Historic buildings and the stories they tell

The Furman Department of History, in collaboration with the Upstate Preservation Trust, will host Joseph McGill Jr. in a lecture about the Slave Dwelling Project Monday, March 25, at 6:30 p.m. in Daniel Memorial Chapel. The lecture is free and open to the public. Registration is requested at this link.

McGill is founder and executive director of the Slave Dwelling Project and coauthor with Herb Frazier of “Sleeping with the Ancestors: How I Followed the Footsteps of Slavery.”

McGill’s remarks will draw from his book and his multiple experiences spending the night in former slave dwellings across the state of South Carolina and throughout the U.S. Since 2010, McGill has spent more than 250 nights in extant slave dwellings at 150 sites covering 25 states and the District of Columbia.

Lane Harris, chair of the Furman Department of History, said it’s important to bolster awareness about all aspects of our history, and slave dwellings are part of the narrative.

“Like Furman’s Seeking Abraham Project, the Slave Dwelling Project is attempting to tell the broader story of enslaved people that has been overlooked or ignored in the conventional histories of Upstate South Carolina,” he said.

McGill will discuss the time he spent at Furman’s Cherrydale Alumni House, a summer home of James Clement Furman, the university’s first president. The home and acreage comprised a 1,200-acre plantation and remained Furman’s and his wife’s residence from 1857 until James’s passing in 1891.

Sam Hayes ’20.

McGill will also address UPT’s acquisition and preservation of Oakland Plantation in nearby Simpsonville. The purchase of the property was made possible through $1.2 million in grants from the South Carolina Conservation Bank and Greenville County Historic and Natural Resources Trust. It includes a plantation house dating to 1823, a two-story cabin for enslaved people and nine other buildings. The cabin is one of three remaining in Greenville County, said Sam Hayes, UPT cofounder and board chairman and a 2020 Furman history alumnus.

Harris said the collaboration with UPT to host McGill is essential for the wider community.

“We believe in Sam and the mission of the Upstate Preservation Trust to safeguard these historic sites,” Harris said. “We hope people will gain a greater appreciation of the importance of local history and Mr. McGill’s tireless efforts to amplify the voices of enslaved people. There’s nothing more powerful than a local experience to help people understand.”

See related stories about Sam Hayes and Upstate Preservation Trust.