PORT TOWNSEND — The Jefferson County Historical Society is offering an opportunity for travelers to immerse themselves in the history and culture of the Gullah people of the South Carolina sea islands.
Local educator Julie Marston will guide a group of 12 people to St. Helena Island on Nov. 9-18.
The registration deadline for the trip is Sept. 15. The cost is $1,600. That fee covers all ground transportation, lodging and most meals. Airfare is extra.
The group will stay at Penn Center — which was founded in 1861 by abolitionists from Pennsylvania as a place to educate freed slaves and which now is a cultural center — and participate in authentic Gullah cultural activities, the historical society said in a prepared statement.
This will be the fourth group from Jefferson County to travel to St. Helena.
“Members of previous groups have called the trip a ‘life changing experience,'” the statement said.
The Gullah people are descendants of the original Africans brought to St. Helena Island in the 1600s and 1700, and they carry on many of the cultural traditions handed down from their ancestors.
The group from Jefferson County will meet with “keepers of wisdom,” people who grew up in the Gullah culture, left the island for education and career, and have returned to Penn Center to help preserve the community.
Immersion experiences include language, fishing, farming, cooking, and church services.
The trip coincides with the three-day Gullah Heritage Days featuring special panel discussions, art shows, parades, and music.
The group also will tour Beaufort, S.C., and Savannah, Ga.
A portion of the fee for the trip is a tax-deductible donation to the Jefferson County Historical Society.
For more information about the trip, phone Marston at 360-385-5284 or the historical society at 360-385-1003.
For more information about Penn Center, see www.penncenter.com.
