“from slavery to freedom: a testament of time”history.cofc.edu/documents/1930 poster.pdf · the...
TRANSCRIPT
The African American Cabin Project, titled “From Slavery to
Freedom: A Testament of Time,” began at Magnolia Plantation
and Gardens in January 2008, with efforts to preserve and restore
cabins on the property that were occupied from 1850 well into the
late 20th century. The “street” of cabins at Magnolia Plantation
include a total of five structures: four former slave cabins that were
originally built in the 1850s and one cabin that was built in the
early 1900s. Each of the five cabins reflect a different period of
occupation including slavery, Reconstruction, the Jim Crow Era
and the 1960s Civil Rights Era. Cabin A represents a slave cabin
from around the year 1850 when the cabins were built. Cabin B
represents a Gardener’s Home from around the year 1930, from
which a garden that is still worked and used today can be seen out
the back window. Cabin C represents the Leach family home from
the year 1969, during the height of the Civil Rights Movement
which greatly affected the city of Charleston. Taking a step back
in time, Cabin D represents a Freedman’s home from around the
year 1870 during the times of Reconstruction in the South. Finally
Cabin E reflects a Gardener’s home from around the year 1900,
when this particular cabin was built about 50 years later than the
other four. This project is unique because the cabins have been
both been preserved to maintain the building in the current state it
was in when the project began in the late 2000s, as well as restored
to how the building would have looked during the specific time
period it reflected. Cabins A and B especially have been divided
into two major sections, one side showing the restoration process
and the other showing the preservation process. Before
restorations even started, two years of research and archeology
were conducted on the cabins and the surrounding areas.
Archeologists found a number of colonial artifacts such as dice
and buttons, some of which are now on display in the cabins
themselves, showing just how long people have lived in the area
where these cabins are located. Completed in February of 2009,
this historic preservation project shows how Magnolia Plantation
was connected to African American History beyond the years of
slavery, as well as set a new standard for the interpretation of
African American history on Southern Plantations.
Cabin B, also known as the 1926 Gardener’s Home, was built
sometime in the early 1850s. The right side of Cabin B was
preserved to illustrate how these cabins appeared when this project
began and to illustrate the cabin’s evolution through time. While
the left side of Cabin B has been restored to reflect its appearance
in 1926.
Right Room: Preserved
As with Cabin A, the only work done in this room was repair, cleaning,
and structural support. An Additional support beam was added along the
center axis of the building to reinforce the floor.
The firebox, chimney, and chimney cap in Cabin B comprise the only
complete, original chimney system in any of the cabins. Because it is
original to the 1850 structure, it was used as a blueprint to restore Cabin
A’s upper chimney and chimney cap was copied in its entirety for the
restoration of Cabin D. As in Cabin A, the original wood lintel was
replaced with an old train rail during a repair to the firebox sometime in
early 20th century. One interesting feature of this firebox is the wooden
mantel. This mantel dates to the 19th century and is completely hand-
planed. You will also note a hole in the center of the chimney: most likely
added in the early 20th century, this hole, known as a “thimble,” once
seated a pipe to a wood-burning stove.
Left Room: Restored
Very few original 1926 News & Courier newspapers survive; the wallpaper
you see was created from scans of microfilm copies held in the archives
of the Charleston Post & Courier. Because collecting enough newspaper
to wallpaper a cabin took weeks, the newspapers were likely brittle and
yellow by the time they were put on the walls. To illustrate the aging
process, each reproduction newspaper was individually soaked in hot tea
and dried.
It was tempting to hang the newspapers right side up, neatly laid out for
reading purposes. However, the people living here in 1926 needed the
paper for much-needed insulation, not entertainment. The newspapers
are therefore hung in a haphazard fashion that reflects the room’s 1926
appearance.
A reproduction potbelly cast iron stove was installed in one of the thimble
openings on the chimney. The corrugated tin roof was added to the cabin
sometime in the early 20th century.
The last known inhabitant of this cabin was African-American gardener
John Frederick, who moved out sometime in the 1960s.
1930 Era Cabin: Segregation
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
3550 Ashley River Road
Charleston, SC 29414
“From Slavery to Freedom: A Testament of Time”
A Celebration of the Award-Winning African American Cabin Project at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
Interior of Cabin B (Original 1850s chimney) View of Cabin B from the front
Beginnings of Jim Crow
The systematic practice of favoring or promoting the segregation of Negro peoples, also known as the Jim Crow laws, was a tactic of southern landowners to
bypass the basic rights given to African-Americans by the United States Constitution.
