For Immediate Release:
January 20, 2026
Contact:
Olivia Mitchell
Marketing Manager
Culture & Heritage Museums
www.chmuseums.org
803.909.7244
By Way of the Back Door Black History Month Programming
The Life and Times of Molly
McCONNELLS, S.C. – Historic Brattonsville’s Black history month programming explores African American life in the Carolina Piedmont, giving voice to one woman’s extraordinary lifetime from 1780-1865.
Every Saturday throughout the month of February focuses on what Molly may have witnessed during her 85 years as drastic changes in American history unfolded. Molly was 85 years old and lived and worked on Harriet Bratton’s plantation in 1865 where she appears in the records listed as a “freedman” (a formerly enslaved person).
Documentation shows that she was enslaved by the Brattons as early as 1843 and listed with a child, Wesley, but few other details remain. Inferences suggest she was born around 1780 as her life began during the fight for freedom in the American Revolution and saw the culmination of the abolition of slavery in 1865.
Each day highlights Molly during a particular year and includes a Black history site tour at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. as well as weekly highlights and extra ongoing activities.
- Feb. 7 – Molly in 1780
- “Look with Your Hands” tour of an 18th century home – 1 p.m.
- 18th century militia drill – 3:30 p.m.
- Feb. 14 – Molly in 1840
- Cooking demonstration – 1 p.m.
- Historic cotton ginning – 3:30 p.m.
- Feb. 21 – Molly in 1855
- Woodworking highlighting Sam Smith, the carpenter – 1 p.m.
- Blacksmithing highlighting Adam, the blacksmith – 3:30 p.m.
- Feb. 28 – Molly in 1865
- Brattonsville Store and Reconstruction – 1 p.m.
- Quilting demo – 3:30 p.m.
WHAT: By Way of the Back Door
WHERE: Historic Brattonsville 1444 Brattonsville Rd. McConnells, S.C. 29726.
WHEN: Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
WEBSITE with additional weekly activities: chmuseums.org
VISITOR SERVICES: 803.684.2327
IMAGES:
- A display shows different types of fabrics that were used for clothing for the enslaved
All images courtesy of Culture & Heritage Museums. Contact omitchell@chmuseums.org for high resolution images.
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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.
Museum Membership:
Become a Culture & Heritage Museums member and enjoy one year of exclusive benefits including free general admission to all CHM museum sites: Historic Brattonsville, Museum of York County and Main Street Children’s Museum. Membership helps support the work of preserving and communicating the cultural and natural history of the Carolina Piedmont. Consider becoming a CHM member and/or give the gift of CHM membership. Details at chmuseums.org/membership.