Hewn Timber Cabins

History at FMU

Francis Marion University maintains two historic, hewn timber cabins on its campus. The cabins, which date to the mid-19th century, were the living quarters for slaves, and later, for sharecroppers. They are a part of the legacy of the land, and part of the region’s historical heritage as well. The cabins were relocated a short distance from their original locations on the Wallace Gregg farm to their current setting on Wallace Woods Drive after the founding of FMU.

The Hewn Timber Cabins were the homes of Mrs. Catherine and Mrs. Tena, skilled craftsmen who were enslaved on the Gregg Plantation and who built these cabins in approximately 1836. Some of the craftsmen were likely Simon, Jack, Moses, Willes, or Jerry – as those are the names of boys and men mentioned within John Gregg’s 1839 will.

Originally, there were 8 cabins built together, and those on the plantation referred to them collectively as “The Street.”

Around roughly 1870, the sharecroppers who inhabited the cabins expanded into second and third floors to house up to fourteen people. The fire that burnt down the plantation’s “big house,” left four cabins, two of which were on the Francis Marion University campus. Still, we know that Catherine and Tena were among the last people who lived in the cabins around the 1950s, hence the cabins’ names.

One of the reasons these cabins are still standing is due to a method called “dovetailing.” Dovetailing ensures that water will run away from the house when it rains. The process is difficult to produce, proving the talent of those who built it. Another key feature of their craftsmanship is called hewing.

Hewing is the process of stripping the wood to produce a flat surface, which leaves the inside of the log exposed; this exposure allows the sap produced inside of the log to serve as a natural barrier against nature, particularly bugs. Imagine having a home that is naturally protected from South Carolina mosquitoes!

While these two cabins remain standing, this is not the ground they were built on. The residents moved them several times, and as Francis Marion grew, the cabins had to be moved to prevent further damage. In 1974, the National Register of Historic Places gave nine acres of land to be a permanent settlement for the cabins. Both the South Carolina State Museum and the Washington Smithsonian wanted to house the cabins as historical artifacts in exhibits, but fate had other plans.

In the case of the State Museum: the room they had built for the cabins was not large enough, so they had to leave them on campus grounds. When the Smithsonian planned to take Mrs. Catherine’s cabin, Hurricane Hugo hit and dropped pine trees on the cabin, which damaged the second floor, returning the cabin to being one story, and the Smithsonian no longer wanted it.

In 1993, the school’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, held a contest for students to create a sign that would explain the significance of the cabins. Angel Payton won the contest with a sign that reads:

IN MEMORY OF OUR PEOPLE

FOR ALL THEIR HARD WORK

FOR THE BLOOD AND TEARS SHED

SO THAT WE AS PEOPLE

MIGHT PROGRESS.

IN MEMORY OF THE STRUGGLE

THE PAST, THE PRESENT, AND

THE FUTURE.

LET THE MONUMENTS STAND

AS A REMINDER OF OUR

ENDURANCE. A REMINDER THAT

WE HAVE, THAT WE CAN,

AND THAT WE WILL OVERCOME

ANY OBSTACLES OF OPPRESSION.

LET OUR PEOPLE REJOICE AND

SING A SONG OF FREEDOM!

These cabins hold a history that has lasted for nearly 200 years. It is important to honor those who built the cabins and the longevity of their craftsmanship which sustained countless families over the years.

The cabins are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Guided tours of the cabins are available by appointment.

Tour the Hewn Timber Cabins at FMU

The cabins are open from March until November for guided tours. Tours are available by appointment Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tours last about an hour. To schedule a tour, call the FMU library at 843-661-1300 or email hewntimbercabins@fmarion.edu.

Driving directions and a map of the campus can be accessed here.