(Rendering by MOA Architecture)

Work is underway to restore a missing piece of Pendleton’s history.

There was a time in the 20th century when Pendleton-area Blacks were routinely denied the opportunity to gather peacefully, according to Terence Hassan, a local businessman who chairs the Pendleton Foundation for Black History and Culture.

To provide a space where the Black community could gather without fear of police interference, Hassan says, Benjamin Horace Keese, a pioneering local Black businessman, constructed a barn and café that would become locally known as just such a gathering space.

“It kind of grew out of the era of Jim Crow and Black codes,” Hassan said. “No more than two Black people could assemble in a public space in Pendleton. Even though there was a public square, you couldn’t really hang out there, so (Black residents) eventually came down the hill to where the Keese Barn was built.”

In its heyday, the barn was nicknamed “The Hundreds,” Hassan said, because hundreds of Black residents would frequently gather there to pass the time. Keese would expand the barn over the years, adding a café that became a general store, and eventually a second floor to the structure. After Keese’s death, however, the barn fell into disrepair.

The Pendleton Foundation for Black History and Culture was founded by Keese’s niece, Annie Ruth Morse, after Keese’s death, with the goal of preserving that history; however, after Morse passed away, the foundation became largely inactive.

Now, in the 21st century, there is again an effort underway to construct a replacement for the historic Keese’s Barn that will become a vital part of the community.

“The barn was in ruins,” Hassan recalled. “The town had pretty much taped it off to protect the general public, and the board got together again, saying, ‘We just can’t let this happen.’ So, we got going again and we secured the place.”

According to a recent PFBHC media release, “The new Keese Barn Legacy Project will strive to replace a missing piece of Pendleton’s heritage and build a new gathering place for the 21st century through the creation of a state-of-the-art façade.”

The release also announced an anonymous $250,000 donation to the project.

Since nothing useable remains of the original structure, plans for the current project call for construction of a façade to replicate the front of the barn, as well as construction of a stage for live performances. As part of the work, a memorial marker erected in 1999 will be demolished, Hassan said.

“We encourage individuals and groups alike to consider donating to the Keese Barn Legacy Project,” Hassan explained. “Our hope is that donors will feel a sense of pride and ownership toward this project and the final structure, and that the façade will become an integral part of Pendleton.”

Who was Benjamin Horace Keese?

Benjamin Horace Keese was a local minister and entrepreneur, according to Hassan. Born in the early 1880s, he would go on to work for Clemson in the 1890s.

Keese “managed buggies and horses of (two Clemson presidents), and he was basically a businessman,” Hassan noted. “So, he took that money he made to start a business, and he ended up owning quite a bit of land all over Pendleton.”

Keese would eventually sell his land and use the proceeds to strike out in a different direction. According to Hassan, Keese told of going up North to look for other business opportunities. He recalls hearing Keese talk about the trip before his death in 1975. 

“Keese went up north and bid on a three-story house in New York, and won the bid,” Hassan said. “When he went in and started looking around at the furniture, he went up to the attic and pulled open a desk drawer. There was an oil rag spread across the drawer, and when he moved it, he said it was full of money. That was what really helped him launch his business. He was a working man, became a minister later on, and came back and added a second floor to the Keese Barn after he got married.” 

Preserving history

Not only did Hassan say he hopes the new structure can once again become a gathering spot, but he said another goal is for it to remind people of the community’s history.

“This is a part of Pendleton’s history that is not available to the public. This is a very significant part of the history, and Pendleton is a historic town,” Hassan noted. “We will have a location you can come to and experience and get a feel for what it was like for people who socialized in that space.

“It will also be a space for everyone in Pendleton to use,” he added. “Pendleton is known for its festivals and recreation, so this is going to be another venue in that town that will be offered to the general public.”

The current plan calls for the barn façade and amenities to be completed in roughly three years, Hassan said.

You Can Help

PFBHC offers two sponsorship packages, an Individual Sponsor Package and a Legacy Builder Package, and sponsorships range from $1,000 to $250,000 or more, though, as PFBHC Chair Terence Hassan noted, “every contribution is warmly accepted and appreciated.”

 For more information or to donate to the Keese Barn Legacy Project, go to www.blackhistorypendleton.org. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities or to secure a sponsorship, email Hassan at [email protected] or PFBHC Vice Chair Deveraux Williams at [email protected].