Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Cornwallis 1828, the historic working homestead and former residence of Peter Newport Bragg, has gained  nonprofit status and named Liza Berrey as its new Director of Activities. Spanning over 2,600 acres, the living history site features a variety of interactive exhibits, including chicken coops, a smokehouse, a fruit orchard, a vineyard, a cane mill and several nature trails.

“Since we started all this, I’ve had to cover everything out of pocket,” said property owner Demp Bell. “Becoming a nonprofit changes so much for us. This will allow us to pursue grants so that we can reach more people… bring in the schools and things like that. It also means that when we get donations, those are now tax deductible.”

As part of its commitment to education and historical preservation, Cornwallis 1828 has scheduled several upcoming events. 

On Mar. 1, from 5 to 6:30 p.m., Betty Anderson, a historical researcher and owner of the Camden Shoe and Quilt Museum, will present a talk on the influence of the Underground Railroad in the region.

“She’s really a great storyteller,” Berrey said. “She’s going to speak on the Underground Railroad—how it worked here and affected people in the Black Belt region. It wasn’t that long ago, but a lot of this younger generation doesn’t know anything about it.”

Tickets for Anderson’s presentation are $25 and can be purchased at historicalcornwallis.com.

Another highlight on the Cornwallis calendar is the groundbreaking ceremony for a butterfly garden on Mar. 14. Visitors and volunteers are encouraged to attend and contribute to the development of the garden, which will feature a variety of native wildflowers.

“Because Cornwallis is so diverse and there were already so many beautiful wildflowers, we thought this was a natural fit,” Berrey said.

Plans include raised beds, trellises and arches, and Berrey emphasized the importance of getting started right away. 

“We want to get it up and growing,” Berrey said. “One of our goals is to have a special area for monarchs. They are quickly heading towards the endangered list and milkweed is one of their big sources of food. So we’ve ordered several different varieties.”

Rounding out the month’s activities, local artisan Brandon Blackmon will lead a presentation on flint knapping on Mar. 22 from 9 a.m. to noon. Blackmon will demonstrate traditional methods for shaping flint, a skill used historically to create tools, weapons and jewelry.

“Our goal is to incorporate these skills that have been passed on throughout history,” Berrey said. “To keep these things going. We constantly incorporate nature and history here.”

Tickets for the flint knapping event are also available for $25 on the Cornwallis website at www.historicalcornwallis.com.