History Programs
Lowcountry: Change and Continuity Exhibit
As an introduction to Brookgreen Gardens' Lowcountry History and Wildlife Preserve, this exhibit reports the history of this land from the time of the early Native American occupants to the present day. Located in the Wall Lowcountry Center and is free with garden admission.
New History Exhibit – Wall Lowcountry Center
January 9 - March 2
Etched In the Eyes, The Spirit of a People Called Gullah Geechee will be housed in Learning Lab I of the Wall Lowcountry Center from Noon – 4:30 p.m. daily and is free with garden admission.. The exhibit documents the African Diaspora of the low country and Sea Islands along the eastern coastline or North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida through captivating wall prints with text panels. According to photographer and visual sociologist David Herman, Jr., “This ever-expanding collection of narratives provides an intimate experience with the culture that ebbs and flows along the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. It will allow you to cross a bridge that will never be destroyed, a bridge that although burdened by the trades of time has stood because of deep roots in the spirit.”
“A Be a Been Yah”
Wednesdays, January 11 - February 29
A new 50-minute presentation that complements the exhibit, Etched In the Eyes, The Spirit of a People Called Gullah Geechee, will be presented by Ron Daise at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays and is free with garden admission. Daise examines five cultural traits of Gullah/Geechee people, also known as "been yahs". The presentation cites historical figures and places across the four-state Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, of which Daise serves as a Commissioner. Through lecture, songs, and photographs, viewers will learn about community and lingual bonds; dignity, defiance and resistance; entrepreneurial spirit, respect for educational skills, and supernatural beliefs.
The program will not be held on February 1, 8 and 22.
History Lecture with Dr. Charles Joyner
Saturday, January 14
Historian Dr. Charles Joyner will speak about his award-winning book, "Down by the Riverside", and its impact on the understanding of African-American history on the Waccamaw Neck. This is part of a series of community events that spotlight Dr. Joyner and three other authors leading up to their induction into the South Carolina Academy of Authors in April. The program will be held at 3 p.m. in the Wall Lowcountry Center Auditorium and is free with garden admission.
“Stay in De Boat” Film Showing
Thursday, January 26
The Education Department will present the short but powerful student-made film, “Stay in De Boat” at 1 and 2 p.m. in the Wall Lowcountry Center Auditorium. The 25-minute project was filmed and produced by present and former College of Charleston students from the Department of Sociology and Antropoloy during the 2010-2011 school year and is free with garden admission. It features members of the Gullah/Geechee community, including Brookgreen’s Ron Daise, voicing their experiences, dreams, and hopes for the future of Gullah/Geechee people, their language, and their culture.
Black History Month Performance
Saturday, February 11
In celebration of Black History Month, the Education Department will present Becoming Harriet Tubman, a one-woman performance about Harriet Tubman by Natalie E. Daise at 1 p.m. in the Wall Lowcountry Center Auditorium. The 60-minute production involves plain, old storytelling. Natalie Daise, star of TV’s award-winning Gullah Gullah Island pre-school show of the 1990s, has endeared audiences with spellbinding storytelling at past Brookgreen events. She is a recipient of the S.C. Order of the Palmetto and the S.C. Folk Heritage Awards. This program is free with garden admissions but seating is limited and reservations are required. Go online to reserve your space or call (843) 235-6016.
“Silent Cities”
January 3 – March 1, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday at 12 noon and 2:30 p.m.
Ride on the new Trekker down back roads and explore cemeteries, the “Silent Cities” at Brookgreen. Walk through former slave and plantation owner’s graveyards and hear about the historical burial customs of European and African origin. Tickets are $15 in addition to garden admission for this two-hour excursion and must be purchased at Keepsakes at least 10 minutes prior to departure time. Reservations are suggested; please call (843) 235-6042. Visitors who purchase tickets for this excursion will receive a discount coupon for same-day purchases at Keepsakes.
The Oaks Plantation History and Nature Trail
January 4 – March 4, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday
Through interpretive panels along this walking trail learn about the history of The Oaks Plantation and see archaeological sites that include the footprints of the plantation owner’s house, kitchen the overseer’s house, and the enslaved African village. Transportation to The Oaks Plantation History and Nature Trail is only by mini-bus which departs on the hour from 12 noon until 3 p.m. Tickets are $3 per person and must be purchased at Keepsakes at least 10 minutes prior to departure time. Visitors who purchase tickets for this excursion will receive a discount coupon for same-day purchases at Keepsakes.
