09/11/2025
Dear Family and Friends,
We are pleased to invite you to The Gathering of the Good Hope Plantation Descendants, a homecoming and history journey to honor our ancestors whose lives were bound to Good Hope Plantation in Lone Star—present-day Calhoun County, South Carolina—and whose forced migration—much of it on foot—carried them first to Jefferson County/Pine Bluff, Arkansas, with some later driven to Falls County, Texas. We will gather Thursday–Monday, October 9–13, 2025, centered in Little Rock and Jefferson County, Arkansas.
Family oral histories, DNA matches, and archival research have connected hundreds of us across states and generations. Together, we will reflect, remember, and worship—honoring those who were forced to travel on foot and the resilience that sustained them.
As documented by Dr. Cheryll Ann Cody (University of Houston) and the late Dr. Herbert G. Gutman, the Good Hope community faced a profound rupture on December 30, 1859, when absentee owner Joseph Heatley Dulles abandoned cotton production and auctioned the plantation’s enslaved workforce. The immediate breakup was averted when Augustus Smith of Abbeville District purchased the entire group; yet by the spring of 1860, most of the Good Hope people had been relocated to Jefferson County, Arkansas to cultivate cotton along the Arkansas River. During the winter of 1862–1863, with Union forces advancing, Smith joined other planters in “driving” enslaved people to Texas—with many compelled to travel on foot. Some Good Hope families resisted and remained in Arkansas; others were taken to Falls County, where they witnessed emancipation along the Brazos River. After the Civil War, Good Hope descendants helped organize Historic Antioch Baptist Church in Sherrill, Arkansas, a beacon that still stands in our story.
With this history, we invite you to gather with us—to trace the steps of our ancestors and to celebrate the strength that carried them, and us, forward.
Trip Overview
Dates: October 9–13, 2025 (Thursday–Monday)
Base City: Little Rock, Arkansas (with activities in Jefferson County/Pine Bluff and Sherrill)
Note: Times below are tentative and subject to update. Final schedule and per-person costs will follow.
Thursday, October 9 — Arrivals
Individual arrivals to Little Rock (Bill & Hillary Clinton National Airport — LIT).
Check-in at preferred host hotel (see “Lodging” below).
Evening on your own / informal gathering
Friday, October 10 — Get-Acquainted Gathering
Get-Acquainted Activity
Location: Hotel conference room (TBD)
Time: TBD
Optional Drop-In
Host: Caroline Corbin
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Address: 18 Latour Lane, Little Rock, AR
Email: [email protected]
Saturday, October 11 — “Tracing the Steps of Our Ancestors” Bus Tour
Group Bus Tour of key sites connected to the Good Hope story (Little Rock, Jefferson County/Pine Bluff, Sherrill).
Departure: TBD from Little Rock Marriott, 3 Statehouse Plaza, Little Rock, AR 72201
Sunday, October 12 — Family Worship & Fellowship
Family Worship Service
Church: Historic Antioch Baptist Church
Address: 500 N McKinney Rd, Sherrill, AR 72152
Service Time: TBD
Monday, October 13 — Departures
Individual departures from Little Rock (LIT).
Travel & Logistics
Getting There: Please arrange your own transportation to and from Little Rock, Arkansas (Bill & Hillary Clinton National Airport – LIT).
Local Transportation: Group transportation will be coordinated for planned activities (e.g., Saturday’s tour). Specific timing and costs will appear in the final details.
Accessibility & Mobility: We will work to accommodate mobility needs so everyone can participate comfortably.
Lodging
Preferred Host Hotels
Little Rock Marriott
Address: 3 Statehouse Plaza, Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: 501-906-4000
Rate: Approximately $162.00/night (plus tax)
Hilton Garden Inn Little Rock Downtown
Address: 322 Rock St, Little Rock, AR 72202
Phone: 501-244-0044
Rate: Approximately $116.00/night (plus tax)
You can also select a hotel of your own choice.
Notes: There is no room block. Please book early. When reserving, ask about airport shuttle options; if unavailable, rideshare/taxi services are readily available from LIT.
What to Bring (optional)
Family photographs, Bibles, or documents to help us identify people and places.
DNA match information or family trees if you would like to compare notes.
Comfortable attire and weather-appropriate clothing; a refillable water bottle.
RSVP & Contacts
To help us finalize headcount, transportation, and fellowship plans, please let us know you intend to come. Final details and costs are coming soon. In the meantime, please go ahead and reserve your hotel room and travel to Arkansas (there are no blocked rooms).
Primary Contacts:
Jackie J. Whitmore (Columbia, SC) — 803-724-0971 | [email protected]
Caroline Corbin (Little Rock, AR) — 501-951-5545 | [email protected]
We look forward to standing together—in remembrance, gratitude, and hope—to tell our story and honor the courage and faith of the Good Hope people.
With love and anticipation,
The Gathering of the Good Hope Plantation Descendants – Organizing Team
“Tracing the Steps of Our Ancestors”
