Location – Wappoo Creek, James Island, St Andrews Parish, Charleston CountyLocated on left side of SC 171 (Folly Road), just after it crosses Wappoo Creek onto James Island 2.
In 2011, Historic Charleston Foundation sold McLeod Plantation to the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission, thereby ensuring the buildings would be restored and protected under public ownership. Fees and hours are subject to change.

From various ethnic and cultural groups, these men, women, and children developed the creole Gullah/Geechee culture and language, which has many African retentions. The South Carolina Department of Archives and History has additional information and photographs. They were America’s first cowboys. Also on the property are six remaining clapboard slave cabins, a detached kitchen, a dairy building, a pre-Civil War gin house for the long-staple cotton grown on the Sea Islands, a barn, and a carriage house. Willis Ellis McLeod, the last of the McLeod family to live on the property, was born in 1885 and became owner of the plantation in 1918. They were forced to labor on rice, indigo and cotton plantations such as McLeod. Unable to support both the development of their school and the plantation, ACBA returned it to Historic Charleston in 2008. The plantation house standing on the land today was constructed in about 1858 in the Georgian style. McLeod’s Plantation was mainly known for beef. Indigo was also a major crop at the plantation, but the process of changing the indigo plant into the blue dye made the slaves sick and many died of cancer. All Rights Reserved, Beverly Christ of James Island, 2009 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent. Below are names of some of the men, women, and children who were enslaved at McLeod Plantation.

The plantation was occupied by Confederate forces during most of the Civil War, and the Big House served as a hospital. The slave cabins here are thought to date to the early 19th … Enslaved people who survived the Middle Passage, were imported here mostly from west and central Africa. Established in 1851, this 37-acre plantation is a significant Gullah/Geechee heritage site located on James Island. It is situated at Wappoo Creek, which flows into the Ashley River, and the site was first recorded on maps from 1678 when it was indicated by the name "Morris." Many enslaved workers joined the British lines seeking freedom, and were evacuated from the city.
The plantation grounds include slave cabins, a detached kitchen, a gin house, a barn, a carriage house, and gardens. Upcoming Programs and Events at McLeod The McLeod plantation house, built in 1858, is a raised two-story clapboard structure. In 2004 the plantation was sold to the American College of the Building Arts (ACBA). [4] The plantation was named one of the African American Historic Places in South Carolina. McLeod Plantation’s website has an overview of what visitors can expect, which includes hearing stories about the slaves who lived and worked on the plantation. Hotels near McLeod Plantation Historic Site: (2.27 mi) Wentworth Mansion (2.46 mi) 86 Cannon Historic Inn (2.83 mi) French Quarter Inn (2.58 mi) 15 Church Street B&B (2.67 mi) 21 East Battery Bed and Breakfast; View all hotels near McLeod Plantation Historic Site on Tripadvisor Your email address will not be published. Later, the home was occupied as offices by the Freedmen's Bureau. A share was given to the Historic Charleston Foundation, which proceeded to consolidate shareholders. Below are names of sixty-two men, women and children who were enslaved at McLeod Plantation. In 1780 in the American War of Independence, British General Sir Henry Clinton used the original house as his headquarters while planning the siege of Charleston. Names by themselves do not reveal anything about people’s complex and individual experiences, but they can be a beginning in our quest to remember their humanity and individuality. In 1993, ten acres were designated for the growing of sweetgrass to help ensure a supply of the basic component used in crafting sweetgrass baskets, a product of the creole Gullah culture of African Americans.[6]. U.S. National Register of Historic Places, African American Historic Places in South Carolina, Friends of McLeod, Inc., history of the plantation, "McLeod Plantation, Charleston County (James Island)", "McLeod Plantation Museum Tells the Story of the South", History of the National Register of Historic Places, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=McLeod_Plantation&oldid=957982342, Slave cabins and quarters in the United States, Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina, National Register of Historic Places in Charleston, South Carolina, Articles using NRISref without a reference number, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 21 May 2020, at 12:10. Current status – I…

As research continues, names and dates will be added to this list. At one point, newly freed slaves camped out on the plantation's lands. Origin of name – Named for William Wallace McLeod, who acquired the plantation in 1851 3. https://www.ccprc.com/1447/McLeod-Plantation-Historic-Site, See other South Carolina National Register. The bureau was tasked with assisting people in getting marriage licenses, reuniting families and providing education. [2] It is situated at Wappoo Creek, which flows into the Ashley River, and the site was first recorded on maps from 1678 when it was indicated by the name "Morris.". McLeod Plantation is located on James Island, South Carolina, near the intersection of Folly and Maybank roads. The slaves from the Gambia River region were expert horseman and cattle herders. We reserve the right to use photos or videos taken of visitors at our facilities or events for publicity purposes. If you have information about these or other enslaved people or their descendants who lived at McLeod Plantation, please contact our Cultural History Interpretation Coordinator at 843-889-8018 or by email. McLeod lived in the main house until his death in 1990 at the age of 105.

[2] The plantation is considered an important Gullah heritage site, preserved in recognition of its cultural and historical significance to African-American and European-American cultures.

[3] In 1926, owners renovated the house, changing what was designated as the front and rear, and altering the front facade.

The site is designated as part of the federally recognized Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor in South Carolina. Established in 1851, McLeod Plantation has borne witness to some of the most significant periods of our nation’s history. Slave cabin at McLeod Plantation. [5], The home was occupied by the McLeod family until 1990. Always lock your vehicles and remove valuables from view, we are not responsible for lost, damaged or stolen property.

By holding their names in our minds and our hearts, we honor them and recognize slavery was a condition that did not define them. Names by themselves do not reveal anything about people’s complex and individual experiences, but they can be a beginning in our quest to remember their humanity and individuality. Other names – Nicknamed \"Pick-Pocket Place\" in first half of nineteenth century because all endeavors to grow cotton there had been unsuccessful 4. McLeod Plantation Historic Site is not just a place for memorialization and a place of conscience, but a place where the transformation of conscience can occur.

After the evacuation of Charleston in early 1865, the site was occupied by the 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiments, African American soldiers of the US Colored Troops. To assist with the transition and help the freed people become self-sufficient, the Freedmen’s Bureau was established with an office at McLeod Plantation. The corridor stretches along the coast from Wilmington, North Carolina, to Jacksonville, Florida, encompassing the Lowcountry and Sea Islands, with South Carolina representing most of the area.

[7] The McLeod Plantation Historic Site opened to the public on April 25, 2015.[8]. 1. McLeod Plantation is located on James Island, South Carolina, near the intersection of Folly and Maybank roads.