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LINK Because, if we can't see it, it never happened.

We all know that tearing history down is the fastest way to build yourself up.

paparotzzi 7 Apr 18
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Many times, I visited the Caw Caw Interpretive Center. A park/wildlife refuge on the Savannah Highway some ways down the road from Charleston. Sometimes I visit the park with family, sometimes it is just me and my camera.
Caw Caw sits on the site of one or two former rice plantations along what is now the Wallace River, part of the Stono River system. These plantations pre-date the Revolutionary War, but even today, you can see evidence of the work of slaves shaping the landscape to create a prosperous rice trade for the white European land owners.
There are some nice trails in Caw Caw and on this day, I took a different trail then the first time I visited. This trail took me across the old rice fields to a location known as Laurel Hill. Laurel Hill is referred to in the available literature as a "plantation settlement", in this case, at least eight buildings that served as homes to people like "Gullah Tom, Ashley River Joe, and Chloe" who shaped the canals and land as still evidenced here.
There is nothing left of the settlement, but as I stood in this clearing, contemplating my place in the world, I was drawn to this massive tree on the west side of the clearing. A park sign gave me a brief description of the area from the few available historical records... and then I stepped forward to take a picture or two of the tree. Upon turning back to the main trail, I realized that there was a whole other sign on the back of the one I had just seen.. one that I simply would not have seen if not for this tree. This sign was a history of The Stono Rebellion! The Stono Rebellion is one of the first successful? slave uprisings in the colonies. It was likely planned in this area where I was standing.
The sign on the back of the sign, gave a decent description of the rebellion and referenced a slave named "Jemmy" and/or "Cato". Because I am no real history buff.. but I am a some what literate man.. I did some reading and found that there is no monument to these slaves. Very little to honor what they did. But I did find that very near to Caw Caw, near one of the bridges over the river just before you get to the center is a simple historical marker that makes mention of the rebellion. You would drive by it at 55mph on your way to Savannah. I have began to wonder, recently, if instead of tearing down history - could we not honor it from more than one perspective? Why not raise a monument for Jemmy instead of razing a monument of Calhoun? Just a thought.

Interesting, I think some of the hysterical monument problem could be lack of context and only hearing from a single perspective. I would wander the hell out of an historical preserve looking at the lives of slaves, I've seen the owner perspective.

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