On Daufuskie Island, the Praise House was more than a site of worship—it was a crucible of freedom, governance, and Black spatial self-determination. Often the first structure built by formerly enslaved people after Emancipation, the Praise House became the heartbeat of Gullah Geechee community life. Reclaimed through shouts, scripture, and collective care, these modest wooden buildings held immense cultural and political power.

Behind the First Union African Baptist Church stands a replica of such a structure, erected in homage to this history. A sign posted outside the replica recounts:

          “‘The Praise House’ setting took place circa 1830 and marked the first social setting for the African during plantation life. Although its appearance was that of a Christian concept, the African found it difficult to embrace a ‘belief’ of human kindness absent example. Within the ‘Praise House’ the African created, for the first time, a form of government and social order of membership and community to deal with all issues of life. This happened after the Civil War. Most services were held on Thursday evening with ‘Praise Shouts’ and scripture readings. It was not necessary to be led by ‘a man of cloth.’”¹

The Praise House tradition reflects a hybrid spiritual and sociopolitical practice rooted in West African cosmologies and reimagined under the duress of enslavement. These spaces were used for religious expression, education, dispute resolution, and collective governance—operating independently of white institutions.²

On plantations, Praise Houses were kept small by design. Slaveholders feared large gatherings could incite rebellion, so they imposed spatial limits. Yet within these constraints, Gullah communities developed powerful rituals of survival and resistance.³

One such ritual was the ring shout—a counterclockwise, circular movement involving clapping, stomping, and call-and-response chants. It remains one of the most enduring embodied practices of Black spiritual life.⁴ The Praise House thus served as both physical structure and metaphysical center—a site of spiritual resilience, ancestral memory, and communal autonomy.⁵

The replica on Daufuskie evokes not just architecture, but cosmology. Its placement behind the church echoes how praise houses often preceded formal religious buildings. As Victoria Smalls of the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor explains: “Prayer houses are the spiritual foundation of who we are in America—as enslaved people and as free people. They have helped us stay attached to our African lineage as a form of resistance, resilience, and strength.”⁶

Today, Praise Houses face existential threats—from rising seas to suburban sprawl. Only a few remain intact across the Corridor. Their preservation is not simply architectural—it affirms the legitimacy of Black sacred space, and the sovereignty practiced within it.⁷