For Immediate Release:
August 19, 2025
Contact:
Olivia Mitchell
Marketing Manager
Culture & Heritage Museums
www.chmuseums.org
803.909.7244
By the Sweat of Our Brows: Beyond the Fields
McCONNELLS, S.C. – Honoring the lives, labor, and legacy of the enslaved and freed communities, By the Sweat of Our Brows is a powerful and inspirational event bringing together families and friends across racial lines.
The day begins with a moving tribute at 10:30 a.m., where descendants of those enslaved on the former Bratton Plantation read the names of their ancestors from Harriet Bratton’s 1865 Freedman’s List. This year’s theme focuses on recreation and resistance, and will include a baseball game that the public is invited to join at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., led by former Negro League player, Wali Cathcart. Visitors will also have a chance to hear the story behind the Enslaved Ancestral Burial Ground, recently opened on Historic Brattonsville’s property, commemorating the lives of 481 people. A Black history site tour will begin at noon.
Visitors of all ages have the opportunity to participate in hands-on activities, explore the process of traditional cotton production, including the running of a historic cotton gin, and learn about African American foodways. Other activities include traditional textile dyeing, clothing for the enslaved, and meeting the Descendants themselves.
Guests can also hear stories from generations of Brattonsville descendants during “Lineage and Legacy: Conversations Across Generations” at 1 p.m. Christine Sparks, a new member of the descendant group speaks to her role in telling the whole history. “As a descendant of an enslaver, I believe it is my responsibility to show up—to listen, to learn, and to stand in solidarity with the descendants of those who were enslaved. Healing begins with truth, and their stories must be told with honesty, dignity, and honor. It is up to all of us to ensure that this history is not hidden or forgotten, but remembered and respected.”
Black and white Bratton descendants have come together and over the years connected with more relatives, across the United States. They now meet regularly to catch up, discuss family history, and serve as advisors for Historic Brattonsville’s African American history programming.
WHAT: By the Sweat of Our Brows: Beyond the Fields
WHERE: Historic Brattonsville 1444 Brattonsville Rd. McConnells, S.C. 29726.
*Please note the road will be closed for the event. Detour signs will be posted.
**Concessions will be available for purchase as well as traditional sweetgrass baskets from Gullah sweetgrass basket weaver, Deadra Johnson.
WHEN: Sept. 13 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
WEBSITE and TICKETS: chmuseums.org/event/sweat/
VISITOR SERVICES: 803.684.2327
IMAGES:
- Part of the descendant group gathers each year for a family reunion dinner the night before By the Sweat of Our Brows
All images courtesy of Culture & Heritage Museums. Contact omitchell@chmuseums.org for high resolution images.
About Historic Brattonsville:
Historic Brattonsville is a living history site that presents the agricultural and social history of the Carolina Piedmont from the American Revolution through the Reconstruction Era. The site features over 30 historic structures, including family houses, that provide the setting for the story of the Brattons, those enslaved on the plantation, and the Enslaved Ancestral Burial Ground, the final resting place of 481 people of African descent. The site spreads over 800-acres and comprises farmed land with heritage breed animals, a Revolutionary War battlefield, and a nature preserve with miles of walking trails. Seasonal events, reenactments, and living history programs interpret life in the 18th and 19th centuries. Historic Brattonsville is included in The Green Book of South Carolina – a travel guide to African American cultural sites.
###