Bluffton, SC
June 23, 2019
By Luana M. Graves Sellars Steeped in small-town charm and rich in history, the Town of Bluffton is both old and new. Bluffton has become one of the fastest-growing towns
Hilton Head Island | Before the Bridge
June 21, 2019
By Luana M. Graves Sellars Hilton Head Island’s first swing bridge that connected to the mainland. Every day, close to 50,000 cars cross the bridge onto Hilton Head Island. In
More Than Just a Beautiful Beach | The Historically Rich Hilton Head Island Story
June 21, 2019
View Page By Luana M. Graves Sellars A replica of a typical Gullah Bateau courtesy of the Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park Known for its balmy breezes, beautiful beaches and the
JUNETEENTH: All of This Talk About Reconstruction
June 21, 2019
Even though slavery was abolished on January 1, 1863 by the Emancipation Proclamation, the news was not received by slaves in Texas until June 19th, 1865 which was a day that not only changed the lives of tens of thousands of slaves in the United States, it also marked the change of our country’s history. Recognized as the date that slavery officially ended in America, Juneteenth has been celebrated for more than 150 years.
Mitchelville: America’s First Self-Governed Town for Freed Slaves
May 23, 2019
By Luana M. Graves Sellars Cover artwork American Gullah By Sonja Griffin Evans “Good colored people, you have a great work to do, and you are in a position of
The Little Blue House
May 23, 2019
Inside the Little Blue House lives a great mission to preserve and protect artifacts, stories and a culture. When you walk into the Little Blue House, you’re greeted by a voice that sounds like warm maple syrup that envelopes you and takes you on a journey back in time to when Africans on Hilton Head began to adapt to living free in America. If you want to learn about the history of Hilton Head before the bridge, you have three points on your journey. “Honey Horn represents slavery. Mitchelvile represents freedom, and the Gullah Museum represents independence,” said Louise Cohen curator of the Gullah Museum.
The Surprising History of Rice in the US and the Gullah People Who Made it Possible
May 23, 2019
The gift of rice to South Carolina was pivotal in several different ways. Slavery brought African people to Hilton Head who were from several West African countries. Their descendants were known as Gullah. The Gullah brought a variety of skills with them; they were skilled at farming a variety of crops, especially rice.
Rice Production and the Gullah Cuisine
May 23, 2019
By Luana M. Graves Sellars Harvest Time By Sonja Griffin Evans The Carolina’s and Georgia’s low country coastline’s average temperature coupled with the fresh tidal waters marshland and nutrient-rich and
HILTON HEAD’S GULLAH HISTORY | The Birthplace of Freedom
May 23, 2019
Hilton Head’s social and cultural history dates back to the early 1700’s, and from the beginning, the Gullah people were central to the story. Enslaved, and then abandoned by plantation owners fleeing the Union army, they not only endured their circumstances, they displayed the intelligence, fortitude and survival instincts to maintain and develop a culture and a community that is vibrant, and rich in traditions that are alive today.
HILTON HEAD ISLAND | The Heart of the Gullah Geechee Corridor
May 23, 2019
Other than documenting the culture, the Corridor’s mission is to be a resource for all of the corridor’s community development organizations and their leaders in an effort to provide information and support to issues that have been prevalent within the Gullah communities, such as the erosion of the land to development and developers.