2022 Virtual Kingsley Heritage Celebration

To commemorate Kingsley Heritage this year, Timucuan Preserve is recording and sharing oral histories and musical traditions from the Gullah-Geechee Cosmo community. Formerly enslaved people like Easter Bartley, who was born on Kingsley Plantation, found community and shared culture in Cosmo in the post-Civil War era. Their descendants share songs and stories with us all this year.

 

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  Darlene and Brenda Cooper Talk Family

  Collecting oral histories is an important part of the National Park Service's research and preservation efforts. For enslaved people silenced by law and oppression oral history was often the only option to protect and pass on their family stories. Together with Cosmo Historical Preservation Corporation, Timucuan Preserve Rangers interviewed members of the Gullah Geechee descendant community. Their stories touch on tradition, family, food, and fishing.

  Duration:

  5 minutes, 35 seconds

 

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  Scrapbook of River Life

  Looking through scrapbooks, Mr. Joney Kearse describes his family traditions of Gullah-Geechee fishing.

  Duration:

  1 minute, 51 seconds

 

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  Memories of the Oyster House

  Mrs. Doris White describes the fun and food around the Gullah Geechee community in her youth. The full transcripts of these oral histories will be preserved in our collection.

  Duration:

  4 minutes, 25 seconds

 

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  Reflecting on the Past

  Oral histories from the Cosmo community turned to memories of food and traditions including the "stew beef" like Gopher Tortoise meal.

  Duration:

  1 minute, 43 seconds