Robert Middleton

I first met Mr. Middleton almost four years ago while visiting the York W. Bailey Museum on the campus of the Historic Penn Center. At the time, he lead guided tours, on the same soil and campus that he attended as a child. Although born in Philadelphia, Mr. Middleton was adopted by Island residents, James and Elizabeth Middleton, who were close and trusted friends of his biological mother. Not only did this give Mr. Middleton a sense of family and belonging, it exposed him to the rich Gullah Geechee culture that he proudly represents to this very day.

You know the saying, “such and such is a walking encyclopedia?” Well I’d go as far to say that Mr. Middletown embodies that and then some! He is one of Saint Helena Islands last few Griots and if anyone deserves the “key to the city” or “island” if you will, it would be Mr. Middleton. Not to mention, he has a memory bank like none other. You could be a complete stranger to Mr. Middleton, but after a quick assessment of “who ya people?”, which usually entails gathering your last name and the community your family is from, you’d leave feeling like you’ve known him all your life.

On this episode of Unearthing: The Faces of an Island, i sit in conversation with community elder, Griot, and Saint Helena royalty, Mr. Robert Middleton. We sat on the backwater marshes of Penn Center, facing a cottage originally built to be the summer home for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and discussed family life, growing up on a farm, Dr. Buzzard, Baptisms, harvesting by the full moon, and the importance of Love. I give great thanks to Mr. Middleton and the impact he continues to have on my journey as a

storyteller and story-keeper.