08 February 2026

Re-Cap of January 2026 Posts on the BDC's Facebook Page

As per usual, references to local history programs, events, or holidays that occurred during January are omitted. -- gmc

January 2, 2026  - The FB prompt for today says that it is "National Motivation and Inspiration Day." Sydney, Cassi, and I would love to motivate and inspire you to explore all the online content and activities that our small but mighty staff of 3 has created to tell the long and storied history of this wonderful place we live.
The place to start your exploration is the BDC/Local History page on the Library's website. From home you can read our social media posts and view our digital collections. We stock the local history sections at the Branch Libraries with materials you can borrow plus we have a lot of local history programs you can attend, too. But our primary mission it to collect and share relevant resources for you to use for research in our Research Room.
We know that the words "special collection and archives" can be scary. While I embrace that my most excellent withering look may be a little scary to some, please know that Cassandra and Sydney are not scary at all. They are dedicated young women eager to help you explore all that the BDC's Research Room offers you. If you have questions about what we have or do or want to come spend some time on research, reach give us a call: 843-255-6468 or send us an email: bdc@bcgov.net.

January 3, 2026 - Words of wise counsel about what to do with your family history research from Genealogy Tip of the Day:
January 5, 2026 - New Year - New "Materials Monday" theme!
In consultation with Cassandra and Sydney, the BDC's Materials Monday theme on the BDC's Facebook page for 2026 is Independence (Mon)Day. We will feature items that show the depth and scope of the BDC's holdings from or about the years 1770 - 1783. These items will help explain what happened in Beaufort District before, during, and after the Declaration of Independence was signed. This is in line with our intentional increase in American Revolution related local history programs with our partners the Beaufort County Historical Society, the Beaufort History Museum, and the Beaufort County 250th Committee that began in 2021 and with the Library system's plans to highlight the upcoming 250th anniversary of our country later this year. Join us most Mondays for a small dose of Revolutionary War history.

January 6, 2026 - Statistically speaking more people die during January than any other month of the year in South Carolina. If you're like me, you just hope not to be among the dead in January 2026. But whenever it may come, I would hope for a "Good Death" a la Victorian times. Back in April 2020, at the scariest times of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dave Smoot wrote me an email describing the link between Civil War deaths and those of 2020 - 2021 that I simply had not considered. Perhaps it will be thought-provoking for you, too.

January 7, 2026 - "Black History Note:" Chapter 4 of Penn Center: A History Preserved by Orville Vernon Burton is dedicated to the discussion of Penn Center's role in the Civil Rights Movement. This book is also available in the BDC Research Room as well as from the Local History sections at your favorite Beaufort County Branch Library. If you prefer an e-book, Hoopla has got you covered.

January 8, 2026 - Once upon a time, a Bluffton woman married into big money, inherited an astounding fortune when her husband died, 15 years later she marries a prince 20 years her junior... More in Connections.

January 10, 2026 - We're going on a Field Trip next month! We would be delighted to see you at there.

January 12, 2026 - Independence (Mon) Day: If you want a bareboned and swift account of Beaufort from 1770 to 1783, start with Michael C. Taylor's chapter 4: The Revolutionary War, 1775-1783 in his Historic Beaufort County: An Illustrated History, pp. 17-22. The book was published for the Beaufort County Historical Society in 2005. BTW: The Beaufort County Library system has the only copies of this title inside the SCLENDS consortium. It is another example of "Uniquely BDC."
January 14, 2026 - Martin Luther King, Jr. visited Penn Center while campaigning for Civil Rights during the 1960s, and it is said that he wrote much of his "I Have a Dream" speech there. In 2009, BCL's Rosa Cummings and Dennis Adams visited Penn Center to record a short video. The film briefly detailed MLK Jr.'s visits to Penn Center before Rosa gave a stirring recitation of "I Have a Dream." A DVD with the short film now resides in the BDC where patrons can view the material by request. [This is yet another example of a "Uniquely BDC" title.]
January 15, 2026 - Sign up for the Library System’s Winter Reading Program January 20 – February 20, 2026. Details on the Library's website under the Events Tab.

