Hewn-Timber Cabins

Hewn-Timber Cabin, image courtesy of Francis Marion University

Location: Wallace Woods Road, Florence, South Carolina 29506, United States

Skilled craftsmen who were enslaved on the Gregg Plantation, mentioned within John Gregg’s 1839 will, built these cabins in approximately 1836. Some of these craftsmen were Eliza Davis, Simon, his wife Hannah, and Cooper Charlotte. 

Originally, there were eight cabins built together, and those on the plantation referred to them collectively as “The Street.” We do not have much information on the first enslaved people who lived here due to a fire in the plantation home, Sunnyside, in 1926 that burned all the plantation and family records. 

Around roughly 1870, the cabins were expanded into second and third floors to house up to fourteen people. The fire burnt down the plantation’s “big house,” leaving four cabins, two of which were on the Francis Marion University campus. Still, we know that Catherine and Tena were among the last people to have lived in the cabins around the 1950s, hence the cabins’ names.

One of the reasons these cabins are still standing is due to a method called “dovetailing.” Dovetailing ensures that water will run away from the house when it rains. The process is difficult to produce, proving the talent of those who built it. Another key feature of their craftsmanship is called hewing. 

Hewing is the process of stripping the wood to produce a flat surface, which leaves the inside of the log exposed; this exposure allows the sap produced inside of the log to serve as a natural barrier against nature, particularly bugs. Imagine having a home that is naturally protected from South Carolina mosquitoes.

While these two cabins remain standing, this is not the ground they were built on. The residents moved them several times, and as Francis Marion grew, the cabins had to be moved to prevent further damage. In 1974, the National Register of Historic Places gave nine acres of land to be a permanent settlement for the cabins. Speaking of moving, both the South Carolina State Museum and the Washington Smithsonian wanted the cabins as historical artifacts but fate had other plans. 

In the case of the State Museum: the room they had built for the cabins was not large enough, so they had to leave them on campus grounds. And when the Smithsonian planned to take Mrs. Catherine’s cabin, Hurricane Hugo hit and dropped pine trees on the cabin, which damaged the second floor, returning the cabin to being one story so the Smithsonian no longer wanted it.  

Luckily, in 1993, the school’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), held a contest for students to create a sign that would explain the significance of the cabins in a way that did them justice. Angel Payton won the contest with a sign that reads:

IN MEMORY OF OUR PEOPLE
FOR ALL THEIR HARD WORK
FOR THE BLOOD AND TEARS SHED
SO THAT WE AS PEOPLE
MIGHT PROGRESS.
IN MEMORY OF THE STRUGGLE
THE PAST, THE PRESENT, AND
THE FUTURE.
LET THE MONUMENTS STAND 
AS A REMINDER OF OUR
ENDURANCE. A REMINDER THAT
WE HAVE, THAT WE CAN,
AND THAT WE WILL OVERCOME
ANY OBSTACLES OF OPPRESSION.
LET OUR PEOPLE REJOICE AND
SING A SONG OF FREEDOM!

These cabins hold a history that has lasted for nearly 200 years, a history that serves as a reminder of how far African Americans and the Mars Bluff community have come. It is important to honor those who built the cabins and the longevity of their craftsmanship which sustained countless families over the years. 

The cabins and their residents have a lasting influence throughout the Florence community. Other stops in this tour include Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, Rosenwald School, and the Mt. Zion Cemetery, places the residents of the cabin frequented. 

To learn more about the lives of the people that lived in the Hewn-Timber Cabins you can