Friends of McLeodVolume VII, Issue 2 Fall 2012

You’ve probably noticed that in this issue we have not used the usual logo at the top of page one. Instead, there are pictures from June 30 when we all celebrated the naming of Thomas Johnson Park. Thomas was a Vice President of Friends of McLeod from our first day—we miss him. You can see more pictures from the ceremony on our Facebook page.

We thank five more friends who strengthened us in different ways while we fought to save McLeod. First is Ben Peeples, our attorney, counselor and

advisor. Then Jerry Boyer who sent perfect letters-to-the-editor just at the time we needed them. Ethel Corcoran, Jane Brown and Blanche Beach stood firm, came to meetings, and provided ideas and suggestions to help save and keep McLeod Plantation. Thank you all.

It’s exciting to announce our turn to welcome Joseph McGill as he presents his Slave Dwellings Project for Friends of McLeod. To quote from one blog, “his message is strikingly simple. He spends the night in various slave dwellings as

they currently exist throughout the U.S. to convey a direct message—“This Place Matters.” Your invitation is on the next page and we hope you bring family and friends for Joe’s presentation at the DNR auditorium on September 18.

And last, the announcement of our next Oyster Roast on November 25, get it on your calendar today! See you on September 18! Carol Jacobsen, Chair

Meadors Construction has completed Phase I of the restoration at McLeod —it lasted approximately 8 months. We sat down with the project manager Fillmore Wilson to ask him a few questions. Here’s what he had to say:

FOM: Tell us about some of the things you have found? FW: Well, we didn’t find any relics or artifacts—I suspect the property was well surveyed, documented and researched while under former ownership. However, we did find many interesting structural facts, such as the original kitchen roof was green and not red as everyone thought. When we removed the asphalt roof from the main house, traces of green were found on pieces of metal left beneath leading us to determine that at one time the roof was indeed green, which is why it is green today. We also found evidence that there was once a lean-to structure adjacent to the cotton gin.

FOM: The cotton gin looked awful. What did you find? FW: The gin looked like it was in horrible shape, but it was actually not in terrible shape, just bad shape. The same stabilization shoring was used in the barn, privy and the garage as called for in PRC contract. Because we were able to efficiently shore up these other structures, there was money left in the budget for real structural repairs on the gin. We replaced

the failed main sills on the north and south side. The metal siding, was removed, catalogued, marked, and stored , as we have with everything throughout the project. We found the roof was in pretty decent shape. The west and north faces were re-sided with new wood and the original metal siding was replaced on the east face to show the evolution of the building. The south side was made watertight and will be addressed in Phase II. The gin was probably used until about 1918 at which time it most likely evolved for other uses.

FOM: Do all of the buildings have new roofs? FW: The asphalt shingle roof on the main house has been replaced with a new copper painted standing seam roof, the kitchen addition has been repaired and painted, the slave cabins, kitchen and dairy buildings were replaced with new (cont. on page 2)

An Interview with Fillmore Wilson

An Interview with Fillmore Wilson (continued from page 1)

The Friends of McLeod made a donation to the Parklands Foundation of the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission in honor of Joshua Miller.

DNR Auditorium Ft. Johnson Road 9/18 @ 7:00 PM

The Friends of McLeod Save the Date!Invite you to a Presentation November 25th 2 –6 PM

Joseph McGill: The Slave Dwelling Project

Cosponsored by a grant from

The Friends of McLeod 9th Annual Benefit Oyster Roast

and Silent Auction at Bowen’s Island

If you have an item you would like to donate to the silent auction, please contact

Corie at (843) 327-2213

Friends of McLeod, Inc.P.O. Box 13021Charleston, SC 29422 www.friendsofmcleod.org

treated cedar shakes, the cotton gin and barn roofs were repaired and painted, and the roof on the privy was replaced.

FOM: Was the main house in good shape? FW: The main house was in OK shape. The main sills on the house had deteriorated —the east side was partially replaced and partially repaired, the west were replaced. The sills on the north side of the house on each side of the front porch were bad and were repaired. Virtually 100% of the siding was reused. The roof was replaced with a metal

standing seam roof to match the original in appearance.

FOM: Did you encounter any hurdles? FW: Not at all. As with most historic restoration projects, very few structures are “static” —meaning that while they are historic, they tend to evolve with time. The PRC and Glenn Keyes have done an excellent job creating a plan that preserves the property as Mr. Willie McLeod had most likely intended it.

Stay Tuned! The second installment of Fillmore Wilson’s interview will be continued in our next newsletter!