First on Facebook – May 4, 2021
GWM: “Did you hear a story about your grandfather in a racially tense situation with a white person?”
Reverend Geddis: “I hadn’t been born when they lived at Drayton Hall, but I heard stories of those times. They were able to survive, no matter what they went through. Here’s an example:“One day a white gentleman (not at Drayton Hall) slapped my grandfather, but this gentleman had only one hand. My grandfather was a religious man, so he turned the other side of his face to this gentleman, and he slapped that side. My grandfather didn’t say anything.“But not long afterward, this man was working at his cotton gin, stuck his only hand in something, and got it cut off, so he had no hands at all to slap somebody with. But he could use his nubs.“One day he went up in his barn loft to throw hay out to the cows, fell out, and broke his neck. Now we don’t know whether his death was because of what he did to my grandfather, but all of that could have been God’s judgment, His Hand.
Preview my new book “Drayton Hall Stories: A Place and Its People”
George W. McDaniel, Ph.D., is President of McDaniel Consulting, LLC, a strategy firm that helps organizations use history to build bridges within itself and to its broader constituents. The company’s tag line, “Building Bridges through History,” is grounded in McDaniel’s personal beliefs and his experience in site management, preservation, education, board development, fundraising, and community outreach. Rather than using history to divide us, he strives to help organizations use history, especially local history, to enhance cross-cultural understanding and to support local museums, preservation, and education. Dr. McDaniel led volunteer efforts with Emanuel AME Church and historical organizations in Charleston to use historic preservation to enhance racial reconciliation and healing. McDaniel is also the Executive Director Emeritus of Drayton Hall, a historic site in Charleston, SC, owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He retired from Drayton Hall in 2015 after 25 years of distinguished service.
A frequent writer, speaker, and facilitator about such issues, he can be reached at gmcdaniel4444@gmail.com or through his website at www.mcdanielconsulting.net.
All images courtesy of the author unless otherwise noted.
McDaniel Consulting LLC is a strategy firm that helps organizations use history to build bridges within itself and its broader constituents.