Congaree Self Guided Boardwalk Tour Stop #19

Stop #19

Quick Facts

Location:

33.8291, -80.8201

Significance:

Tour stop

Maroon Settlements

Just a few miles from here, where the Congaree and Wateree Rivers meet, a maroon settlement once existed. These settlements were comprised of individuals who escaped slavery on nearby plantations and formed their own independent communities. Rivers provided a means for travel, finding food and acquiring supplies. Dense vegetation in the floodplain forest, like the twisted roots seen here, provided safety because of the difficulty it posed for enslavers and slave catchers attempting to traverse it in pursuit of those who had escaped.