The Powder Magazine of South Carolina

04/20/2026

Spaces are running out for 2026 Colonial Charleston Teacher Institute. Apply here before the summer:
https://www.powdermagazinemuseum.org/ccti

04/17/2026

Applications are now being accepted for the Colonial Charleston Teacher Institute! Apply here:
https://www.powdermagazinemuseum.org/ccti

04/15/2026

Applications new being accepted for Colonial Charleston Teacher Institute 2026!

Apply here:
https://www.powdermagazinemuseum.org/ccti

04/15/2026

Colonial Charleston Teacher Institute 2026 Applications are now being accepted!
Click here to apply:
https://www.powdermagazinemuseum.org/ccti-scholarship-application

05/31/2025

Click here to apply: https://www.powdermagazinemuseum.org/ccti

05/12/2025

ATTENTION TEACHERS!!!
Would you like to experience over 15 amazing colonial history sites & gain innovative teaching skills for your classroom, all while earning 3 graduate credit hours or 60 renewal credits?
Scholarship Applications due on Wednesday, May 14th!

05/10/2025

Just 4 days left to apply for a scholarship!

05/05/2025

Time is running out! You have until the 14th of May to apply for a scholarship. Visit https://www.powdermagazinemuseum.org/ccti-scholarship... to apply.

Funding for this project was provided by state funds from the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission.

03/21/2025

Visit https://www.powdermagazinemuseum.org/ccti-scholarship-application to apply.

Funding for this project was provided by state funds from the South Carolina American Revolution Sestercentennial Commission.

03/03/2025

02/15/2025

In the chaos of war, many enslaved people recognized an opportunity for freedom. ⅓ of all runaways during the American Revolution were women, and many Charleston women used the mayhem of the siege to escape enslavement. While many people ran from the city, others saw Charleston as a haven that could afford anonymity and freedom amongst the city’s free people of color. Many factors further complicated what was an already extremely difficult and dangerous decision to self-emancipate.

In “British Occupied Charleston: 1780-1782,” Christina Butler writes, “Catherine Drayton escaped with her husband Samuel, while Sarah Gordon ran away with her 17-month-old son Jasper ‘before the siege’ and ultimately made it to Port Roseway, Nova Scotia and to freedom.” A runaway ad published in September 1781 offers a reward for the return of a woman named Crita, her daughter Hannah, and a boy named Harry, who all escaped to Charleston.

Runaway ads are important primary sources for historians, containing names, clothing, and many other personal details. However, they dismiss the humanity of enslaved people, portraying people solely as property and sometimes containing offensive descriptions. Read more about what to keep in mind when reading runaway ads: https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/learn/deep-dives/how-read-runaway-ad/