HOME MOVIES: CHEROKEE PLANTATION SOUTH CAROLINA

Genre: home movie

Year Published: 1940s

Format: 16mm

Description: Shot by an unknown visitor, this recently discovered, extraordinary silent 16mm film shows views of the Cherokee Plantation in Yemassee, South Carolina, as well as a baptism ceremony. It likely dates to the 1940s. This film has an interesting story -- it was discovered in the trash by NYC resident Stewart Greenstein, who recognized that it was historically important and saved it. He held onto it for over two decades before turning it over to Periscope Film for preservation and digitization. The Cherokee Plantation shown in the film, also known as the Board House, is now a 7,000-acre private golf and sporting club. It was originally part of a land grant to Joseph Blake in 1690. The plantation relied on slave labor up until the time of the Civil War. The African Americans seen in the film are likely sharecroppers or hired help who continued to livedon the property. The film begins with a shot of a sign marked "Cherokee Plantation, W.R. Coe". This refers to W.R. Coe, who along with his wife Marion Coe purchased the plantation from the Blake family in 1930 and set-out to make it their winter home. The Coes hired the landscape firm that designed Central Park in New York to lay out the grounds and had architects travel to Europe to purchase pieces that the plantation's house would be designed around. The house seen in the film was completed in 1931. The Coes renamed the plantation Cherokee after the native flower, the Cherokee Rose. Roses are visible all through the start of the film. The couple at 1:00 may very well be W.R. and Marion Coe. Shots of the extensive gardens follow. At 9:30, a distinctive boathouse building is visible, which still exists on the property today and is used for skeet shooting. At 11:18, two African American men pose with possums they have caught. At 11:40, some unknown men, possibly groundskeepers or staff, are shown. At 12:40, a small boat with the word "Cherokee" on the rear is visible. At 13:00 a man in a hat, with a gold tooth visible, looks directly at camera. At 13:21, an African American man rides a horse towards camera. At 13:37, another African American man poses in front of his house. At 13:54, an African American man is shown wearing traditional robes and head covering for a river baptism. (This is sometimes a full hat resembling a small chef's hat or a wide band over the forehead.) At 14:00, a large community of African American residents of the plantation make their way to the river for the baptism. At 15:34, the holy ritual takes place in a watering hole. Men and women are baptised. At 16:29, a hymn is sung (although since the footage is silent we have no idea which one). At 17:09, more views of the plantation. At 18;15, the plantation house from 1931 is visible, followed by more shots of the gardens and at 25:00, a group of visitors lounging on lawn chairs. At 26:58, a group of African Americans work in a field. More shots of scenery. At 30:49, more shots of the boat house are seen.

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