(Pictured above) The name and character of “Jim Crow” originated
with a minstrel singer/ dancer who was obedient, docile, and never
questioned authority. Popularly regarded by the southern population,
the “Jim Crow” concept was the model in which they thought all
African-Americans should exemplify.
Sources:
Arnold, Sara A. and Stephen G. Hoffius The Life and Art of Alfred Hutty: Woodstock to Charleston (University of South Carolina Press, 2012); Hubbert, Julie Jenkins Orphanage (University of South Carolina Press); http://northbysouth.kenyon.edu/1998/edu/jimcrow.htm; www.awesomestories.com/famou-trials/crow-laws/now-what; http://old/post-gazette.com/printer.asp; www.archives.gov; www.history.com; www.pbs.org, Johnnie Leach (retired horticultural superintendent
for Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, SC), interview by George McDaniel, Jay Millar, Joe Schmitt, Toni Carrier, and Robin Foster, May 18, 2012 at Drayton Hall; Magic Magnolia, Filmed by Harry Lee Harllee, 1928.
Red states pictured above adopted the “Jim Crow” laws.
Unbalanced Education
One of the leading factors for forced segregation and demeaning of African-Americans became apparent from within the educational system. Black segregated schools often
received leftover funding from the white schools which left these institutions no choice but to purchase inadequate supplies. African-American teachers had insufficient educational
training compared to white teachers. On average, black teachers received roughly ten weeks of training as opposed to two years for white teachers. Also, black teachers were highly
underpaid as opposed to their white counterparts. For example, on average a white teacher earned around $878 versus $297 on average for a black teacher. Due to overcrowded and
insufficient buildings for schools, some black families would send their children to private schools in the north. It was a costly investment, so most black families had to settle with
public education for their children.
Penn Center in Beaufort County was founded on St. Helena Island by two Quaker women, Laura Towne and Ellen Murray. The creation of this industrial school would benefit the
African-American populace located on the island in finding jobs locally and in nearby Charleston, South Carolina (SC). At an industrial school like Penn Center, students would
receive a combination of schooling in trades and academics based on their gender. For example, African-American girls learned domestic sciences in order to become laundresses
and seamstresses, as well as other industrial trades. For boys, their educational experiences at Penn Center focused more on manual training such as basket weaving, wheel writing,
masonry, cobblers, etc. Also, non-students learned how to weave and quilt.
Problems with Employment
In regards to employment under the Jim Crow laws, African-Americans were restricted to jobs of servitude or menial labor.
Many fairer skinned African-Americans would attempt to pass for a white person in order to get better opportunities of work.
The ‘great migration’ had begun to take place and by 1920 in South Carolina, the percentage of black men working in a
skilled/semi-skilled manufacturing or mechanical position had dropped 38% in 1920 from 54% in 1910. The reason for this
gradual drop resulted from African-American males looking for better employment and opportunities to improve their lives and
the lives of their families.
African-Americans and the Prohibition
The federal prohibition of the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors took effect in January of 1919 (18th
amendment) and was repealed in 1933 (21st amendment). To help enforce the prohibition, the Volstead Act was passed in
September of 1919. As a direct result of the alcohol ban and due to the unwavering need of Americans to drink, speakeasies ran
by organized crime began to pop up throughout the country. In order to gain entry into a speakeasy establishment, an individual
was required to speak softly or whisper a password. Speakeasies were usually located underground, operating under a façade of
preexisting legitimate businesses. During this time and in these environments, jazz flourished as a way to get people into certain
speakeasy establishments and the first jazz record was recorded by Mamie Smith, an African-American singer, in 1920.
1920s Women’s Suffrage
Passed in 1920, the 19th amendment granted white women the right to vote. However, ratification was delayed in many southern
states due to the overwhelmingly white male fear of white superiority being threatened by women’s emotional attachment to the
“less fortunate.” For example, the state of segregation of African-Americans in the South.
Economics: The Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties economy transitioned slowly back to peacetime after World War I. Labor unions, which had grown strong
during the war fought to maintain their power through a series of strikes. However, by 1922, the economy was booming, a
pattern it would follow continuously until the Great Crash of 1929. The Roaring Twenties were a great time to be rich. Mass-
production industries fueled by the spread of technologies such as electricity and the assembly line provided ample
opportunities for profitable investment. Money was being spent on more frivolous items and the 1920s were a great time to be
apart of the middle-class, too. By the time of the Great Crash of 1929, ordinary folks in America’s cities and towns could expect
to be able to own a car, a washing machine, a refrigerator, a radio, and a host of other modern conveniences that improved the
quality of life. Unfortunately, for the large minority of Americans who made their livelihoods in agriculture, the decade roared
only with the agony of a prolonged and inevitable depression. While the Great Stock Market Crash of 1929 itself directly affected
only the tiny minority of prosperous Americans who owned stock at the time, the descent from the Roaring Twenties into the
Great Depression was steep and tumultuous.
