Brattonsville’s 178-year-old ‘Brick House’ now helps tell story of Reconstruction era
Historic Brattonsville has completed years of stabilization and renovation of the 178-year-old Brick House on its McConnells, S.C., property. The building now will tell Reconstruction era stories from York County. Some will focus on former slave and civil rights leader James Williams.
Displays in the new space, which opened Tuesday, will focus on aspects of local history that haven’t yet gotten this level of attention, according to parent group Culture and Heritage Museums, in Brattonsville interpretations.
Zach Lemhouse, historian for the museum group, took time to answer question on the new exhibits and why now is the time to tell a fresh story at Brattonsville.
Why is this newly opened brick house important to Brattonsville? What was it, and what does it represent?
“The Brick House was built in 1843 and uniquely served both public and private functions. The largest room on the first floor housed a Bratton-operated general store. Over its years of operation it also served as a community post office and a polling place.
“The adjacent first floor room and second floor were private living quarters for members of the Bratton family. In 2013, Historic Brattonsville launched projects to restore the Brick House as it appeared in 1871. We chose to restore the building back to the way it would have looked in 1871 because it gives us an opportunity to interpret the Reconstruction time period in the space. Reconstruction was the tumultuous 12 years following the American Civil War in which newly freed African Americans were struggling to maintain new freedoms and liberties like citizenship and the right to vote. Vigilante groups like the Ku Klux Klan were formed, intent on denying African Americans these liberties.
“1871 also marks the height of Klan violence in York County. Between 1870 and 1871 there were a reported 600 beatings and 11 murders perpetrated by the Klan. The 11th person to be murdered was a local African American civil rights leader named James Williams.
“Williams is tied to the Brick House in life and in death. In life, he purchased goods from the Bratton-operated store. After his murder at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan on March 7, 1871, the York County coroner brought James Williams’s body to the Brick House where an inquest was conducted. These connections make the Brick House a prime location to tell the story of Reconstruction and the story of James Williams.”
Who was James Williams, and why is now the time to tell his story?
“James Williams was formerly enslaved on the Bratton Plantation. In 1865, he escaped the plantation and joined the Union Army. He returned home in 1866 and became an active civil rights leader in and around York County. He vocally condemned the violent actions of the Ku Klux Klan and was eventually appointed captain of a state-established African-American militia near Brattonsville. His activism cost him his life at the hands of the Klan on March 7, 1871. “Williams’ case was heard in federal court in Columbia and was eventually deferred to the United States Supreme Court, making it the first case born of President Grant’s Enforcement Acts (legislation passed to prosecute the Klan) to reach America’s highest court.
“We at Historic Brattonsville have made a very conscious effort to tell more inclusive stories that focus on the enslaved African-American population who lived, worked and died on the Bratton Plantation. Annually we have special programming like ‘By Way of the Back Door’ and ‘By the Sweat of our Brows’ that focus on the African-American story at Brattonsville.
“Earlier this year, Brattonsville was inducted into the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program, an initiative of the National Park Service to link sites across the state who can prove through historic research that enslaved African Americans escaped to freedom from their site. Our new exhibit at the Brick House, ‘Liberty and Resistance: Reconstruction and the African American Community at Brattonsville,’ has been part of the plan for the restoration and use of the Brick House since 2013. This exhibit gives us an opportunity tell a nationally significant story that has not been told at Brattonsville before.”
What challenges did the research, vetting, collaboration and presentation of the Williams story present?
“One of the most challenging aspects of the Liberty and Resistance exhibit was telling the complicated and nuanced story of Reconstruction in a limited amount of space. However, thanks to the hard work of African-American historians, academics, and advisers who collaborated with us on this exhibit, I am confident that a comprehensive and inclusive story of Reconstruction has been told in an informative and easy-to-understand way.
“Vetting and collaboration with the African-American community was a very important part of the process. We worked with living descendants of James Williams, and African-American advisers, historians, and academics from across the state, including representatives from the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission. We wanted to make sure we were telling this story in an accurate, inclusive and sensitive way.”
What will visitors to Brattonsville experience or understand in a different way, now that this new exhibit is open?
“The Culture and Heritage Museums of York County acquired the Brick House in 2001. The opening of the Brick House exhibits on Tuesday marks the first time the Brick House has been open to the public during our stewardship of the building.
“Our visitors will be able to experience an entirely new space for the very first time. The stories being told in this space also will be a new experience for our visitors. The Brattonsville Store exhibit will give our visitors a glimpse into Reconstruction era consumerism complete with ... goods on the store shelves. In the adjacent room the Liberty and Resistance exhibit will tell the Reconstruction story and the story of James Williams in a way that it has never been told at Brattonsville before. Visitors will walk away with a new understanding of the Brattonsville community during Reconstruction.
“They will learn about sharecropping at Brattonsville, the atrocities perpetrated by the Ku Klux Klan in York County, the life and legacy of James Williams, and the resilience and bravery of African-Americans who fought to preserve and maintain their newly acquired civil rights.”
Are there future plans or exhibits for the brick house, or the overall Brattonsville property?
“We do have future plans to continue to expand the Brick House exhibits as well as create new exhibits and programming at Brattonsville. We are currently finishing up the design phase for restoration and preservation of two other original buildings at Historic Brattonsville, The Homestead House and the Col. William Bratton House, as part of our overall interpretive plan. Ultimately, these spaces will be furnished and used to tell other inclusive stories at Brattonsville.”
Want to go?
The Brick House is open along with typical Brattonsville hours, which are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1-5 p.m. Sundays. The site is closed Mondays and holidays.
Guests can check hours and other visit details online at chmuseums.org.
This story was originally published November 29, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Brattonsville’s 178-year-old ‘Brick House’ now helps tell story of Reconstruction era."
