Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest #TakeovertheNetwork (U.S. National Park Service)

On September 8, the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest took over the NPS Network to Freedom social media accounts. See what they posted throughout the day...

Reel: Introduction to Francis Beidler Forest

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Duration:: 44.011 seconds

What sights and sounds can you experience at Francis Beidler Forest? Known as Four Holes Swamp in the 18th Century, the Francis Beidler Forest is protected by the Audubon Society today. The Francis Beidler Forest shared this reel as part of #TakeoverTheNetwork - a social media takeover by the Network to Freedom.

Reel: Francis Beidler Forest and the Underground Railroad

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Duration:: 37.905 seconds

In 2020, the National Underground Railroad Network to Four Holes Swamp (today known as Francis Beidler Forest) as a site. What is their Underground Railroad connection? Watch this video to find out! Francis Beidler Forest shared this reel as part of #TakeoverTheNetwork - a social media takeover by the Network to Freedom.

Francis Beidler Forest Stories: Consolidated

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Duration:: 2 minutes, 31 seconds

See all the stories shared by Francis Beidler Forest during #TakeoverTheNetwork - a social media takeover by the Network to Freedom Program

Feed Post 1

Francis Beidler Forest is a National Audubon Society sanctuary located in the Four Holes Swamp watershed in South Carolina. In 2020, this area was designated as a site on the Underground Railroad - Network to Freedom program based on evidence that it was used as a refuge for freedom seekers resisting enslavement. One such freedom seeker was James Matthews who was born on a plantation adjacent to the swamp and eventually gained his freedom in 1838 (Susanna Ashton source: http://commonplace.online/article/re-collecting-jim/).

Today, Beidler Forest is the largest remaining stand of old-growth cypress tupelo swamp, and one of only two forests left in the state that has largely escaped logging. There are trees here that are over a thousand years old and an abundance of birds and other wildlife. Visitors today can experience a landscape that has remained unchanged for thousands of years and experience it just as freedom seekers like James Matthews would have experienced it. We are open to the public from Friday to Sunday, 9 AM to 4 PM. For more information, visit https://beidler.audubon.org/visit

Photograph shows trees growing out of a large body of water. — The Bald Cypress trees at Beidler Forest are over a 1,000 years old, with the oldest being older than 1,500 years. In that time they’ve been witness to a lot of human history.
Image Courtesy of Matt Johnson / Francis Beidler Forest

Photographer looks up the trunk of a very tall tree. — Most of the older cypress trees are hollow and become homes for Barred Owls, woodpeckers, bats, flying squirrels, raccoons, opossums, bobcats, spiders, millipedes, snakes, lizards—There are trees even large enough for a person to find shelter in!
Image Courtesy of Richard Covey / Francis Beidler Forest

A small bird with a yellow head and a black body sits on a thin tree branch. — One of our most prominent species is the Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea), which arrive on the last week of march to nest in low cavities throughout the swamp and then migrate in the fall to Colombia, South America, a 2,400-mile long journey.
Image Courtesy of Mark Musselman / Francis Beidler Forest

A fenced in, wooden platform sits above a boardwalk in a nest of trees. — The small tower at Goodson Lake allows guests to look out over a “hole” in the swamp, an opening in the canopy with deeper water below. Alligators are commonly seen here as are fish such as Longnose Gar and Bowfin.
Image Courtesy of Richard Covey / Francis Beidler Forest

A curious otter pokes his head out of the water while swimming next to a tree and looks directly at a photographer — The swamp has many denizens, including playful River Otters who enjoy the swamp’s ample supply of fish, crayfish, and freshwater mussels.
Photo Courtesy of Richard Hernandez / Francis Beidler Forest

Closeup of the head of a brown snake with red eyes and a yellow chin. — And of course there are snakes! Dozens of species make their homes in the swamp and surrounding forest. This is a Brown Water Snake (Nerodia taxispilota) probably the most common snake in the swamp, who are also commonly confused for Cottonmouths. It’s nonvenomous.
Image Courtesy of Richard Covey / Francis Beidler Forest

Feed Post 2

Hello new friends! Throughout International Underground Railroad Month we will be honoring the men and women who persevered through the Underground Railroad. As part of our monthly “Second Saturdays” program, we are offering FREE admission to all guests on Saturday, September 10th, as well as free guided programs. There will be food trucks vendors on site and we are posting stories about Beidler’s connection to the Underground Railroad along our ADA-certified, 1.75-mile boardwalk that stretches out into the heart of the old-growth cypress tupelo swamp. Come join us as we reflect on the past and the importance of not just preserving history but also the critical lessons that can be learned from it.

Due to group size limits, preregistration for events is strongly recommended. To register for our events please visit our website at https://beidler.audubon.org/events/events-list. We hope to see you there!