Many of the Hundreds of Unidentified graves 🪦 at Death Valley & Woodland Cemetery 💀 belong to my Ancestors!
I would like to begin by acknowledging the past research, interviews, and (past) WOODLAND CEMETERY tours which had already occurred in the late 80’s and into the early 90’s. This is “ALL'‘ Recycled Research for profit that had previously been conducted decades ago.
This Woodland Cemetery tour was on September 23, 1992. Three decades ago Clemson University conducted the very same research. It’s time to move forward with impactful actions that are capable of inspiring the future.
In recent years there have been many discoveries of old African American burial grounds throughout the South. Surprisingly, many of the burial sites remain undisturbed and mysteriously hidden away on primarily uninhabited lands. A large number of these final resting places for our African American Ancestors are located in areas that were once considered unappealing to those who failed to recognize the value in the properties as these were greatly considered to be rugged, unattractive, and brushy. Amazingly, some African American burial grounds still remain undiscovered and somewhat sheltered due to their sometimes secluded locations in rural wooded areas that are mostly undeveloped. These areas were understood by locals, natives, and historians alike to be Sacred grounds and this is why many of these hallowed lawns continue to be preserved and mainly untouched.
Growing up, I remember attending several Clemson University football games where I witnessed tailgating fans using the wooded areas surrounding Woodland Cemetery as their personal outhouse before, after, and during the college football games at nearby Death Valley or Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. After some football games, the entire lower area would be littered with beer cans, used tailgating supplies, and garbage that was disrespectfully thrown onto the premises of the cemetery by tailgating fans. The ironic part of it all is, I’ve always felt a connection or unexplained energy each and every time that I visited Woodland Cemetery and this strange feeling was identified way before I was even aware that many of my ancestors were laid to rest at the cemetery. However, I remained clueless for decades and was unable to explain the extra energy that I felt each time that I was able to visit Woodland Cemetery. In August of 2020, only a few months after I founded the Men Of Color Having Answers Foundation (M.O.C.H.A.), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the discovery of Solutions to end Generational Obstacles faced by Black Americans, my mom made me aware of the findings of 200 or so graves that were discovered at Woodland Cemetery. After I was made aware of the detection of hundreds of unidentified graves, I then visited the cemetery numerous amounts of times connecting with the energy of my ancestors, searching for clues, and recording my experience along the way. Over the years I could remember countless stories from my grandmother Mary, as she told of her experience at Clemson University, where she worked decades. She shared many stories that were experienced by her mother Dessie, who was born enslaved in 1899, on the campus of Clemson University (formerly Clemson College). Sadly, my grandmother Mary was the first in my family to experience being born into freedom, and insanely my grandmother was born in 1927. Shockingly, it took over 60 years after the emancipation for my family to be freed. Nevertheless, it is safe to say that I was somewhat educated on the history of Cemetery Hill by a woman who actually experienced and lived the truth. My grandmother offered a plethora of unknown fascinating stories that had not had been written. When in doubt, I always relied on the words that my family had spoken, understanding that the stories that were published, consisted of only what the University wanted people to know. It would not be until I was led to conduct research of my own using the names that I had been given, census reports, and my family’s real stories of our true experience, that would allow me to connect critical clues.
My Grandmother Nancy Washington Legree, born Nancy Calhoun, to the family of the 7th Vice President of the United States, John C. Calhoun.
On September 23, 2020, I prepared a written recommendation to the Clemson City Council on behalf of the Men Of Color Having Answers Foundation (M.O.C.H.A.) a South Carolina nonprofit organization, with a request to name the Unnamed Pedestrian Walkover Bridge in the Calhoun Community after Nancy Washington Legree, a formerly enslaved African American woman born in 1836, whose history of praise was left by Thomas Green Clemson, the founder of Clemson University.
Another greatly overlooked fact that is largely unknown to many is that my grandmother Nancy Washington Legree was also born enslaved to the 7th Vice President of the United States of America, John C. Calhoun, and the highly celebrated Calhoun family.
The Calhouns were one of the first families to officially own Fort Hill Plantation in Clemson, SC where many of my early ancestors were enslaved up until about 1920.
Although Clemson University has proudly displayed my grandmother Nancy Washington Legree, Mary Wright Legree, and others in my family as their picture of a happy story of slavery, I have found it to be extremely difficult locating the final resting places for many of my family members prior to 1920. This is because my family was located on or about the area of Fort Hill Plantation where they remained enslaved decades after the Emancipation.
Census reports that show exactly where on Clemson College my family was located. Also my Aunt Ida who was mulatto is named after Idar A Calhoun. My aunt was later sent out of state and separated from my family.
