Professor helping Clemson uncover its legacy of slavery aims to inspire similar efforts at Virginia Tech
Rhondda R. Thomas will present a free lecture March 12 on how a collaborative approach to community history has become a beacon for understanding and acknowledging the past.
Rhondda R. Thomas was drawn into a sacred journey when she came upon a list of 50 enslaved people as part of the 1854 deed marking the sale of a South Carolina plantation owned by former U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun that would later become Clemson University.
“That moment was so important to me. If that’s the only thing I ever found, then those names would be what I’d share with the public for the rest of my life,” Thomas said. “I had no idea there would be so much more.”
Working tirelessly to find more information, the literature professor became the driving force behind Call My Name, a collaborative initiative designed to create a space where anyone can contribute to the documentation and sharing of stories of the Black community. From that initial list of 50, the project has grown to encompass more than 1,000 names, shedding light on the enslaved and other Black individuals who played significant roles in Clemson’s history.
Collaboration with Virginia Tech
In March, Outreach and International Affairs will host Thomas and members of her team. They will visit historic Virginia Tech sites that are also working to reshape their narratives, including the Reynolds Homestead in Patrick County and the Solitude and Fraction houses on the Blacksburg campus.
At each, Thomas will meet with faculty, staff, descendants of the enslaved community, and leaders throughout the region to share expertise.
“When I started working on Call My Name, I realized that I needed the help of the campus and local communities to develop the impactful project I was envisioning,” Thomas said. “I hope to bring that same spirit of collaboration to the work being done at Virginia Tech. It’s not easy work, and you can’t do it alone, but it is essential work.”
Thomas will present a free lecture from 3-4 p.m. March 12 during which she will discuss how adopting a collaborative approach to community history has not only enriched the narrative at Clemson, but has also become a beacon for understanding and acknowledging the past.
The lecture — part of the university’s Principles of Community Week from March 11-16 — will be held at 5313 Gilbert Place, 220 Gilbert St., Blacksburg; participants may also connect virtually via Zoom. Space is limited and registration is required.
If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Susan E. Short, associate vice president for engagement, at 540-231-9497 during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.
“I don’t want anybody to reinvent the wheel. We can share what we’ve done, lessons that we’ve learned. But we also expect to learn from work that’s being done at Virginia Tech and Reynolds Homestead,” Thomas said.
Reynolds Homestead
The Reynolds Homestead, located 70 miles southeast of Blacksburg in rural Patrick County, was built in 1843 as the Rock Spring Plantation. It was the boyhood home of tobacco magnate R.J. Reynolds and A.D. Reynolds, whose son founded Reynolds Metals. In 1970, Nancy Susan Reynolds, daughter of R.J. Reynolds, deeded the home and 717 acres to Virginia Tech.
The former plantation has since been transformed, serving as part forest research lab, part community gathering place, and part educational and cultural center. In addition to the historic home, the university also operates the Forest Resources Research Center and a 4,000-square-foot Community Engagement Center on the property. It is also raising funds to create a commercial kitchen for culinary classes and cooking demonstrations and to serve as a food-based business incubator.
For many years, the homestead, now part of Outreach and International Affairs, has worked to document and tell the stories of the enslaved people who helped build the wealth of the Reynolds family.
“Over the past decade, the Reynolds Homestead has learned more about the men, women, and children who were enslaved at Rock Spring Plantation. Previous research has provided a strong base that we can build on, including the names of 57 individuals interred in the cemetery for enslaved Africans and their descendants that is located on the property,” Director Julie Walters Steele said.
She hopes that Thomas’ visit will spark the imaginations of the community, including descendants of those who were enslaved at Rock Spring Plantation, and help focus the effort to honor their ancestors.
“We want to start by collecting oral histories that we can then share with other descendant families and visitors to the Reynolds Homestead,” Steele said. “Gathering this information will ultimately provide a better understanding of what life was like for the enslaved people on the plantation — both before and after emancipation.”
The Reynolds Homestead has ensured that descendants of the enslaved community will have a voice in steering the facility’s work by adding dedicated seats for them on its advisory committee and developing another committee made up entirely of descendants.
“Every individual brings forth a name and legacy,” said Kimble Reynolds Jr. ’88, M.S. ’95, whose great-great-grandparents Kitty and Anthony Reynolds were enslaved at the plantation. “The work at Clemson is a reminder of how much value my ancestors provided in creating what is now referred to as the Reynolds Homestead, how the entire community benefits from their existence, and how deserving they are to be honored for their rightful place in history.”
Fraction Family House at Solitude
Meanwhile in Blacksburg, the university has re-envisioned the historic Solitude and Fraction houses as spaces to tell the stories of the Indigenous, settler, and enslaved people who once lived there.
The two structures sit adjacent to each other near the Duck Pond. Solitude was originally built in 1801 and was owned by the family of Robert Preston, who enslaved people including the Fraction, McNorton, and Saunders families on the surrounding plantation.
The smaller, three-room structure was identified through in-depth architectural analysis as the dwelling for multiple generations of enslaved families who worked on the Solitude estate. In 2019, the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors acknowledged by resolution the outbuilding as the Fraction Family House at Solitude.
Thomas will tour the Fraction house as well as the art installations and exhibits in Solitude and then talk with staff about their efforts.
“Attitudes change over time and how we interpret history evolves. As we look at a space like Solitude/Fraction, the land it sits on, and the people and cultures who occupied the space, we realize the depth of cultural history available to enlighten,” said Victoria Ferguson, director of the Solitude-Fraction site. “A goal for the program at Solitude/Fraction is to honor the past by sharing truths, many long hidden. There will be many questions to answer and hopefully many opportunities to make the most of the contested space that became the heart of our land-grant university. May it serve us well and help heal wounds.”
Short said she is looking forward to collaborating with the Call My Name team and drawing upon the invaluable lessons and insights gleaned from Thomas’ pioneering work. “By tapping into her knowledge, we’re poised to deepen our understanding and storytelling about our historic spaces right here at Virginia Tech,” Short said.
If you go
- Monday, March 11, 6:30 p.m.: Reynolds Homestead, Critz. Dinner and conversation with Thomas and her team. The Black community is encouraged to bring their own stories and photographs to share. Register.
- Tuesday, March 12, 8:30 a.m.: Reynolds Homestead, Critz. Community breakfast and presentation on Thomas’ work at Clemson University and the surrounding communities. Register.
- Tuesday, March 12, 3 p.m.: Gilbert Place, Room 5313, or virtual. Public Call My Name lecture and light reception. Register.
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