Touch the Elbow - Blogging the Civil War

Following in Donald’s footsteps of religion in the Civil War – I wanted to share this article from the Beaufort Gazette (which was my first real employer back in the days that Paper Boys still were under 18 and rode bikes on their route) on praise houses and their use by slaves and freedman before and after the Civil War.



The article is extremely well done and deals not only in why they were created (fear of slave revolt), the ongoing use after the Civil War (poverty and segregation) and the eventual downfall due to the acceptance of African-Americans into mainstream society. Also included is a nice slideshow of what is left of the Praise Houses in Beaufort County, which includes a narration.



In an era where the Lost Cause has tried so hard to glamorize the institution of Slavery – Slave owners treated slaves nicely because they were such valued pieces of property – it is good to see an article that shows proof, this wasn’t so.

Not Catholic? Neither am I. But when there's the potential for an interesting story in the telling, and the telling at the Surratt House Museum on a Saturday afternoon is only a short drive away, my ears are always willing to listen to the telling, because there's no telling what one might learn.