PICKENS — In observance of Native American Heritage Month, Hagood Mill Historic Site will be hosting their annual Native American Celebration on Saturday, November 19^th from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

This very popular annual event celebrates Native American history and traditions. A number of tribal groups from the Southeastern region of U.S. will be represented.

Visitors and guest performers will participate in the festivities of the day which will include: traditional drumming, singing, dancing, Native American flute playing, storytelling, Cherokee hymns in the Cherokee language, and traditional crafts. Demonstrations will be going on all day throughout the Mill Site including traditional Cherokee blow-gun demonstrations, traditional Catawba pottery making, beadwork, basket making, flint-knapping, finger-weaving, atl atl spear throwing, bow and arrow shooting and more. Many of the participants will have traditional handmade crafts for sale, as well.

Featured performers for this year’s event will include Keepers of the Word drumming group from Saint George, SC. Members of Keepers of the Word are of Ojibwa, Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Catawba, and Wassamassaw tribal heritage from Colleton, Berkeley, Dorchester, Orangeburg, and Sumter counties. Directed by Cathy Nelson, Keepers of the Word has presented a variety of Native American educational programs as well as spiritual formation seminars and retreats throughout the Southeast.

This event will also feature the Edisto River Singers from the state recognized Edisto Natchez-Kusso Tribe of South Carolina. Don’t miss these talented entertainers as they demonstrate the traditional drumming, singing, and dancing from one of South Carolina most ancient indigenous tribes.

Nancy Basket will be demonstrating her world class basket making skills.  Nancy will also share some Native American myths and legends with visitors and guests.

Tradition Native American cooking demonstrations such as stone grinding of cornmeal, preparing and cooking fry-bead, and roasting corn will take place throughout the day.

Collected over generations, some of the truly awesome Crawford Collection of local prehistoric stone points, blades, and tools will be on display for the day.  Barry Crawford’s pre-historic cooking demonstration using ancient soapstone bowl is too artful to be missed.

Members from the Archaeological Society of SC will be on site to identify Native American stone tools and artifacts.

There will be a special “children’s corner,” where visitors can make beaded necklaces, and have their face painted in a Native American style. For a special treat, visitors will be allowed to “paint” live horses with their hand prints in the style of the Plains Indians.  This is always lots of fun for everyone.

There will be much more to see and do on November 19^th as we host a variety of folk life and traditional arts demonstrations.  There will be blacksmithing, bowl-digging, flint knapping, chair-caning, moonshining, broom-making, basket-making, pottery, quilting, spinning, knitting, weaving, woodcarving, hearth cooking, metal-smithing, leather-working and more. You can ask questions of the artists and make a purchase of their Traditional Arts to take home.

The Centerpiece of the Hagood Mill historic site is the water-powered 1845 gristmill. It is one of the finest examples of nineteenth century technology in the Upcountry and operates just as it has for the last century and a half.  The mill will be running throughout the day. In the old mill, fresh stone-ground corn meal, grits, and wheat flour will be available.

Admission is $5 for adults.  Kids 12 years and under will receive free admission for this event.

Primitive camping will be available Friday and Saturday nights– $10/tent for one or two nights (tent/car camping) or $20 for RV spaces.  Limit 6 people per site.  Car and RV spaces are limited, so register online soon.  Folks with loud generators will be asked not to use them during special events.

Visit our website for full event details and to access the ticket portal:

www.hagoodmillhistoricsite.com.

Text GRITS to 85100 to stay in the loop of all things happening at the Hagood Mill and to receive exclusive offers.

So, head on out, grab a plate of great food on site from one of our fabulous food trucks and enjoy a fun-filled day exploring our ancestral grounds. This will be a very special November Third Saturday at the Hagood Mill Historic Site – a day that will make memories for you and your loved ones. It is sure to be a day well spent.

Hagood Mill Historic Site is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. all year long. The  Hagood Creek Petroglyph Site is open Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm. The mill operates, rain or shine, with a major festival the Third Saturday of every month.

Hagood Mill Historic Site is located just three miles north of Pickens off  US Highway 178 west or 5.5 miles south of Cherokee Foothills SC Scenic Hwy 11 off Highway 178 E at 138 Hagood Mill Road.

For additional information please contact Hagood Mill at (864) 898-2936, or check us out on Facebook and Instagram.