January 16, 2026 - For 13 years, one man had the most recognized face and most resounding voice advocating for equal rights for all United States citizens. From the age of 26 until his assassination in 1968 at age 39 years old, Martin Luther King Jr. advocated for fair and equal application of all US laws and full benefits of citizenship for minorities. And he used our local Penn Center as a respite as this little gem of a booklet describes. "I Will Not Be Silent and I will be Heard": Martin Luther King, Jr. by J. Tracy Power (Columbia, SC: South Carolina Dept. of Archives & History, Public Programs Division, c1993) is available in the BDC Research Room as well as from the Local History sections at your favorite Beaufort County Branch Library.
January 19, 2026 - Even though the Library is closed for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, you can still learn about one of the Beaufort District's most significant red letter days in its long and storied history on its 119th anniversary.
“Red Saturday” (19 January 1907) was an accident that had devastating consequences. When the embers cooled, 40 structures in downtown Beaufort were damaged or destroyed and one well regarded African American local man lay dead. A series of BDCBCL: Links, Lists and Finding Aids blog posts cover that incident and its aftermath.

January 20, 2026 - 10 AM: The Library system provides access to Ancestry Library Edition inside our buildings. Sydney wrote about what happens here in the BDC when a customer asks for help using ALE in our Connections blog.

6 PM: Today the Library System began its Winter Reading Program - and it's easy peasy to participate. Only 6 hours of reading required with no restrictions on when you read. For those like me who are bingers, you can even do all 6 hours of reading in one sitting if you choose. Look for local history recommendations from the BDC staff on this page on Thursdays through February 19 to help you complete the Winter Reading requirements and learn a little local history at the same time. Details.

January 21, 2026 - "Black History Note:" It is said that Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote much of his "I Have a Dream" speech at Penn Center on St. Helena Island. On 28 August 1963 during the "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom," King was the final speaker of the day. It is ironic that arguably his most famous speech did not include the words "I have a dream" in his prepared text. King went off script to extemporaneously include the "I Have a Dream" cadence. Researchers are fortunate that many of the country's television stations broadcast King's speech live that day to capture a moment in time as history was made.

January 22, 2026 - We recommend for your Winter Reading: The Earth Knows My Name: Food, Culture, and Sustainability in the Gardens of Ethnic Americans by Patricia Klindienst. Check it out from a BCL Branch's Local History section if you are a garden lover or interested in historic and contemporary agriculture in the Lowcountry.

Patricia Klindienst is a descendent of Italian immigrants who wrestled with their ethnic identity in the face of discrimination and the desire to assimilate into their new home culture. For her family, and the families of other immigrants, gardening was a vocation that tied them to both the land that they now stood on, and the land of their forbearers. Klindienst journeyed across the nation to study gardeners of other ethnic backgrounds and record their views on how gardening connects them to their heritage and defines their identity as modern Americans.
Klindienst visited two Gullah gardeners on her travels and wrote about what she learned from the two men in Chapter 2, which she entitled “Freedom.” The gardens on St. Helena grew indigo, okra, beans, squash and more, carrying on the traditions of both their enslaved and free ancestors. Most crucially, the Gullah elders spoke of the connection between the land and the community, and the high value that Gullah people place on both in deriving their strength and protecting their way of life. [BTW: This title is found only in the BDC and local history sections of the BCL Branch libraries.]

January 23, 2026 -
Happy National Pie Day! National Pie Day was established in the 1970s, and today we are sharing a recipe from over a century earlier to celebrate the day. This recipe for Lemon Pie was written in the recipe book of Eliza M. Johnson, part of the Dale Friedman Collection of Johnson Family Materials archival collection that Cassandra recently processed. The recipes in this book date from the 1840s to the 1870s approximately, so let us know if this Lemon Pie recipe stands the test of time if you chance to make it yourself. It reads:
Lemon Pie
Half pound sugar. Half pound of butter. Six naples biscuits. One quart of milk. Six eggs. The yolks & whites to be beaten separately. The rind & juice of two lemons.
Have the biscuits beaten very fine & pour the milk boiling over it. Add this to the beaten eggs sugar & butter stirring it briskly. Then add the whites beaten to a froth. Put the juice & rind in last. Add more sugar if required. Put paste in the bottom of your dishes. They are much better baked in a deep dish.
This will make two.

