Susan Clemson Richardson, pictured with Byron Herlong

Susan Clemson Richardson, pictured with Byron Herlong

Photograph
Slavery at Fort Hill

Susan Clemson Richardson was enslaved at Fort Hill where she helped care for the Clemson children as a teenager. She often slept in the room adjacent to Anna Maria Clemson with a string tied to her wrist so that she could be awoken in the middle of the night. Later, she worked for the Herlong family where she cared for Myrtle and Byron Herlong. Here she is pictured with Byron.

The photograph of Susan hangs in Fort Hill today and is surrounded by a matte on which Myrtle Herlong wrote down information she remembered Susan sharing about her life, including her time with the Calhouns and Clemsons.

Clemson University Historic Properties

c. 1880

JPEG; PDF

Photograph