Freedom Through Entrepreneurship

Park Event · Reconstruction Era National Historical Park · Sep 3, 2026 · 6:00 PM–7:00 PM

One of the key stories of the Port Royal Experiment was the transition from slave labor to wage labor. But this wasn't just a simple switch for farmers to start working for wages.

In this presentation, Park Ranger Dr. Chanda Powell will explore how some formerly enslaved people went into business for themselves, transforming the streets of Beaufort into a community of Black entrepreneurship in the 1870s.

Source: National Park Service (public domain).