Part of a series of articles titled #TakeoverTheNetwork.
Article
Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest #TakeovertheNetwork
On September 8, the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest took over the NPS Network to Freedom social media accounts. See what they posted throughout the day...
Reel: Introduction to Francis Beidler Forest
- Duration:
- 44.011 seconds
What sights and sounds can you experience at Francis Beidler Forest? Known as Four Holes Swamp in the 18th Century, the Francis Beidler Forest is protected by the Audubon Society today. The Francis Beidler Forest shared this reel as part of #TakeoverTheNetwork - a social media takeover by the Network to Freedom.
Reel: Francis Beidler Forest and the Underground Railroad
- Duration:
- 37.905 seconds
In 2020, the National Underground Railroad Network to Four Holes Swamp (today known as Francis Beidler Forest) as a site. What is their Underground Railroad connection? Watch this video to find out! Francis Beidler Forest shared this reel as part of #TakeoverTheNetwork - a social media takeover by the Network to Freedom.
Francis Beidler Forest Stories: Consolidated
- Duration:
- 2 minutes, 31 seconds
See all the stories shared by Francis Beidler Forest during #TakeoverTheNetwork - a social media takeover by the Network to Freedom Program
Feed Post 1
Francis Beidler Forest is a National Audubon Society sanctuary located in the Four Holes Swamp watershed in South Carolina. In 2020, this area was designated as a site on the Underground Railroad - Network to Freedom program based on evidence that it was used as a refuge for freedom seekers resisting enslavement. One such freedom seeker was James Matthews who was born on a plantation adjacent to the swamp and eventually gained his freedom in 1838 (Susanna Ashton source: http://commonplace.online/article/re-collecting-jim/).
Today, Beidler Forest is the largest remaining stand of old-growth cypress tupelo swamp, and one of only two forests left in the state that has largely escaped logging. There are trees here that are over a thousand years old and an abundance of birds and other wildlife. Visitors today can experience a landscape that has remained unchanged for thousands of years and experience it just as freedom seekers like James Matthews would have experienced it. We are open to the public from Friday to Sunday, 9 AM to 4 PM. For more information, visit https://beidler.audubon.org/visit
Image Courtesy of Matt Johnson / Francis Beidler Forest
![Post 1 Photo 2R - Beidler Big Cypress Tree - Richard Covey Photographer looks up the trunk of a very tall tree.](/articles/000/images/Post-1-Photo-2R-Big-Cypress-Tree-Richard-Covey.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
Image Courtesy of Richard Covey / Francis Beidler Forest
![Post 1 Photo 3 - Beidler Prothontary Warbler - Mark Musselman A small bird with a yellow head and a black body sits on a thin tree branch.](/articles/000/images/Post-1-Photo-3-Prothontary-Warbler-Mark-Musselman.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
Image Courtesy of Mark Musselman / Francis Beidler Forest
![Post 1 Photo 4R - Beidler Boardwalk Tower - Richard Covey A fenced in, wooden platform sits above a boardwalk in a nest of trees.](/articles/000/images/Post-1-Photo-4R-Boardwalk-Tower-Richard-Covey.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
Image Courtesy of Richard Covey / Francis Beidler Forest
![Post 1 Photo 5 - Beidler Otter - Richard Hernandez A curious otter pokes his head out of the water while swimming next to a tree and looks directly at a photographer](/articles/000/images/Post-1-Photo-5-Otter-Richard-Hernandez.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
Photo Courtesy of Richard Hernandez / Francis Beidler Forest
![Post 1 Photo 6R - Beidler Brown Water Snake - Richard Covey Closeup of the head of a brown snake with red eyes and a yellow chin.](/articles/000/images/Post-1-Photo-6R-Brown-Water-Snake-Richard-Covey.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
Image Courtesy of Richard Covey / Francis Beidler Forest
Feed Post 2
Hello new friends! Throughout International Underground Railroad Month we will be honoring the men and women who persevered through the Underground Railroad. As part of our monthly “Second Saturdays” program, we are offering FREE admission to all guests on Saturday, September 10th, as well as free guided programs. There will be food trucks vendors on site and we are posting stories about Beidler’s connection to the Underground Railroad along our ADA-certified, 1.75-mile boardwalk that stretches out into the heart of the old-growth cypress tupelo swamp. Come join us as we reflect on the past and the importance of not just preserving history but also the critical lessons that can be learned from it.
Due to group size limits, preregistration for events is strongly recommended. To register for our events please visit our website at https://beidler.audubon.org/events/events-list. We hope to see you there!
![Post 2 Photo 1R- Aubrey with Snake - David Ramage One man stands with a brown snake wrapped around his arms as an audience watches in awe.](/articles/000/images/Post-2-Photo-1R-Aubrey-with-Snake-David-Ramage.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
Image Courtesy of David Ramage / Francis Beidler Forest
![Post 2 Photo 2R - Beidler Visitor Center 2021 - Richard Covey At the end of a wooden boardwalk surrounded by trees is a wooden building.](/articles/000/images/Post-2-Photo-2R-Visitor-Center-2021-Richard-Covey.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
Image Courtesy of Richard Covey / Francis Beidler Forest
![Post 2 Photo 3R - Beidler - Matt Johnson A wooden boardwalk snakes its way through leaf-less trees and into a thick fog.](/articles/000/images/Post-2-Photo-3R-Beidler-Matt-Johnson.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
Image Courtesy of Matt Johnson / Francis Beidler Forest
![Post 2 Photo 4 - Opossum Beidler - Emily Davis An opposum pokes his head out from the trees.](/articles/000/images/Post-2-Photo-4-Opossum-Emily-Davis.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
Photo Courtesy of Emily Davis / Francis Beidler Forest
![Post 2 Photo 5R - Beidler Boardwalk September - Richard Covey The sun pokes through the trees and the dark green foliage to reveal a wooden boardwalk.](/articles/000/images/Post-2-Photo-5R-Boardwalk-September-Richard-Covey.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
Image Courtesy of Richard Covey / Francis Beidler Forest
![Post 2 Photo 6R - Reflections Beidler - Matt Johnson Takeover the Network This image captures the water of the swamp. In the reflection of the water are the trunks of dozens of trees.](/articles/000/images/Post-2-Photo-6R-Reflections-Beidler-Matt-Johnson.jpg?maxwidth=1300&maxheight=1300&autorotate=false)
Image Courtesy of Matt Johnson
Last updated: September 8, 2022