Robert Middleton

Robert Middleton is eighty-six years old and still resides on St. Helena Island, South Carolina, on land he inherited from his adopted parents, Jim and Addie Middleton. He volunteers seven hours each weekday and Saturdays at the York W. Bailey Museum located at Historic Penn Center, St. Helena Island. He eagerly talks to visitors about Gullah culture and how blessed he is to have been raised on this unique island. He is forever thankful for the things he was taught by the loving couple who were his parents as he grew up. Mr. Middleton happily agrees to give personal tours when requested for the opportunity to share more about the natives referred to as the Gullah people and introduce people to historic sites on St. Helena Island, which is one of the numerous important locations in Beaufort County, South Carolina. He has also shared his story with an international audience through interviews with journalists in Germany and France. Mr. Middleton currently serves as a Deacon at the First African Baptist Church. He is the father of seven children, twenty-three grandchildren, and more than twenty-seven great-grandchildren.

Ten Things I Can’t Do Without

1. My grandkids
2. My family
3. My church family
4. Red rice
5. Oysters
6. Shrimp and crab
7. Collards and greens
8. Gospel and jazz
9. The book Mama Day by Gloria Naylor
10. Actress Kerry Washington, a Beaufort native, because she is on Scandal