Slave Dwelling Project

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News Release Date: April 28, 2011
Contact: Bill Martin, [phone] x 11

Have you ever slept in a slave cabin? Joseph McGill can tell you what it’s like. Over the last year, he has stayed overnight in rural cabins and urban slave quarters throughout the southeast to raise public awareness for the need to preserve them. This impressive project has called attention to these endangered buildings and their historical significance to the American landscape.

“Some of my ancestors lived in buildings like these their entire lives,” said McGill, a program officer of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “There aren’t many of these cabins left and those that remain are in need of protection before they’re lost forever. Our future generations need to be able to experience the places that are so deeply linked to the lives of so many African Americans.”

McGill will discuss his slave dwelling project at the Fort Moultrie Visitor Center at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 7 as part of the National Park Service’s efforts to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. This free program chronicles his travels and experiences in five states.

Fort Moultrie is administered by Fort Sumter National Monument, a unit of the National Park Service. Located at 1214 Middle Street, Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, the fort and visitor center are open daily from 9:00-5:00 except for New Year's, Thanksgiving and Christmas Days. For more information, call [phone].

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