The group then conducted onsite research at county courthouses and local historical societies, university libraries, the Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology in Columbia, S.C., and other sources of information. The 352-page document covers agricultural, demographic and transportation developmental patterns. The area's history, local culture, genealogy, and landmarks, such as Fort Independence and Millwood Plantation , are also included. Many maps, tables and illustrations provide important information on the study area. Because blacks were the majority population of the project area throughout most of the 19th and 20th centuries, an important part of the project was to write a history of the Afro-American experience in the region.
Most public records are silent on the black population.
In order to arrive at a black perspective of history in this area, a more extensive oral history project was needed. Dr. Eleanor Ramsey, an anthropologist with the Institute for the Study of Social Change at the University of California, Berkeley, was contracted to accomplish this study. When completed, the study should place blacks into the right perspective as a significant factor in the southern historical tradition. The Making of a Black Community . In her study she is dealing with topics such as how blacks acquired and maintained land, the growth and importance of the black church in the community, and the black farmer's role in the economy.