In South Carolina, 47 African American families pooled their resources to purchase 328 acres of land. They were led by a man named Dennis Freeman, and the property was located in an area named Lands End, on St. Helena Island. It was known as The Baker Place, and was formerly a plantation by the name of Riverside.
Mr. Freeman grew up in slavery on the nearby Tom Bee Plantation, and convinced other relatives and families on Lands End to invest in this property which was being sold at a local tax sale.
The mission of the Lands End Woodland Festival is to conserve and utilize the property as intended by the founders. To learn more about the organization's history, you may download the written version in PDF form by clicking here.
“Families on the Island wanted a place to have fun, fish, hunt, chop wood for kindling, and bury their family members. Not to mention, have a legacy for future descendants in this land to be carried down through the decades. They called themselves the Woodland Club and held events to raise money to pay the property taxes”