By the Sweat of Our Brows
This annual event at Historic Brattonsville brings together descendants of enslaved and free people to share stories, answer questions, and educate visitors about the lives and labor of those who lived on the plantation. Through community engagement and historical interpretation, the event honors the resilience and contributions of those whose work shaped this land.
2025
Historic Brattonsville
In 1766, William and Martha Bratton acquired 200 acres along the South Fork of Fishing Creek in what is now York County, South Carolina. During the American Revolution, the conflict reached their doorstep in July 1780, when a detachment of the British Legion searched for Colonel William Bratton, a Patriot militia officer, leading to the Battle of Huck’s Defeat.
Over the following century, the Bratton plantation expanded to more than 4,000 acres under the management of their youngest son, John Simpson Bratton. This growth relied heavily on the labor of the enslaved people who worked the land, particularly in cotton cultivation. By 1819, the plantation had become known as Brattonsville, marked in part by the opening of a post office within John Simpson Bratton’s store.
John Simpson Bratton expanded the plantation with new homes, slave quarters, and the Brick House, and converted his parents’ log house into a school for his daughters around 1839. After his death, his wife Harriet managed the cotton plantation through the Civil War. Following emancipation, African Americans in Brattonsville began participating in the community despite challenges from white supremacist groups. Today, Historic Brattonsville preserves buildings and landscapes that reflect the lives of the Bratton family, the enslaved people, and other residents across three key periods: the Revolutionary, Antebellum, and Reconstruction Eras.
Photographing the site for the museum was a deeply rewarding experience, allowing me to engage with and share this history through my lens.