Mitchelville Building Sites

Mitchelville Building Sites. . The Maps and Pictures below identify the approximate locations of roads and buildings that were in Mitchelville circa 1862-1868.The Town of Mitchelville had praise houses, stores, schools and numerous homes. Unfortunately no physical remains of Mitchelville building sites exist today. Recent archeological information and field surveys suggest the following:, (captions) , (top left) Plot of original Mitchelville plan circa 1865. Courtesy of the National Archives RG77 Map 152, (bottom left) This surveyed area outlines a building site approximately 22' x 18'., Overlay of current Fish Haul Creek Park on the original Mitchelville plan. Courtesy of Heritage Library and Sea Island Survey Group, (top right) Refugee quarters at Mitchelville in 1864. Courtesy of Heritage Library, By 1865 Mitchelville contained “about 1500 souls.” The houses were often simply built: the freed slaves themselves provided the labor; the military saw mill provided free lumber; and each family had about a quarter of an acre for planting gardens., (bottom right) William Simmons, an escaped slave, was given his freedom in Mitchelville and purchased this land in the Squire Pope community after 1865 with earnings made from service in the U.S. Army. This two-room house was built in the style of Mitchelville era homes in 1930, by his grandson "Duey" and restored in 2010 and is now part of the Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island.