January 26, 2026 - "Independence (Mon)Day:" If you want more details than you got from reading the chapter about the Revolutionary War in Historic Beaufort County by Taylor, we recommend that you read Chapters 10 - 13, (pp. 175-215) of the bible of Beaufort history, The History of Beaufort County, South Carolina, volume I, 1514-1861 by Lawrence Rowland, Alexander Moore, and George Rogers, Jr. (1996).

In these four chapters you'll meet some of the key local players and challenges of the critical years leading up to and through the War of Independence.
  • Chapter 10 covers the area's "Economy on the Eve of the Revolution" including shipbuilding, indigo, rice, and mercantilism.
  • Chapter 11 covers the "Beaufort Assembly of 1772" - which "became the scene of one of the most significant political contests between the royal governor and the elected representatives of the people of South Carolina."
  • Chapter 12 covers the political and military scene in the District from 1775 to 1778.
  • Chapter 13 covers the political and military scene in the District from 1779 to 1783.

There are plenty of circulating copies of this title at the Branch Libraries for you to borrow. 

January 28, 2026 - "Black History Note Wednesday:" Martin Luther King, Jr. built the 20th century Civil Rights movement off the contributions of a number of important Black men who championed civil rights during the Reconstruction Era. Most locals know about Robert Smalls and his political career, but he was not alone in advocating for human rights.
Burke explores the careers and impact of the 170 black attorneys who fought for equal protections and rights for African Americans, including these from Beaufort District: Samuel J. Bampfield; William J. Whipper; Julius I. Washington; Jonathan J. Wright; Richard H. Gleaves; A.A. Bradley; Thomas H. Wheeler; L.S. Langley; A. H. Ezekial; Dempsher W. Powell; Isaiah R. Reed; Charles English Washington; Charles E. Washington, Jr.; Thomas J. Reynolds; A.S. Bascomb; and William W. Still.

January 29, 2026 - We recommend for your winter reading: Last Ferry to Beaufort: The Life and Times of Captain Willie Roberts, 1865-1952 by Charles D. Wersler (2014).
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to live in Beaufort just over a hundred years ago? Wonder no further! This title not only recounts the life of Captain William Pullman Roberts, but it also offers a glimpse into what life was like in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Beaufort. “Captain Willie” was the last operator of the White Hall Ferry, the only connection from Beaufort to Lady’s Island prior to the construction of the first bridge in 1927.

Last Ferry to Beaufort contains never before seen photographs, letters, and narratives from Captain Willie’s personal collection. Learn about various aspects of historic Beaufort from the shops and restaurants on Bay Street, to Ferry operations and the construction of the first Beaufort River Bridge. Although most of the people and places mentioned in this title are long gone, their memories will now live on for generations to come. [This title is another example of an uniquely BCL title.]

January 30, 2026 - "Finding Aid Friday:" Behind-the-scenes work continues apace in the BDC. The Woodrow Strock Collection slides were made in the 1970s/1980s. You are welcomed to set up an appointment to review the images of taken on a school trip to the Oyotunji African Village: bdc@bcgov.net; 843-255-6468. The Finding Aid to the collection is posted on our BDCBCL: Lists, Links and Finding Aids blog.
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04 February 2026

Black History in the Beaufort District Collection

As Wilbur Cross noted in his book Gullah Culture in America (Praeger, 2008) [print, e-book], Beaufort County Library "has one of the South's largest collections of materials on the Gullah language and the sea island culture." Many of the materials are of permanent research value and therefore are under the care of the Library’s special local history collection and archives unit, the Beaufort District Collection (BDC). Please note: We also stock the local history sections at the branch libraries with some titles, but the BDC is the main repository for Gullah-related materials.

