George Middleton of Corner Plantation bringing in the marsh grass for his home farm.
The waterways that surround the sea islands were a prime mode of transport, so boat building was a critical skill to the Gullah way of life both before and after slavery times. Taken sometime between the 1860's and the early 1900's, in this photo a man is harvesting marsh grass for his farm. Marsh grass was used for both animal feed and as a fertilizer and mulch.
Photo 0943b in the Penn School Papers #3615, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
"Big Dick" Middleton
Fishing and shrimping was a way of life for the Gullah, during and after slavery. The waters around the sea islands were rich with fish and shellfish, providing an important source of protein for the family, as well as a commodity that could be sold.
Photo 0935a in the Penn School Papers #3615, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Uncle Sam Polite Dredging for Shrimps, Ndulamo, Saint Helena Island, November 1922.
Shrimping was traditionally done with a weighted net, made by hand. Shrimp, plentiful in the estuaries of the Low Country, provided an easily accessible source of protein for the community.
Photo 1195a in the Penn School Papers #3615, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Lewis Hinter and family, Lady's Island, 1936.
The boy on the right is holding his shrimping net while this photo was taken of his family, illustrating how important his net was to him.
fsa 8b26557 (LC-DIG-fsa-8b26557) Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.
Mr. James "Cripp" Legree with his nets, 2010.
Mr. Legree is one of the few men on St. Helena that still make their nets by hand.
Paul Keyserling, 2010.
Weaving the net.
Weaving a net is an art form that is becoming lost as a skill on the island.
Paul Keyserling, 2010.
Weaving the net.
Paul Keyserling, 2010.