Frederick Lincoln’s family has held this land since emancipation

By Andrea Stevens
AFRO Staff Writer
astevens@afro.com

Inheriting land from family is a rare privilege in today’s economy. But when that land traces its lineage back to ancestors who were once enslaved, the inheritance becomes more than property—it becomes a living connection to history, one that few African Americans can claim.

Frederick Lincoln is one of 11 children born and raised on the land his family has held since emancipation. The property, located in Charleston, S.C., spans more than 40 acres. Other families in the community also descend from ancestors who were enslaved on the same plantation.

“After slavery, folks didn’t leave the plantation because where were they going to go? So they still worked on the plantation [but] now they got a salary,” Lincoln said. “In my particular community, there’s about 300 acres. All those 300 acres are still intact with family members.”

Over time, what began as survival evolved into a legacy of land ownership and community. Formerly enslaved families remained on the land they once labored on and eventually purchased it, creating a tight-knit, multigenerational settlement.

“The folks who bought this property originally, they were considered property. Now, the signal of a free man is owning property,” Lincoln said. “Just about everyone in here is somehow related… . We live in a village more than a city or rural town.”

The land also serves as the final resting place for many of their ancestors, strengthening the connection between past and present.

“We still have our slave graveyard on the plantation, and a while back, we were able to put pressure on the plantation to deed the graveyard over to us,” Lincoln said.

Over the years, the community has changed significantly. Its proximity to downtown Charleston and the coast has made it a desirable location for developers and newcomers.

“We’re not too far from the beaches and not so far from downtown Charleston, and now we’re in an area that everyone wants… property value has gone so high,” he said. “At one time it was just a bunch of shacks here… now you see beautiful homes — but the threat to the property came with that change.”

The land’s location has led to pressure from developers trying to buy out family members, but the families had a strategy to maintain control.

“It was convenient for us to divide the property among family members… They [developers] don’t want 1 acre. They want the whole 20-acre tract,” Lincoln said. “We have about 40 acres of land that is still here in totality… and I think we have about 75 homes.”

Keeping the land in the family, despite economic and development pressures, is a point of pride. Lincoln acknowledges just how much the land’s value has changed.

“You probably pay half a million dollars for half an acre, when my father paid $10 for half an acre,” he said.

For Frederick Lincoln and his neighbors, preserving the land is about more than resisting outside interest. It’s about honoring the sacrifices of those who came before and ensuring that future generations understand the value — and the cost — of freedom tied to land.