Penn Center in Beaufort, South Carolina
What was it like for a Magnolia gardener in 1926? In the 1920s, Magnolia’s
gardens were open to the public for only two to three spring months, during
the peak azalea bloom that made Magnolia famous. However, Magnolia’s
garden staff worked year round. Magnolia’s male gardeners planted new
seedlings, maintained existing plants, cut dead wood from the gardens,
mowed the plantation lawns and hand-dipped duckweed from the blackwater
ponds to keep the mirror-like surfaces clear. Women shared planting tasks
and were responsible for sweeping the garden paths clean- which they did
with ‘broomstraw’ collected from the woods. Although the Hasties brought
their domestic staff to town when they came to stay at Magnolia, the
inhabitants of Cabin B, also known as the 1926 Gardener’s Home,- in
addition to their garden duties- probably did some work directly for the
Hasties while the family was in residence.
A reproduction potbelly cast iron stove was installed in
one of the thimble openings on the chimney. Cast iron
stoves were much more practical than an open firebox
for both heat and cooking; the stove style selected was
one of the most popular and affordable iron stoves
available to the 1926 market. (Pictured far top right)
The left room has been restored to reflect its
appearance in 1926. Beginning in the early 20th
century, it became common practice to wallpaper the
cabin interiors with newspaper. You will note the torn
remnants of these newspapers on the walls and the
ceiling.
The papers- primarily Charleston’s News & Courier
as well as a few copies of the New York Times- all
date from 1926, which is why the cabin was restored to
this year. The New York Times probably came from
the 1926 owner at Magnolia Plantation- C. Norwood
Hastie, his wife, and his children- who lived at
Magnolia in the winter and spring of each year.
It was not until 1921 when the first black man, Willie Leach, was paid here at
Magnolia Plantation and its Gardens. There was also a company store at Drayton
Hall which Magnolia Plantation’s employees used a path that connects the two
plantations together. Religious practices and constant church attendance was the
center of black families on Magnolia Plantation. Most African-Americans regularly
attended Springfield Church, Bull Chapel, or St. Philip Church, AME.
Pathway that connects Drayton Hall and Magnolia Plantation
Photos courtesy of Magnolia Plantation Archives
Cabin B: Left Room Restoration
Cabin B: 1926 Gardener’s Home
Magnolia Plantation during the 1920s- 1930s
The Charleston Renaissance (1920s- 1945) Regarded as a modern artistic southern legacy, the Charleston Renaissance spearheaded Charleston’s transformation from a
faded southern port city to a premier tourist destination through the collective image making of native and national artists.
Master painter such as Alfred Hutty painted evocative landscape portraits of the Carolina topography. Hutty’s main focus of
inspiration was to depict the city’s surviving colonial and antebellum architecture, its rural environments, and its African-
American population. Upon arrival to Charleston, Hutty wrote a letter to his wife in New York proclaiming, “Come quickly, have
found heaven.”
“Come quickly, have found heaven.” - Alfred Hutty
In Magnolia Gardens by Alfred Hutty.
Charleston, South Carolina
Jenkins Orphanage Band
In 1891, Reverend Daniel Jenkins, a pastor of a small
African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina
established Jenkins Orphanage for orphaned black youths.
Although it was a success in terms of its mission, the
Reverend needed to raise money in order to pay for the
property to erect his solution to rid the city of its
“roaming, thieving wild children.” He settled on raising
money by assembling a brass band and tour the northern
states in search of support and sponsorship.
While Jenkins was successful at forming a small
proficient band, he was not immediately successful at
raising money to cover the orphanage’s expenses. After
raising meager sums of donations playing in the Streets
of Charleston, Jenkins decided to take his group on the
road. The band toured the USA from coast to coast and
even crossed the Atlantic ocean to play in Paris, Berlin,
Rome, London and Vienna.
From pre-colonial days, South Carolina was one of the
most active participants in the slave trade importing
slaves from all over the West African continent and
Caribbean plantations in the West Indies. Charleston was
one of the nations largest ports throughout the 17th and
18th centuries and became the center for the forced
African mass migration. With a unique sound, their
music reflected a mixture of African, Caribbean and
western influences due to South Carolina’s long-standing
interaction with the slave trade. Fast forward to the
1920s, the Jenkins Orphanage Band did more than
produce some of the best talent that served the most
famous jazz bands and dance orchestras, they appear to
have instigated a musical trend.