Colin Brooker's talk on "Tormenting, Dissatisfied People" held at Hilton Head Branch earlier this month was well received. Participants were particularly interested in learning what happened to the slaves of John Moultrie once they were taken from the United States. Mr. Brooker will oblige us all on March 30th. He has agreed to tell the rest of the story (as far as he knows it from his research) during "Searching The Bahamas for Gov. John Moultrie's Forgotten 'People.'" This time, Mr. Brooker will share his research findings about the enslaved people North of the Broad River at our Beaufort facility.
In 1784 John Moultrie, a South Carolinian, was Lt. Governor of East Florida. A Loyalist, he sent some 150 slaves to The Bahamas to start new plantations. These 'people' many of whom had previously worked his rice plantations along the Santee River (boundary between Charleston County and Georgetown County) soon established new plantations on New Providence and other islands in The Bahamas. These slaves pioneered the cultivation of long-staple cotton so important in the antebellum history of Beaufort District and other parts of South Carolina and Georgia.
Based on recent archaeological and architectural surveys sponsored by the National Museum of The Bahamas, this lecture describes efforts to locate Moultrie's long forgotten holdings and determine the ultimate fate of those enslaved individuals who settled them.
Please make plans to join us for this local history program, "Searching The Bahamas for Gov. Moultrie's Forgotten 'People,'" on Tues., March 30th 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm in the Paul Siegmund Room, 311 Scott Street, downtown Beaufort.
As always, BDC local history programs are free and open to anyone over age 12 interested in local history, culture, or the environment.
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