Visiting McLeod Plantation: A Lesson on Slavery

The Big House at McLeod Plantation

Charleston is a beautiful place with great food and great art. But there's no doubt that the city will first and foremost be associated in my mind with our country's history of slavery. Our tour of the McLeod Plantation, led by the former director of the Old Slave Mart Museum, was beyond sobering. We later learned that tours at McLeod are told more from the slaves' perspective than at other plantations in the area. This makes particular sense because McLeod is an International Site of Conscience, a coalition of organizations committed to "Preserving Memory, Promoting Truth, Pursuing Justice." 

The McLeod Big House has an interesting history, having been occupied by Confederate forces during much of the Civil War and by Union forces after the War ended. The Union forces included two regiments of African American soldiers who served in the U.S. Colored Troops. Somewhat ironically, following the War's conclusion, the Big House served as the home of the Freedmen's Bureau for the James Island District of Charleston. The former slave quarters were used as homes for freedmen and their families.  

Each 300 square foot structure was home to between 8-20 people.  

The house was much more modest at the time. It wasn't until the 1920s that the Greek Revival style entrance with its inviting porch and stately columns was built. The modification was made in part so the house would look more like the romanticized image of a plantation home, making it easier for the McLeods to capitalize on plantation tourism. 

The changes also relate to the family's adherence to the Lost Cause narrative; i.e., that the Civil War was about states' rights rather than slavery. Conveniently, if you entered through this new and improved side of the home, you could avoid seeing those unsightly reminders of slavery like the slave quarters and the former cotton gin house. The family also planted trees on the grounds behind the house to further shield their view. For more on this aspect of the McLeod Plantation, click here. 

Interior of a "dependency," as many still call the slave quarters

We learned some details about the lives of two of the dozens of slaves who lived and worked at McLeod Plantation. The first was Isabelle Pinckney. Isabelle was given by the Pinckneys to the McLeods to serve first as a wet nurse and then a nanny to their daughter Annie. The fact that she was mulatto was a factor in her selection for this role. The lighter the skin, the more acceptable it was for you to interact with the family and guests. 

You might have noticed that Isabelle's last name was the same as that of her enslavers. This was common practice by plantation owners as both a means of noting their ownership of the individual and erasing his or her past identity and origin.

Isabelle lived in the attic of the Big House so she could be close to her ward. It is believed that she was sexually assaulted there by one of the McLeods. None of her people would have been around to help or even hear her if she cried out. Her son Daniel was born at McLeod and was able to "pass" for Caucasian. 

Brick in outbuilding with fingerprint of child estimated to be 6-10
 years old. Charleston was also home to brickmaking plantations. 

Then there's the story of Leah, the youngest of the enslaved people at McLeod. Leah was marched with her parents more than 50 miles to Charleston from their former home. For the journey, her father's wrist or leg would have been shackled with chains to another man's appendage while Leah and her mom would have been similarly manacled to another female with a rope. Once in Charleston, they were sold to separate purchasers at Ryan's Slavemart. (Note: It is believed that her family was reunited after the end of the war.)

Leah was bought by the McLeods to serve as a companion for their children. She would have slept on the floor of their bedroom or in the attic with Isabelle. Without Isabelle, her isolation would have been complete. 

Ginning mill in Charleston

We also learned about the daily lives of the slaves at McLeod who didn't serve the family directly. The McLeods made their money growing Sea Island cotton. Planting, tending to and harvesting the crop was grueling work. Then the cotton had to be "ginned" before it could be sold. (This is when you separate the cotton fibers from the seeds, stems, etc.) The ginning process for converting raw cotton into Sea Island cotton was more labor intensive than ginning it into upland cotton. The end result was cotton with a silkier feel that could be sold for four times the price of upland cotton. With a ready source of labor, the choice was an easy one for the McLeods.

The men, women and children enslaved by the McLeods would have worked from "can't see until can't see" in the fields; i.e., from before dawn until after dusk. Every worker was expected to pick 100 pounds of cotton each day. The crop required tending almost year-round. Even during rainy season the slaves would be out in the fields making sure the cotton didn't wash away. As our guide told us, they "ate, drank, gave birth and died in the fields." 

It is estimated that there were close to 4 million enslaved people in the United States in 1860, almost ten percent of the population. I left the McLeod Plantation with a clearer picture of the lives of those poor souls. Hearing these stories where they took place was much more impactful than reading about them in a book or watching them on a screen. It wasn't a happy outing, but I'm glad we made learning more about this part of our country's history a part of our trip.