Day 6 - Plantations lost and found

I'll try to upload more pics tomorrow but the site is cooperating tonight...
Once again it has been an eventful day. We began with a carriage ride and tour this morning. We knew most of the history but it was fun to hear someone else tell it. And we learned some things we didn't know. Like - Tom Hanks was really nice when he stayed here for the filming of Forest Gump. And - Barbara Streisand was a real grump when she was filming the Prince of Tides. And there were 42 pirates hung on the hanging tree. I learned that most of the Civil War era homes in Beaufort were summer homes. The families would come up from the sea islands to escape the heat and the yellow fever. Once in Beaufort they spent their time at dances and parties. One particular building was never intended as a residence but was built strictly to hold parties. The kids were really good on the ride, but I think the rhythm nearly put Jost to sleep. We were the only ones in our carriage so the driver let the kids feed the horse his carrot treat at the end. The horse - Duke - slimed them but they liked it anyway.

After lunch we went to the Verdier House musuem. The lady who is the docent there is so sweet. She is descended from one of the old families in town and has the loveliest accent. Once again we were the only ones on the tour. Being inside an authentic federal style house really helped us "see" the history. For instance, the kids and I had studied a book on Plantations with a similair house. From the drawings we couldn't figure out how there was a door under the stairs, but once we got in we realized the stairway went up in the middle of the hall so there could be door on either side.

There isn't a lot in the house because a lot of the family items were stolen or destroyed during the war, or during a hurricane or during the big fire of 1907 (We learned that fire started in the fire station. How ironic! Jost said they must have been cooking hot dogs.). Anyway, they have uncovered some of the original wall paper in one room and the original paint color in another. The paint was made with indigo so the blue is very unique. Unfortunatly we could not take pictures in the house. Still it was wonderful to finally go inside.

We spent the afternoon looking for plantations. Most of the plantations have disappeared. They weren't like "Gone with the Wind" but were actual working farms. When the owners failed to return after the war, the Gullah people saw no reason to keep up their homes. Carpet baggers both then and now have taken advantage of the Gullah by offering them low prices for ocean -or bay - front property. The few remaining plantation homes are now private homes. However we were able to find the locations for Frogmore and Tombee and few of the other plantations in the story.

Tonight we stopped for dinner at a local place on the islands called "Gullah Grub." It is like a little small town diner. It was the most satisfying meal we have had! Of course the children were afraid to eat so they split a piece of peach cobbler and had some cornbread. Peter had BBQ Chicken and potato salad. I had a small bowl of shrimp gumbo and a dish of strawberries on cornbread. Yum.......We told the lady quite frankly that this was the best meal yet. She really opened up about how expensive Beaufort is and how it is all for the rich. I had to agree. I love the islands and every day I can't wait to get back out there. Beaufort is lovely but the islands are comfortable. Don't get me wrong there is a lot of poverty there and a real sense of separation between black and white. But I still like it better - I just can't explain it.

Our biggest problem so far has been with the children. We have always tried to raise them not to see color but to see all people as God's creation. I am afraid the end result is not what we expected. You see, they think slavery and racism are ridiculous. It is so ridiculous to them that they cannot see why teaching slaves to read was a monumental idea or why Gullah food and culture is different. People are just people so they aren't grasping the importance of the trip. They just go along with whatever it is Daddy is doing. But they are making friends left and right, chatting up every person they come across. Both the descendent of a rich plantation owner and the Guullah woman making baskets. It does my heart good to see them. So I guess it is okay if they aren't fully tuned in to what we are doing. In a way they are on their own mission.