More Than a Refugee Camp

Major General Ormsby Mitchel, a staunch abolitionist, assumed command of Hilton Head Island on September 17, 1862. Mitchel was disturbed by the overcrowded conditions he found in the refugee barracks. In October, he ordered construction of a Freedmen's community north of the Union encampment on a portion of Fish Haul Plantation. Mitchel wanted to move the refugees out of the military depot, improve their living conditions, and give them some autonomy. Mitchelville, he said, would be more than a refugee camp, it would prove that freed men and women could govern, sustain, and educate themselves.

Building Freedom's Home

Accounts say General Mitchel organized a contest between his engineers and the refugees, inviting each to build a sample cabin. He selected the house built by the contrabands as the model for Mitchelville's homes. The Army Corps of Engineers laid out streets and lots. Contrabands built their own homes with lumber and nails provided by the army. In late October 1862, Mitchel reported groups of people building six houses a day.

“The houses are very comfortable and commodious structures; built partly with slabs from the saw mills, and partly with rough timber worked out by the negroes themselves. Thus far the thing promises well, and the negroes enter into it with all their heart. In fact nothing has ever taken such hold of them as this hope—the first they have ever had—of having homes of their own."
Private letter to the editor of the New York Evening Post

Historic photographs taken in 1864 by Civil War photographer Samuel Cooley show the great individuality of Mitchelville's residences. Small framed houses were built on wooden piers or wooden sills set on the ground. Most of the houses were clad in wood siding. Roofs had wood, metal, or bitumen paper shingles. Each house had a chimney or coal-burning stove. Some had glass windows; others had wooden shutters. The photos also show an assortment of fences, canvas lean-tos, and other outdoor fixtures. Each family had a one-quarter or one-half acre to cultivate.

Keeping the Law

Self-government was essential to the success of Mitchelville. Only African Americans could live in the village. The town was governed by a supervisor and treasurer appointed by the military commander and councilmen elected by the residents. The council could enforce village ordinances, levy taxes, oversee sanitation and garbage regulations, and regulate all matters affecting the well-being of citizens and the good order of society. They were also charged with establishing schools and ensuring all children between the ages of 6 and 15 attended daily.

Read the government's duties

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!

Mitchelville's residents earned a living working in the military encampment as pilots, guides, carpenters, personal servants, laundresses, cooks, blacksmiths, stable hands, and general laborers. Some people worked as paid laborers on local cotton plantations. Many people, particularly women, grew small gardens and raised chickens and pigs to support and feed their families. They sold vegetables, eggs, fish, and other food stuffs to the soldiers in the encampment. Many able-bodied men enlisted in the Union Army.

“The people find employment in the stables, in the commissaries, in the stores, in policing the streets, and other situations. Some sell plants, oranges, and other edibles. They come over the narrow bridge in long lines in the morning, with buckets, baskets, bags, haversacks, etc."
Charleston Leader 1865

Shopping at Mitchelville

The US Army operated a commissary where both residents of Mitchelville and soldiers could buy food, personal items, and household goods. Government rations also were distributed from here. In addition, independent business owners could apply for a permit from the Treasury Department to operate a trading post or store in Mitchelville. Over the years, there may have been four or five stores in the village. William G. Tackaberry and Henry A. Ely opened a store in December 1864, and sold everything from coffee pots to shoe laces.

“There is no article of household furniture or wearing apparel, used by persons of moderate means among us, which they will not purchase when they are allowed the opportunity of labor and earning wages."
Anonymous 1863

Read what the store sold