Hobcaw Barony

The next time you visit Friendfield Village, take some time to see two recently installed interpretive panels that were created by Francis Marion University students.

"Like many visitors to Hobcaw, recent Francis Marion University graduates Artie Cunningham (2026) and Olive Challa (2026) felt a powerful connection to Friendfield Village. Working on a grant-funded public history project under FMU professors Charles Jeffcoat and Rick Almeida, they researched, designed, and commissioned two new interpretive wayside panels for the village.

One panel explores daily life in Friendfield Village, while the other highlights the history of Friendfield Church. Over the course of the project, Olive and Artie helped carry the panels from initial concept to final installation, contributing professional-quality historical research, interpretation, and graphic design to Hobcaw’s educational mission.

The finished panels are now installed at Friendfield, where they will help visitors engage with the history of the village and church for years to come."