The term "Gullah" or "Geechee" describes a unique group of African Americans descended from enslaved Africans who settled along the Atlantic coast, often on sea islands, between what is now Wilmington, NC, and Jacksonville, FL. Gullah is a broad culture embracing the political, social, economic, linguistic, and artistic life of native African-American Sea Islanders. The Gullah people have made and continue to make a lasting impact on our local culture and history. Therefore, the BDC is home to an extensive Gullah/Geechee historical collection of books, manuscripts, pamphlets, vertical files, videos, and more!

During Black History Month in February, the BDC tries to highlight local history resources related to the Gullah people and the yearly theme selected by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). The 2026 theme is "A Century of Black History Commemorations." To mark this year’s celebration:
You can take a deeper dive into other Gullah-related topics on the BDCBCL: Links, Lists and Finding Aids blog:
BTW: You’re sure to find more than 6 hours of reading's worth of choices to complete the Winter Reading Program with any of the above.

Set up an appointment with us by calling 843-255-6468 or emailing bdc@bcgov.net to research these archival records related to Black History:
If you prefer to watch videos or look at pictures online:
There are even more Black History-related posts on the BDC’s Connections blog to survey:
If you have questions about our holdings about Black history, Gullah history, or would like to set up an appointment for a visit to the BDC Research Room, please reach out to us via email to bdc@bcgov.net or give us a call at 843-255-6468.

I wrote the above as the February 2026 entry for the Library's new website - and as frequent reads of this blog know, I do so love to get double-duty or the occasional triple-duty out of work. This overview and very linked entry should not go to waste once it disappears from the Library's website. -- Grace Cordial
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02 February 2026

February Research Room Display Case : A Century of Black History Commemorations by Sydney Whiteside

Happy February and happy Black History Month! One hundred and ten years ago in September of 1915, Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, now called the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Since its founding, the ASALH’s mission has been to “promote, research, preserve, interpret and disseminate information about Black life, history and culture to the global community.” 

Adhering to this mission in the year of 1926, Goodson initiated Negro History Week, which would occur during the second week of February. Why the second week of February you may ask? Well both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass’ birthdays fall during this week, and Goodson firmly believed both men were formidable forces in the fight for civil rights. Throughout the mid-Twentieth Century, protests were held at universities all over the country to expand Negro History Week into a month-long commemoration. In 1976, the United States celebrated its bicentennial by instating Black History Month to honor the lives of resolute African Americans both today and throughout the nation’s history.  

This February, the ASALH is celebrating the commemoration, dissemination, study, and teaching of Black history over the last one hundred years with the theme “A Century of Black History Commemorations.” To honor this theme, the BDC’s February display case is full of materials that highlight the last century of Black history in Beaufort District. 

Toward the Meeting of the Waters: Currents in the Civil Rights Movement of South Carolina During the Twentieth Century by Winfred B. Moore and Orville Vernon Burton (2008). 

This title contains oral histories of historians who specialize in studying the course of civil rights history. Each account highlights important moments in the fight for equal rights in South Carolina. The accounts analyze the impact of the civil rights movement on the Palmetto State and how the state experienced the movement in ways different from the rest of the country. Through drawings, newspaper articles, and previously unpublished photographs taken by Cecil Williams the accounts detail the “high stakes involved in the civil rights movement, of how far South Carolina has progressed, and of those battles for equality still ongoing.” 

Voices of Black South Carolina: Legend & Legacy by Damon L. Fordham (2009). 

This is an interesting title because rather than creating a formal history of Black South Carolinians, Fordham decided to create a collection of short stories that recount the history of valiant Black South Carolinians that we may or may not have heard of. These short stories are sandwiched with actual accounts, direct quotes, and portrayals of the subjects of these stories. Well-known names such as Robert Smalls, Booker T. Washington, and Jonathan Jasper Wright are mentioned in addition to lesser know but significant African Americans such as Elizabeth Evelyn Wright and Dorothy Bacot. 

Stories of Struggle: The Clash Over Civil Rights in South Carolina by Claudia Smith Brinson, (2020). 

Brinson concentrates on five case studies that highlight the untold stories of individuals who not only witnessed but participated in the movement for equal rights. 

