The Kingdom of the Happy Land

The Kingdom of the Happy Land

This article relates to Happy Land

Happy Land by Dolen Perkins-Valdez, which follows a group of formerly enslaved people who build a self-sustaining community on a mountainous plot of land in the Carolinas during the Reconstruction era, is based on a real-life historical place known as the Kingdom of the Happy Land. Perkins-Valdez stumbled upon the kingdom's history online while exploring a newfound interest in North Carolina banjo music. She was soon drawn into the story of this group of freed Black people who lived communally in a society based on African traditions, ruled by a king and queen: "It sounded like something made-up. A fairytale. But it was real, a feat of imagination and economic empowerment that few people have documented in our nation's history."

The history of the Kingdom of the Happy Land is somewhat murky and evolving, with old rumors being displaced by newly discovered facts. According to certain accounts, the group that started the kingdom came from Mississippi and traveled north, gathering more people along the way. But current research suggests it's more likely that nearly all of the members came from South Carolina, with the majority arriving sometime in the 1870s.

Life for Black people in the Reconstruction era was fraught with danger and violence, and it's easy to understand why this community sought safety in a relatively isolated area where they could provide for themselves. They purchased around 200 acres of land from the family of a deceased plantation owner, possibly by working for the owner's widow. The land was split between North and South Carolina. Documentation from 1882 shows 130 acres on the North Carolina side under the name of Robert Montgomery, the king. On the South Carolina side, 75 acres were designated to the queen, Robert's wife Luella Montgomery. Some accounts suggest that Robert's brother William was the first king, and that because William had no wife of his own he chose Luella to be queen. Later, William either died or left the community, and Robert took over for him. The division between states and sovereigns may have been strategic, as it suggests caution regarding political and legal matters; if there was any dispute involving the land on either side, the group could move across the border.

In the kingdom, people raised crops and built a life of mutual support. Families had space for their own homes and gardens. Some worked outside the community, but their earnings were kept within the group. At local markets, members sold food and other goods, including a health product called Happy Land Liniment. Perkins-Valdez was struck by the significance of the freedom offered to Black people by the kingdom at the time: "It still feels epic — what land ownership meant to Black people in those days. They were really connected and rooted in the land."

It isn't clear exactly when or why the kingdom dissolved, but it's believed to have lasted until around the turn of the century, and it seems likely that its breakdown was a result of the industrialization of the day and people moving elsewhere for work. Some of the group joined the nearby community of Hendersonville, where stories of the Happy Land live on.

Upper Green River during low flow below Lake Summit, North Carolina
by Alphonse.fisch, CC BY-SA 3.0

Filed under Places, Cultures & Identities

This article relates to Happy Land. It first ran in the April 23, 2025 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.