture & Heritage Museums for making the Enslaved Ancestral Burial Grounds a reality.”
The reconsecration will also mark the return of the original headstone for Watt, an enslaved man and local American Revolutionary legend. To recognize his role in winning American independence, upon his death, the Bratton family erected a marble headstone to Watt and his wife Polly – a rare occurrence at the time for people of African descent. The original headstone was vandalized, but has been restored by Culture & Heritage Museums’ Preservation Team and will be placed once again at the burial ground. Watt’s story is an essential component of the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution that is interpreted during Historic Brattonsville’s annual reenactment of the Battle of Huck’s Defeat.
Archeology, security, access, and interpretation of the Enslaved Ancestral Burial Ground at Historic Brattonsville has been financed in part with state funds from the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission.
Culture & Heritage Museums is finalizing protective security measures for the Enslaved Ancestral Burial Ground and an announcement about public access is forthcoming.
The Brattonsville Descendant Community invites selected media to witness the “Reconsecration of the Enslaved Ancestral Burial Ground” on Sat., Feb. 22 at 3:30 p.m. Photography and audio/video recording are prohibited during the ceremony; however, the media will have the opportunity to film and photograph the site and interview members of the Brattonsville Descendant Community immediately afterward.
WHAT: Reconsecration of the Enslaved Ancestral Burial Ground
WHEN: February 22, 2025 at 3:30 p.m.
HOW: By invitation only; please RSVP to mcheek@chmuseums.org by Feb. 21
WHERE: Historic Brattonsville, 1444 Brattonsville Rd., McConnells, S.C. 29726
Please plan to arrive early at the Visitor Center for directions. Road signage installed with limited parking at the burial site.
WHY: The Reconsecration of the Enslaved Ancestral Burial Ground is a private, invite-only ceremony organized in honor of the interred by the descendants of the enslaved community at Brattonsville.
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