History That Still Stands
Boone
Hall Plantation, located in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, is best known for its grand Avenue of Oaks—but what moved me most were the nine original brick slave cabins that still stand on the property.
These one-room homes were built between 1790 and
1810 and are not replicas. They are the actual structures where enslaved people lived. Their survival is rare, making Boone Hall one of the few plantations in the country with original slave quarters still intact and open to the public.
The cabins now house a series of exhibits called Black History in America, designed to
educate visitors about the realities of slavery and its lasting impact. Each cabin focuses on a different theme, including daily life under slavery, the development of Gullah culture, emancipation, and the continuing struggle for civil rights.
What
struck me most was the clear effort to give voice to the enslaved, through written narratives, historical documents, and recorded oral histories from their descendants. Boone Hall isn’t trying to romanticize the past. It’s working to confront it.
Walking through those cabins was a heart-wrenching experience. It gave me a
deeper understanding of what enslaved people endured—the lack of space, the forced labor, the loss of freedom and identity—and also a profound respect for their strength and resilience.
It reminded me that acknowledging history in its full truth is
one of the most important things we can do.
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Here's what just one GON reader had to say...
I am so heartwarmed by her note that I had to include the entire letter...
"Dear Maria,
It is high time I write you to thank you for your organizing help. I’ve been a fan of GON for many years. I believe I found it via a link from somewhere, and have been reading it since around 1999. I think it’s by far the best organizing
site.
GON has evolved over time, getting better with various changes. Originally new content was delivered mostly once a month. Now I am spoiled rotten by getting a new GON e-mail every day. It’s impressive that you can arrange for that.
The site itself is excellent. The links work. There are no errors that I’ve seen. It’s logically organized (well, of course). You’ve provided helpful suggestions in so many ways. The most recent addition, the Daily Dose to Enrich Your Mind, is so interesting and stimulating, something I really look forward to. And you include not just interesting historical
tidbits, but thoughts such as not valuing yourself in terms of your paycheck.
You have been very creative in your messages. Some center around holidays. Others derive from sports, music, and so forth. You come up with new angles all the time. You focus not just on organizing, but on improving one’s mood
and morale. And every day includes “Just One Thing” that can make our lives a little easier.
I appreciate that you encourage us to remember, for example, folks in the military, or in other lines of work where we should stop to think about them and thank them. I think you are a believer (Christian), but
you always treat other faiths with respect, including mention of holidays such as Passover or Ramadan in your posts.
You periodically include suggestions from your readers, which add to our arsenal of organizing techniques.
I love checklists! Every month you provide us with a general organizing checklist, and also another list with a particular focus for that month.
You sometimes include additional lists and links, such as for useful products (travel, other). You have given us additional checklists for seasonal tasks. All free, and extremely helpful.
You are never critical of your readers, no matter what they write to you, and are
so encouraging of people who seem truly discouraged and depressed. Even for readers who aren’t in such a state, it is a boost to read what you reply to them.
When readers have had particular difficulty, say, dealing with things left by someone they have lost, you are kind and sympathetic, and offer
suggestions which can assist and comfort them.
On occasion, you have given examples of issues from your own life, which add interest, and also understanding how even a super organizer deals with many of the same situations we encounter.
Each month there is a survey, which I eagerly fill out, and more eagerly read the results. It creates a sense of community.
It’s great that you conclude every e-mail with
Inspiration, giving us a positive note to consider throughout the day.
The pictures and cartoons add to the quality of the e-mails.
I should note that you don’t just have a website. The content is so well written. It is grammatically correct, with sometimes intricate yet excellent sentence structure, including appropriate vocabulary, and occasional flashes of humor. And there are loads of links to organizing different rooms, etc. When I have to wait somewhere, I eagerly peruse them.
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When on a few occasions I wrote about a product or had a question, you or your assistants replied right away. In this era of “good luck reaching a real person,” that is refreshing and appreciated.
I am
exceedingly grateful to have GON in my life, as it has been quite helpful over the years. At some point I know you might want to retire, but I hope it won’t be for a while yet.
The above would be too long to include in full, but feel free to quote an excerpt in a GON post, if you wish. Thanks so
much!"
-- Marianne Rankin
