Weekend staff trips are so much fun! Last year we visited Redcliffe in Beech Island, SC (haven't been, you need to!) home of James Henry Hammond. This year we went to Charleston for the day. Our first stop was to McLeod Plantation on James Island. This property was used by Confederate soldiers then Union soliders during the Civil War and by the Freedmen's Bureau. The McLeod's lived on this property until 1990. The plantation is now owned by Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission.
The entire guided tour was held outside as there are many buildings to discuss. The main house, while very beautiful, did not look as we see it today in the beginning. What we see today was constructed in the late 1850s.
Seaboard cotton was grown on the McLeod Plantation and the cotton house seen in the below photo would have been in constant use by the many enslaved individuals owned by the McLeod family.
The original kitchen house, with dual chimneys, is onsite.
There were originally 23 slave cabins on the property. Today 6 slave cabins remain.
and then the trees!
After a stop at The Tattooed Moose for lunch we headed to The Powder Magazine. While small, this Powder Magazine holds a lot of interesting history. There are reader panels, historical artifacts, a diorama that has specific lighted points, a computer game, Revolutionary War uniforms that individuals may try on, muskets that we could hold, and a small outdoor space.
We walked down to the water for a quick look, grabbed coffee (an orange smoothie for me) and hit the road back to Columbia. We had a blast and a big thank you to my wonderful supervisor (& friend) for planning such a fun day!
Happy Travels,
Amber
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