McGill's Slave Cabin Project at Sotterley THIS WEEKEND!

“Slave Cabin Project” by Joseph McGill
Sunday, July 10, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. in the Barn

Joseph McGill is a Program Officer for the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the Southern Office in Charleston, South Carolina. He is the founder of Company "I" 54th Massachusetts Reenactment Regiment in Charleston, the regiment portrayed in the award winning movie “Glory”. McGill is a Commissioner for the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission, a board member for the proposed International African American Museum, a founding member of the South Carolina African American Historical Alliance, and a member of the South Carolina Humanities Council Speakers Bureau. He is the former Executive Director of both the African American Historical Museum and the Cultural Center of Iowa, and of History and Culture at Penn Center - the first school built during the Civil War for the education of recently freed slaves.

AND, he will be spending Saturday night in our original 1830’s Slave Cabin.

For the last year, he has been making his way throughout the Southeast sleeping in these historic structures in order to honor the memory of all the people who lived in these cabins and to bring much-needed attention and resources to slave cabin restoration. In a recent interview with NPR, McGill said, “You get inside these walls and you think about that time of slavery and wonder what went through these people's minds, because within these walls was probably the easiest time of their lives. We know that beyond those walls there was a lot of hard work and toil.”

The following day (Sunday) at 1:oo p.m., he will share his experiences with guests. This event is FREE to the public, but reservations are required due to limited seating. Call 301-373-2280 to make your reservation.

Because of the generous grant and continued support from The Boeing Company, Sotterley Plantation is able to offer this important community outreach, fulfilling its mission of serving as an educational resource and cultural venue while it seeks to preserve, interpret and research the plantation’s diverse cultures and environments through its history.