The beautiful plantations of the south typically mask a troubled history. The economic boom from fields of cotton, rice, and tobacco allowed wealthy families to build elaborate houses and luxurious gardens. Grounds and crops required extensive maintenance, all of which was maintained by slavery. If you would like to better understand the history of these properties and experience the day to day lifestyle of the south during the 1600’s, Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens is worth a visit.
As one of the oldest working farms in America, Boone Hall still produces fruit and vegetables that are sold at its farmers market. For 3 centuries Boone Hall has been in the produce business. Technology has drastically changed the agricultural industry over the years but Boone Hall’s Historical Buildings are still intact and are open for you to tour.
In one of our previous posts, we mentioned the glorious gardens at the Magnolia Plantation. While great for pictures and weddings, Magnolia does not offer an entirely accurate depiction of what life was like on a plantation during the 19th century. Boone Hall will give you the closest experience compared to the other plantations in South Carolina.
The Big House
As you enter the plantation through the avenue of oak trees, you will stumble upon the Main House. This may not be the original building from the early years of the plantation but it is still worth taking a tour of the inside. This version of the mansion was built in the 1930’s and is still used by the plantation owners when they are in town. As an active residence, you will only be allowed to see the ground floor, which includes the living room, dining room, and office. However, within these rooms, there is still some of the original furniture from the other main houses dating back 300 years.
Before doing the house tour (which is included in your price of admission), go on the Plantation Coach Tour. This will give you an overview of the whole property and help pull together some information you will learn on the house tour. Fans of the movie The Notebook will especially like the Coach tour as your tour guide will point out where various scenes from the movie were shot.
Slave Street
One of the more unique experiences you can have at Boone Hall is exploring the Slave Street. 9 of the original slaves quarters are still standing. Unlike other plantations, these tiny houses were built out of brick rather than wood. The bricks were actually made by the slaves working on the plantation. Throughout each house, is a small museum-like display dedicated to different aspects of the slave’s lives, such as what they ate, their religious practices and day to day operations. The first 5 cabin focus primarily on the actual history related to the slaves working on the plantation and the other 4 focus on Black history in its entirety.
Overall
Whenever and where-ever you have the opportunity to see, feel and stand where history occurred you should take it. Many of the plantations still standing today focus more on their appearance rather than the history. As one of America’s oldest working plantations, Boone Hall will give you the best representation of life on the plantation back in the day.
Chad can be summed up by his idea of a perfect day: Waking up early to watch the sunrise over the mountains, warm cup of coffee in hand then grabbing his camera and fly rod, hitting the trail to explore some uncharted territory followed by cold beers and campfire steaks. Chad is often joined on his adventures by his wife, Tori, and their dog, Kona.
Why is the appearance of what the plantation looked like more important than the history and origin of how such wealth came to be. What would America look like if we told the true horror stories of chattel slavery and it’s effect to this very day. Who are those people who suffered so greatly and those who benefited financial from this free labor. Reparations are due America to the descendants of those enslaved.