Slave Dwelling Project

Hosted by Dallas Heritage Village, The Slave Dwelling Project is returning to North Texas for the second year, bringing forward the stories of the enslaved African Americans at Millermore & the Gano Farmstead, now located at Dallas Heritage Village.

Based in South Carolina, The Slave Dwelling Project’s mission is to identify and assist property owners, government agencies and organizations to preserve extant slave dwellings. This is done primarily through public programming, including sleeping overnight in these buildings.

Hosting the Slave Dwelling Project and continuing the project’s mission could not be possible without the collaborative efforts of partners such as Dallas Truth, Racial Healing, & Transformation; Dallas County Justice Initiative; Remembering Black Dallas; Soul Rep Theatre, and the Irving Archives and Museum.

Friday, May 14, 11am–2pm
Jackie Townsell Bear Creek Heritage Center
3925 Jackson Street, Irving
As one of the oldest African-American communities in Dallas County, Bear Creek is where the lives of freed slaves began to take root, making way for a true community for African-American families in search of a home of their own.

Visitors to the Jackie Townsell Bear Creek Heritage Center can explore engaging exhibits that share the stories of the residents of Bear Creek with Joe McGill and fellow Slave Dwelling Project interpreters Dontavius Williams & Carolyn Evans.

Saturday, May 15, 10am–4pm
Dallas Heritage Village
1515 S. Harwood Street, Dallas
“Now that I have the attention of the public by sleeping in extant slave dwellings, it is time to wake up and deliver the message that the people who lived in these structures were not a footnote in American history” – Joe McGill, Founder of Slave Dwelling Project

The Slave Dwelling Project is a free event highlighting the importance of preserving slave dwellings through educational programming. Nationally recognized educator and interpreter Joe McGill along with Dontavius Williams and Carolyn Evans will present and reflect on the daily lives of the enslaved both in Texas and across the United States.