By Way of the Back Door: The Enslaved at Brattonsville

MCCONNELS, SC - The living history museum at Brattonsville presents “By Way of the Back Door,” an African American program based on three generations of slavery from 1780-1865. Special guided tours will be offered at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm each Saturday during the month of February, along with ongoing activities throughout the day. Reflecting on the lives of the enslaved from the American Revolution through and beyond the Civil War, the tours will include stops at Colonel Bratton’s house, the slave cabins, the Brick Kitchen, and the Homestead.

“By Way of the Back Door” is an essential part of the living history programming at Historic Brattonsville and offers a deeper interpretation of slavery. The program’s narrative includes both scholarly research and the collective memories of descendants of Bratton slaves.

Image: Celeste Sherer, Historic Brattonsville’s new interpreter. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/w0m3np1n2pbuxw5/AADJUFNu8vd4hgheTUqXAoqha?dl=0

Historic Brattonsville is pleased to introduce a new staff member. Celeste Sherer joins the team of dynamic living history interpreters in telling the story of the Carolina Backcountry. Sherer was raised in Ashville, NC and is a recent graduate of Appalachian State with a degree in Art Management and Cultural Programming. “I am thrilled to join the team at Historic Brattonsville,” Sherer expresses “I personally believe it is integral to preserve the facts and stories of the past, of our history and ancestors, in order for us to appreciate the present and the future. I am honored to be involved in the program tours during February in honor of black history month, known as “By Way of the Back Door.”

Historic Brattonsville features over thirty colonial and antebellum structures, including two house museums. The plantation spreads over seven hundred seventy five acres and includes farmed land with heritage breed animals, a Revolutionary War battlefield site, and a nature preserve with miles of walking trails. Seasonal events, reenactments, and living history programs interpret Southern rural life from the 1750s to the 1850s.

Historic Brattonsville is part of the Culture and Heritage Museums family in York County, SC. The mission of the Culture and Heritage Museums is to communicate and preserve the natural and cultural histories of the Carolina Piedmont, inspiring a lifetime of learning. For more information, please visit www.chmuseums.org.

“By Way of the Back Door” runs every Saturday through the month of February from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Admission: Adult, $6; Senior, $5; Youth ages 4-17, $3; CHM members and children 3 and under are admitted FREE.

Historic Brattonsville is located at 1444 Brattonsville Road, McConnells, SC 29726. The phone number for the site is 803/684-2327.