Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park commemorates America’s first pre-Civil War settlement for black slaves who escaped nearby plantations. These industrious new citizens built homes on neatly arranged streets, elected their own officials, developed laws, built an economy, and implemented mandatory education for their children. In fact, the reports of the success of Mitchelville were so glowing, that the famous Underground Railroad freedom fighter, Harriet Tubman, was sent to Hilton Head to see this bustling town, so she could share the story of Mitchelville’s self-governed success with future freedmen towns. Situated on Hilton Head Island, SC, Mitchelville represents a jewel within the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor that forms the roots of the African-American's contribution to the heritage of freedom in America. Today the Gullah, direct decedents of those who settled on Mitchelville, still live and continue the traditions of their ancestors.