Slave Houses, Gregg Plantation facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Slave Houses, Gregg Plantation
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 Location in South Carolina
Location in the United States
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| Location | Francis Marion College campus, Mars Bluff, South Carolina |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1831 |
| Architectural style | Log construction |
| NRHP reference No. | 74001856 |
| Added to NRHP | July 22, 1974 |
The Slave Houses, Gregg Plantation are two old log cabins located in Mars Bluff, South Carolina. They are on the campus of Francis Marion University in Florence County, South Carolina. These cabins are important because they show us how enslaved people lived long ago.
Originally, there were eight of these cabins on the Gregg Plantation. But over time, only these two have survived. They were built a very long time ago, before the year 1831. People continued to live in them until the early 1950s.
What the Houses Look Like
These small houses are made from logs that were shaped by hand. Each house has an open porch at the front and a roof that slopes down on two sides, called a gable roof. They also had additions built onto the back.
- Even though the inside of each cabin was small, as many as 14 people lived in one house.
- The cabins were built using strong longleaf pine wood.
- The wood was not treated with chemicals. However, the enslaved people who built the cabins were very skilled. They used the natural sticky sap, called resin, from the pine trees to help protect the wood.
A Journey Through Time
These historic houses have been moved more than once. This shows how much things changed around them.
- Sometime before 1870, the houses were moved from their original spot.
- Then, in 1971, they were moved again. This happened because the Francis Marion University needed space to build its library.
- When the cabins were moved, any parts that had been added to them later were taken off. This was done so that visitors could see what the cabins looked like when enslaved people first lived in them.
- In 1974, these cabins were added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of important historical places in the United States.
Plans and Challenges
In the late 1980s, there were plans to move one of the cabins to the Smithsonian Museum. The Smithsonian is a famous group of museums in Washington, D.C.
- However, these plans did not happen.
- In 1989, a big storm called Hurricane Hugo hit the area. The hurricane damaged the roof of one of the cabins.
- After the storm, the roof was fixed and made new again.
