There’s a very timely article in this week’s Daniel Island News entitled A Story of Resilience…Discovering Daniel Island’s African American Past. The author is Beth Bush, DIHS Co-Founder and DI NEWS contributor.
“Pompey awoke with his parents and siblings at dawn, as he did nearly every morning. The day’s work would likely keep them busy until dusk.
Pompey was an enslaved boy living on the Lesesne Plantation of Daniel Island in the early 1700s, according to historical documents. His modest home, likely a one room abode with a dirt floor and thatched roof, was adjacent to the main plantation house. Some of the early products the plantation may have produced included timber, meats, and naval stores, such as tar and resin for ship building. Much of the settlement was located on the present day site of the LTP Daniel Island Tennis Center along the Wando River, as documented by local archaeologists and historians over the years.
“Daniel Island has been a part of Charleston’s history since 1673,” said Daniel Island Historical Society co-founder Michael Dahlman, who co-wrote the book “Daniel Island” with his son, Michael Dahlman Jr., to document the island’s evolution, beginning with its Native American occupation. “These nearly 350 years of the island’s life convey an incredible story of their own, a story buried in the ground and brought to life through archaeological work over the past several decades.”
READ THE REST OF THE DANIEL ISLAND NEWS ARTICLE BY CLICKING HERE
See our new page, Daniel Island’s African American History by CLICKING HERE. This new page is an ongoing project and we welcome all suggestions and contributions.