The Historic Beaufort Foundation and the National Trust for Historic Preservation have resolved concerns over the easement language regarding public visitation to the Robert Smalls House.

The resolution confirms that this nationally significant historic property shall be used only as a residence as stated in the easement donated to the Foundation in 2002. It further clarifies that the easement allows for controlled and managed tours of the property during limited days and times of the week.
Robert Smalls' Extraordinary Legacy

Born into slavery in 1839 in Beaufort, South Carolina, Robert Smalls came from humble beginnings to live an extraordinary life of courage and defiance against the odds of systemic oppression that were stacked against him as a Black man in the antebellum South. Lydia Polite, his mother, was enslaved by the Henry McKee family, who owned the property at 511 Prince Street. Smalls purchased the house in 1864, and it remained in his family until 1951. The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973.

Smalls’ story spans from slavery through Reconstruction and Jim Crow. At the age of 23, Smalls seized his freedom from enslavement at the height of the Civil War by commandeering a Confederate steamship. He liberated his family along with six other families and delivered a valuable ship - The Planter, and weaponry to the Union Army. His bravery earned him a cash reward, a Navy commission, and fame that launched a long, storied career.

After the war, he chose to go back to Beaufort with his family, where he became a successful businessman, Collector of the Port of Beaufort from 1889 to 1911, a five-term Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and one of the staunchest defenders of political and educational rights in the country.

The resolution allows for a controlled number of guided tours connecting visitors to the landmark's historical significance and offering an enriched dimension to the public experience of the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park operated by the National Park Service. Visitors will be able to step into the life of Robert Smalls, experiencing the same spaces and surroundings that shaped his extraordinary legacy.

Media contacts: 

Cynthia Jenkins, Historic Beaufort Foundation
843-379-3331 or info@historicbeaufort.org

Kion Sanders, National Trust for Historic Preservation
843-259-0751 or rbradford@savingplaces.org