Being a part of the National Network of Freedom is an incredible opportunity for Hilton Head for a variety of reasons. One important reason is that it makes Hilton Head’s historical value an even greater part of the American story. Mitchelville is a strong piece of America’s history that needs to be shared.
During her time on Hilton Head, Harriett provided the Union Army with local area intelligence, as well as played a significant part in their military strategy. Her input was so valuable to the military, that she also influenced policies that effected how the military handled the onslaught of slaves that came to the island.
Most black people doing research get frustrated when they hit what I referred to as the “1870’s slave wall.” The “slave wall” is sometimes the end of most family tree searches, because most slave owners often did not record their slaves’ names or information because of their status as property prior to the abolishment of slavery in 1865.
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.
By Luana M. Graves Sellars Cover artwork American Gullah By Sonja Griffin Evans “Good colored
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.
By Luana M. Graves Sellars Harvest Time By Sonja Griffin Evans The Carolina’s and Georgia’s
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.
The Hilton Head Fishing Co-Operative consisted of a fleet of shrimp trawlers piloted by a group of men who took on the challenges of the waters everyday, and delivered hundreds of thousands of pounds of fish yearly. In addition to the challenges on the water, the fisherman faced other obstacles from corporate initiatives that would infringe on the fishing industry. The Hilton Head Fishing Co-Operative consisted of a fleet of shrimp trawlers piloted by a group of men who took on the challenges of the waters everyday, and delivered hundreds of thousands of pounds of fish yearly. In addition to the challenges on the water, the fisherman faced other obstacles from corporate initiatives that would infringe on the fishing industry.