Many Black South Carolinians dedicated their lives to protesting, petitioning, and picketing, only to be met with the vilest of responses including death threats, bombings, beatings, lynchings, and other acts of violence and aggressiveness. Yet, they were undeterred. African American activists in South Carolina persevered with an unwavering amount of courage, commitment, and conviction that changed the country. This title highlights the significance of these activists' actions that not only shaped Civil Rights in South Carolina, but the South as a whole.  

Out-of-the-Box in Dixie: Cecil Williams' Photography of the South Carolina Events that Changed America by Cecil J. Williams (2007). 

From the innovative eye of activist and artist Cecil Williams, Out-of-the-Box in Dixie conveys the courage of Black South Carolinians who fought for equal rights prior to and through the Civil Rights Movement. Briggs v. Elliott of Clarendon County and the Orangeburg Freedom Movement challenged segregation in South Carolina schools. The images contained document the bravery of those of took part in both of these essential events in the fight for equal rights in the Palmetto State.  

Pioneers of African-American Cinema from Kino Classics (2016) 

In the early 1920’s, a group of entrepreneurial filmmakers veered off the commercial path of Hollywood to bring about a new age of cinema known as “race films.” Unlike Hollywood, these filmmakers prioritized hiring People of Color for both starring roles and production roles such as writers, editors, producers, and distributors. In addition to having a diverse team, these films brought about a new age of visual and narrative style in film that thrived until the 1940’s. Pioneers of African-American Cinema contains 19 restored “race films” ranging from documentaries to short and silent films; including African American female filmmaker Zora Neale Hurston’s documentary of 1940’s religious services taking place at the Commandment Keeper Church of Beaufort.  

A wonderful resource in our collection is our vertical file collection. Vertical files hold materials such as clippings, pamphlets, or articles pertaining to the subject of the file. These files act as a gateway; they can provide context that may point researchers to a new path of resources. If you are interested in learning more about the importance and use of these files, check out The Value of Historical (and Permanent) Vertical Files.  

There are many files pertaining to African American history in Beaufort District. Here is just a sampling: 

  • VF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY: HILTON HEAD 
  • VF AFRICAN AMERICANS--ELECTED OFFICIALS 
  • VF AFRICAN AMERICANS--GENEALOGY 
  • VF AFRICAN AMERICANS—HISTORY 
  • VF CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT 
  • VF FREEDMAN ARTS DISTRICT, 2022- 
  • VF GULLAH CULTURE: 1924-PRESENT 
  • VF HISTORIC MITCHELVILLE FREEDOM PARK 
  • VF MITCHELVILLE PRESERVATION PROJECT 
  • VF NAACP 
  • VF PENN CENTER  
  • VF SCHOOLS—INTEGRATION 
  • VF SCHOOLS--MATHER SCHOOL 
  • VF SCHOOLS--ROSENWALD SCHOOLS 

A fascinating find from VF CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT is a copy of a newspaper clipping from the Beaufort Gazette dated 29 August 1963. Titled “City’s Property Is Desegregated,” this article reports the desegregation of city buildings, including the Beaufort County Library: 

“The Beaufort County Library Main Branch, located at Craven and Carteret Street, is open to all citizens under policies adopted by the Library Board. The Library Board noted that Bookmobile service has been integrated since 1961.”

All for Civil Rights: African American Lawyers in South Carolina, 1868-1968 by William Lewis Burke (2017) 

William Lewis's book-length study, All for Civil Rights, chronicles both the achievements and frustrations of Black lawyers in South Carolina from the Reconstruction Era to the Civil Rights Era. Unbeknown to most, the state of South Carolina had the largest African American population in the country up until the 1930's. During this time period, 168 Black lawyers were admitted to take the South Carolina Bar, the most of any Southern state. Lewis tells the true tale of the trials and tribulations of Black lawyers navigating the South Carolina legal system while simultaneously challenging said legal system. 

