If you live in Coastal Georgia you see the many events that begin to appear on the local calendar this time of year. Each has a wonderful cause all its own and our community supports them well. I’m writing about an event you’ve heard of but may not grasp the breadth of. Beginning on Friday, March 27th, a very special event entitled Cabin Fever begins. For three days participants will be treated to a piece of Coastal Georgia history that makes up the very fabric of who we are today.
At one time there were huge plantations all over the area. At Gascoigne Point you would find the Hamilton Plantation. Built in the late 1700’s, the great house no longer stands. But two structures still remain that speak to the time, a time of slavery when African’s were rounded up, against their will, and brought to America to be put to work growing and harvesting rice and cotton. These hearty people worked to make the plantations profitable for their owners. They faced the extreme heat of our area during warm months, working in fields or seeing to the keeping of the great house. Lest we forget, they provided the labor that enabled these plantations and their owners to thrive and prosper, many times paying the ultimate price, loss of their lives.
It’s easy to sweep such thoughts out of our minds but we cannot. The two remaining tabby slave cabins that still stand on the grounds of the original plantation at Gascoigne Point have to be preserved so that history continues to tell its story. The Cassina Garden Club, established in 1932, lovingly cares for and maintains these two historic structures to the best of their abilities. But time takes its toll and the tabby construction of these cabins must be restored so we do not lose this valuable piece of our history.
You can join in this event and take part in learning more of our history this coming weekend. Joseph McGill, founder of The Slave Dwelling Project, will be the guest of honor. Mr. McGill has made it his business to not only discover the slave cabins that still stand in various parts of our country, but to visit them and sleep in them. He taps into the energy of the place and the people who called these small structures their homes. The weekend begins with a dinner on Friday evening at the A.W. Jones Heritage Center here on St. Simons Island. The video you’ll hear when you click on the arrow in the frame above will allow you to hear about Mr. McGill’s project. Joseph McGill is dedicated to ensuring that the years of slavery these cabins represent are remembered as more than a mere footstep, they are a footprint, never to be forgotten.
On Saturday you’ll be treated to a trolley tour that will take you to the African-American historic sites that remain standing on the island with a potluck lunch on the grounds of the cabins. Saturday evening is the crowning event as guests will experience the culinary magic of the time, prepared by our favorite chefarmer Matthew Raiford. Chef Raiford has worked with the members of Cassina Garden Club using recipes from the original cookbook that have been passed down over the decades. First printed in 1937, this book is full of delicious recipes provided by members at the time. These recipes find their roots in a bygone era when female slaves worked in outdoor kitchens to create the meals their master’s then dined on. If you choose to you can even spend the night on the cabin grounds with Joseph McGill as your host.
Sunday morning will bring an end to the weekend’s events with a Riverside Daybreak Service, a non-denominational event that gives a time to worship, pray and praise together. This is an event that has been in the planning for many months by the members of the club that was deeded the property in 1950. They tirelessly work to maintain this piece of history that is in their care. Please join them and attend as many of the events as you can!
For more information and to order tickets: http://www.cassinagardenclub.org/
