Founded in 1681 Boone Hall is among the oldest plantations in America with a deep history of slavery. We toured the mansion, the stables where 4 Triple Crown winners came from, 9 former slave houses and the grounds. We learned that in its heyday the plantation produced 4 million red bricks a year, besides cotton and all of the fruits and vegetables needed to support the @200 slaves on site. One of the things that set this plantation apart was that the slave quarters were constructed out of the rejected bricks from production and were not wooden framed like so many others at the time. A testament to the quality of the bricks that they still stand today! One of the reasons the bricks may have been rejected would have been finger marks in the brick as it was removed from the mold by small children, as this was one of their jobs. These “blemishes” can clearly be seen both in the buildings here on the plantation as well as in some of the buildings in Charleston that were built at the time. If a child could lift a pail of water they were required to work. We learned about the Gullah, their history and culture. It was all quite interesting and we had a great time. I still have not seen an alligator and am beginning to think they are made up stories just to intimidate us northerners. Everywhere we have been from Arkansas to here has had all kinds of signs warning not to feed or go near them. All kinds of signs but no critters. Les Emmerson could have added this one to his song in 1971.
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