The forced labor and high demands of the slaveholders that have occupied Fort Hill Plantation greatly restricted the social growth and prohibited my family from pursuing opportunities that were capable of helping them achieve financial stability. Clemson University has stated that the enslaved left no written history because the authors of the story were slaveholders. Today, it is the descendants of those who enslaved Black people who refuse to teach and tell the truth in regards to the facts of slavery. While many Black families in the Clemson area were enslaved, yet it was my family that was enslaved by some of the founding fathers of the nation. Three Powerful eras of slavery at Clemson. Unlike many of the surrounding area churches and the Cemeteries that use, my family’s remains prior to 1920 largely are unknown, yet I know where my family resided due to numerous census reports.
Further proof that Clemson University has been familiar and has studied my family since their forefathers and family had enslaved, raped, separated, and robbed my family and my ancestors out of land and opportunity.
We must remember that there weren’t many if any Black churches in the south that were established prior to the emancipation of 1865. However, I know that my family was enslaved at Fort Hill Plantation in Clemson South Carolina, and just as we know the enslaved weren’t allowed to travel outside of the Plantation. Clemson University media outlets have sold and told the story of the enslavement of my grandmother, Nancy Washington Legree, for decades, and as you witnessed above even placing her picture on the cover of a University magazine.
My Aunt Ida who I had known up until my early teens was a mulatto born abt 1914/15 on the campus of Clemson University (formerly Clemson College) was named after the sister of the daughter of Floride Calhoun. Shortly after my Aunt Ida was born, she was separated from my family and forced to leave Clemson University (formerly Clemson College). My Aunt Ida was sent to New York state for the majority of her life. I later learned that one of the only ways that a slave could be freed was to be sent out of state. Slaveholders also forced many out of state to try and hide the identities of the babies that they birthed by viciously raping Black People. Sexual abuse of Black Women, Men, and Children was a common practice of the absurdly barbaric behavior of the slaveholders.
My family’s true story at Clemson University is unlike any other story of slavery that I have read in American History. I understand that it wasn’t just Clemson University's fault for enslaving my family, because it’s much more complex than that, with so many pieces that came together in order to make this evil plan work. Ben Tillman first explored signing convict laborers at his family’s 2500 acre Plantation in the Edgefield District, where his family was among the largest and wealthiest slaveholders in the district. When Fort Hill Plantation in Clemson, SC was experiencing financial difficulties, it was Benjamin Ryan Tillman who stepped in and showed and Thomas Green Clemson, how to profit once again after the Emancipation had already freed the enslaved. The withdrawal of Union soldiers in the Southern United States in the 1870s only made reenslaving Black People much more simplified for those searching to profit once again off of the free labor of Black People. The people who were recently freed now had no rights, no choice, and no protection.
In final, when you think of my family’s true history, it involves Slaveholders, Senators, Governors, and even the family of a Vice President of the United States, who have all fathered people in my family. Every era of Slavery and forced labor at Clemson University formerly Clemson College has included my family, not just my ancestors. Clemson University can twist, turn, and manipulate this story as much as they would like, but they understand today just as their forefathers understood yesterday, the value of the Nancy Washington Legree bloodline.
The truth is, over half a century ago Clemson stopped short of naming a street after a slave named Sawney. Supposedly, Sawney was a favorite slave of John C. Calhoun, but history tells a much different story when you dig into the truth. I believe that Sawney was much more than just a “favorite Slave” to the 7th Vice President of The United States.
This marker was added by Clemson University but there was never a street that was named to recognize Sawney.
It has been 80 years since my grandmother Nancy Washington Legree was alive and ironically my family is only able to celebrate 100 years of freedom in America because of the enslavement of the forefathers of Clemson University. The actions of the descendants today doesn’t show much promise as they have worked with others throughout the state of South Carolina to Black Ball my mission of Positive and Effective change for Black People in America, just as they collaborated with state leaders to keep my family enslaved for their profits.
There is no doubt that Clemson University feels the spirits and the energy of the very people who are speaking from their graves and until Clemson University stops making excuses for the delays of honoring what they have known to be true, then many unexplained occurrences will continue. Until Clemson University & Clemson City respectfully honors Nancy Washington Legree and others who built the University, then profit will no longer come as easy as it once did and you will watch your institution be shaken by scandal that is revealed that doesn’t involve Black People that will undoubtedly shame you.
I understand my ancestors, yet it’s very unfortunate that Clemson University still has no interest in siding with the truth. The time is now and there is no further cover up that will allow you to distract the people from the truth. My Ancestors said it, everyone one of them.
Even my Ancestors who aren’t identified and therefore remain unknown Co-signed this Announcement.