101 Women Who Shaped South Carolina edited by Valinda W. Littlefield (2020).

After noticing that the majority of historical works written about South Carolina women only consisted of elite White women, Dr. Littlefield set out to create an historical record of South Carolina women of diverse backgrounds who transformed the Palmetto State. This title is divided into six parts that cover an ample array of professions and positions held by South Carolinian women dating all the way back to the sixteenth century:

  • Part One: Reformers, Organizers, and Leaders
  • Part Two: Writers, Novelists, Playwrights, and Poets
  • Part Three: Artists, Athletes, and Entertainers
  • Part Four: Educators and Activists
  • Part Five: Medical Professionals

  • Part Six: Legislators, Jurists, and Political Activists

First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation by James E. Clyburn (2025).

South Carolina's first Black congressman, Joseph Hayne Rainey, was elected in 1870 in the midst of the Reconstruction Era. George Washington Murray served as representative from 1893 to 1897 and would be the last Black Congressman from South Carolina until James E. Clyburn was elected in 1993, almost one hundred years later. This historical memoir is a tribute to all of the Black congressmen of South Carolina who fought for a better tomorrow; written by the ninth Black South Carolina congressman, Jim Clyburn.

I Will Not Be Silent And I Will Be Heard: Martin Luther King, Jr., the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and Penn Center 1964-1967 by J. Tracy Power (1993). 

Martin Luther King, Jr. used to visit Penn Center on St. Helena Island for respite from his public political activities campaigning for Civil Rights during the 1960s. It is said that he wrote much of his “I Have a Dream” speech there. In honor of his life and work, we recommend I Will Not Be Silent And I Will Be Heard: Martin Luther King, Jr., the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and Penn Center, 1964-1967 by J. Tracy Power. 

Romancing the Gullah in the Age of Porgy and Bess by Kendra Y. Hamilton (2024).

Many studies on the history of the Lowcountry gloss over the impact of Gullah culture on the region, particularly throughout the Great Migration. Determined to mend this, Hamilton set out to create a new source that accurately recounts all aspects of Gullah culture, including its anthropology, folklore, linguistics, and religion, throughout its long and impactful history both in and around the Lowcountry.

Gullah Days: Hilton Head Islanders Before the Bridge, 1861-1956 by Thomas C. Barnwell Jr., Carolyn Grant, and Emory Shaw Campbell (2020).

Written by three descendants of African American Native Islanders, Gullah Days recounts the long and lasting impact Gullah culture has had on Hilton Head Island throughout history. When a bill to reshape land use was proposed to the General Assembly and rumors of building a bridge ran rampant, Native Islanders were highly concerned as the isolation of island living was seen as both a blessing and a curse. It was a way of life that was well loved, but had its limitations regarding interaction with the broader world and other cultures. Thus, Gullah Hilton Head Islanders had mixed feelings about the coming changes: 

“Some Gullah people were happy to see the bridge come, and some were not... Most islanders saw the bridge with optimistic eyes. They saw convenience and the freedom to leave and come back to the island as they pleased.”

A Place Fa We: Black Townships on the Coast of the Gullah/Geechee by Marquetta L. Goodwine (2018).

A Place Fa We is the sixth volume of a thirty volume set called "Gullah/Geechee: Africa's Seed in the Winds of the Diaspora." This title in particular covers the complex history of land ownership in the Gullah Geechee Nation. The journey of finding and founding a safe space for Gullah communities to honor and empower their history and futures to come. Learn of the founders of Gullah Geechee Black townships and how they came to lead and empower their individual regions.

African Roots/American Culture: Africa in the Creation of the Americas edited by Sheila S. Walker (2001).

In the early days of the Americas, the majority of the population was made up of forced migrants and voluntary immigrations of Africans and their descendants. With them they brought their rich culture full of art, politics, religion, and more which served as a foundational layer of our country’s culture. African Roots/American Cultures explores both historical and modern writings that demonstrate the significance of African Diaspora from the arrival of Columbus to present day. *This title is a BDC exclusive, please see the end of this post for details on how to make an appointment. 

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I hope you have enjoyed this glimpse into the Twentieth and Twenty-first century Black history related materials that the Beaufort District Collection possesses. If you are interested in any of the materials I have shared today, or wish to explore our collection for yourself: walk-ins are sometimes accepted while appointments are always encouraged. To make an appointment, send an email to bdc@bcgov.net or give us a call at 843-255-6468. We hope to hear from you soon!

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