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Aiken, S.C. – Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site invites the public to attend a free Open House on March 16. Explore the site’s historic structures, learn about their archaeology work, attend a book talk, and purchase food from Fuse Mobile Food Truck at this engaging and educational event.

Open House schedule:

• 10:00 a.m. – Welcome
• 10:10 a.m. – HBCU Archaeology Field School – Redcliffe is hosting a week-long archeology field school to uncover more of Redcliffe’s history. Join students and their leadership, Dr. Alison Mc Letchie (SC State) and Dr. Kelly Goldberg (USC), to learn about their archaeological work at Redcliffe. This will be a presentation followed by a Q&A.
• 11:00 a.m. – Moving Forward – Redcliffe’s Interpreter and SCPRT’s Archaeologist will discuss how the site uses new and ongoing archaeological findings to inform and update the interpretation at Redcliffe.
• 11:30 a.m. – Explore the mansion and archaeology site on guided tours. Purchase lunch from Fuse Mobile Food Truck, or bring your own to enjoy on park grounds.
• 2:00 p.m. – This Is Our Home book talk with Dr. Stewart – Dr. Whitney Stewart will discuss her recently published book, This Is Our Home: Slavery and Struggle on Southern Plantations, which features Redcliffe in one of its chapters.

Address: Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site, 181 Redcliffe Rd, Beech Island, SC 29842

Visitors are encouraged to spend the day or just drop in for the sessions that interest them. The Fuse Mobile Food Truck will be on site from 11:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, and while not required, an RSVP is encouraged by Thursday, March 14 to redcliffe@scprt.com or 803-827-1473.

Visitors should dress for the weather, wear walking shoes, and plan to bring bug spray and bottled water. The structures at Redcliffe do not have air conditioning. All of the site’s buildings are accessed by stairs.

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About Redcliffe: Redcliffe Plantation, completed in 1859, was once the home of James Henry Hammond, three generations of his descendants, and numerous African-American families like the Henleys, Goodwins, and Wigfalls who worked at the site as enslaved laborers and later as free men and women. Now one of the many historic plantations South Carolina has opened to the public, this site encompasses the ambition, wealth, and power of James Henry Hammond as well as the injustices and suffering forced on the hundreds of enslaved peoples who were forced to live and work on the land.

Redcliffe provides a setting for exploring the experiences of the enslaved, as well as the larger institution of slavery, and reflects the historical experiences and impact of the white and black families who lived and worked at the site. The extant slave quarters, mansion, and iconic lane of magnolia trees planted in 1861 serve to highlight the plantation’s rich and varied history.