Imagine choosing to spend the night in a space no larger than a tool shed. Simple wooden walls, no insulation, the air heavy with history. Now imagine knowing your own ancestors may once have slept there, not by choice, but by force.
For more than 250 nights, Joseph McGill, Jr. has done exactly that.
Since he founded the Slave Dwelling Project in 2010, McGill has slept in more than 150 dwellings across the country inviting others to join him in confronting history in a deeply physical way. Around campfires built on the grounds of historic sites, he creates space for honest conversations about slavery and the legacy it left on this nation. Truths, he believes, are often left out of history lessons.
“These people were indeed human, and not happy to be enslaved,” McGill reminds participants. “And their enslavers were not benevolent as was taught.”
His work inspires. His passion adds humanity to history. And his mission directly reflects The South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission’s (SC250) commitment to telling the full story of the American Revolution. Not just the triumphs, but the truths that shaped our nation
“Our commission is dedicated to telling the story of every single person that was here: man, woman, child, loyalist, patriot, African-American, free and enslaved, Native American. We’ve got to tell every single story, and those stories are incredibly important. The commission took that mission to heart from day one. Even our commission is diverse. Our stories are diverse. Our work is diverse,” said Molly Fortune, SC250 Executive Director.
The History of the Slave Dwelling Project
Inspired in part by the preservation work of the National Trust for Preservation, where McGill once worked, the Slave Dwelling Project (SDP) was born from a realization. While historic homes and grand architectural landmarks were being carefully preserved, the stories of the people who built them were too often missing.
“A lot of times these architectural buildings were built with stolen labor, and that’s the element of the story that the Slave Dwelling Project propels,” said McGill. “This project gives them an opportunity for their stories to be told because when they were here on earth they were muted.”
In 2016, McGill expanded SDP’s mission from overnight stays and campfire conversations to include living history programs in which he himself participated as a civil war era reenactor.
SC250’s Role in Evolving the Story
With support from the SC250 Commission through multiple grants, SDP expanded further into the Revolutionary era. Funding has enabled McGill and fellow living historians to serve as a free resource for partners across South Carolina who want to present a more complete story of the Revolution.
Over the past year, Black voices have been brought to events in Florence and Lexington Counties, the inaugural Sweet Potato Festival, and Liberty Day at the State House. At Liberty Day, a fellow reenactor Dontavius Williams portrayed a Black Loyalist, while McGill embodied Oscar, the enslaved man who served General Francis Marion throughout the war.
“The thing that really hurts about that role, is to know all that Oscar did. The 7 years that he did it, pretty much by the side of Francis Marion… To know that after the Revolutionary War, after it was all over, he was still enslaved,” said McGill.
That tension, the courage and contributions alongside the injustice, is central to McGill’s work. It also fuels his current research into Thomas Jeremiah, a free man of color accused of being a Loyalist spy and executed during the Revolutionary era. “Jeremiah was convicted as a Loyalist spy, and they hung him,” McGill said. “I may bring him to life.”
What Comes Next
One thing is certain: McGill’s work continues to grow. In the coming months, the Slave Dwelling Project will bring reenactors to events in Jasper, Fairfield, and Williamsburg Counties. With support from SC250, McGill is conducting research on slavery in colonial times. He is also working on co-authoring a book on the topic with journalist Herb Frazier. Additionally, the 9th National Slave Dwelling Project Conference, funded in part by SC250, is scheduled for October 1–3 in North Charleston.
“We’re proud to be a part of the 250th… to tell the best story. So we’re glad that we can do this through the South Carolina 250th Commission,” said McGill.
You can join McGill for his next campfire conversation on Wednesday, March 4th, at 6 p.m. at the Old Charleston Jail. The Slave Dwelling Project will also participate in Carolina Day commemoration events at Fort Moultrie on Saturday, June 27th. To learn more about the Slave Dwelling Project and to request reenactors for your next event, visit the SDP website.