Point of Pines Plantation Slave Cabin facts for kids

The Point of Pines Plantation Slave Cabin is a historic building. It was once a home for enslaved people on the Point of Pines Plantation in South Carolina. Today, you can see it on display at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. This cabin helps us learn about the lives of enslaved people in the past.

The Point of Pines Slave Cabin

This cabin is a simple, one-story building. It originally had two rooms and a small attic space called a loft. It was built around 1851. The wood for the cabin was prepared somewhere else and then put together on the plantation.

After slavery ended, the cabin was changed. Another room was added to the back of the building. This made it a bit larger for the people living there. The cabin was used as a home until 1981.

A Glimpse into History

Slave cabins were the homes where enslaved African Americans lived. They were often small and simple. The Point of Pines cabin is important because it is one of the few slave dwellings that still exists today. By 2013, only two such cabins remained on Edisto Island, including this one.

This cabin helps us understand the living conditions of enslaved people. It also shows how some of these homes changed after slavery ended. The cabin was officially recognized as a historic place on November 28, 1986. This meant it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Moving to a New Home

In 2010, the cabin was given to the Edisto Island Historical Preservation Society. This group works to protect historical sites. They tried to raise money to move the cabin to a safe place. However, they could not collect enough funds.

At the same time, the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture was looking for a slave cabin. They wanted to display one in their new museum. The museum bought the Point of Pines cabin in 2013.

Taking the Cabin Apart

Moving the cabin was a big job. In May 2013, the museum began carefully taking the cabin apart. Each piece of wood was documented and labeled. This process took three weeks. Once the cabin was removed from its original location, it was no longer listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This happened in October 2013.

Today, the Point of Pines Slave Cabin is a key part of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. It helps visitors learn about a difficult but important part of American history.