Another quarter down means another New (and New-to-Us) update, and we have much to share! Sydney will be covering all of the new titles, directories, posters, and maps that have been catalogued. Cassandra will be covering all of the archival collections she has processed or updated in the final three months of 2025. Altogether the BDC has almost 35 new (and new to us) items or archival collections or Finding Aids to archival collections to share with our researchers that arrived or were readied for research in October, November and December 2025. BTW: This post was written by Sydney Whiteside and Cassandra Knoppel and edited by Grace Cordial.
Memorial Day, A Time to Remember: Monday, May 30, 1983 by Bernice Penni Sweetenburg, 1983. This is a testimony from Sweetenburg, a Beaufort native, on both the history and the importance of Memorial Day. In tandem with his words of wisdom, readers will receive an explanation on why we commemorate dead soldiers, quotes from various former presidents, and even a poem written by Billy Rose entitled "The Unknown Soldier."
Four Centuries of Progress: A Short History of Parris Island by Sgt. Joseph Curilla, USMCR, 1954. One of one hundred copies in the entire world, Sgt. Curilla provides a a short, but detailed, history of Parris Island before and during the Marine Corps' occupation of the island. From the early years, 1526-1563, to more contemporary times, 1700-1953, information such as training procedures, generational traditions, and names of post commanders are included are included in this short history.
And Were the Glory of Their Times, Vol. 2: Infantry: Men Who Died for South Carolina in the War for Southern Independence by Herbert O. Chambers, III, 2024.
The BDC is now in possession of the first two volumes of And Were the Glory of Their Times by Herbert O. Chambers which contain registers of Confederate infantry soldiers who died during the Civil War. Death rosters from the following regiments are included: Butler's Regulars, Hagood's Provisional Army, Charleston Battalion, Battalion Sharpshooters, Charleston Reserves, McCreary's South Carolina Infantry, Provisional Army, Battalion South Carolina Reserves, Regiment South Carolina Volunteers, and the South Carolina Regiment of Rifles Militia. Storybuilders by Students of Lady's Island Elementary and the Pat Conroy Literary Center, 2022. The BDC also has the 2023 issue of Storybuilders compositions. Lady's Island Elementary School students wrote short stores, poetry, plays, and created artwork for both volumes. My personal favorite section is the acrostic poetry section; these are poems where the first letter of each line spell out a word. I admire their creativity.
100 Things to Do in the South Carolina Lowcountry Before You Die by Lynn and Cele Seldon, 2025. Veteran travel journalists Lynn and Cele Seldon have journeyed all over the world, but they always return to their beloved home in Beaufort. In their brand new title, 100 Things to Do in the South Carolina Lowcountry Before You Die, the couple recommends that visitors check out many local historical sites, including Beaufort's Reconstruction Era National Historical Park and St. Helena Island's Penn Center.
Welcome to Beaufort Marines and Navy from Military Publishers of San Diego, 1971. This packet is an informative introduction to life at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, and U.S. Naval Hospital Beaufort. From maps of the area to historic homes and churches, medical services to banks and agencies; incoming marines and sailors of the 1970's were provided a thorough overview of the area.
The Reconstruction Diary of Frances Anne Rollin: A Critical Edition Edited by Jennifer Putzi, 2025. Frances Anne Rollin writes about her life as a Southern Black woman activist and author in nineteenth century America. In 1867, Rollin crafted a biography of Martin R. Delany that required her to leave the Lowcountry and travel to Boston in order to publish. In her diary, she wrote of her time in Boston searching for a publisher, attending lectures, visiting friends, and marrying local Black politician and jurist William J. Whipper. (Unfortunately, it was not a happy marriage for either party. BTW: We featured her on the BDC's Facebook page during Women's History Month on March 27, 2024).
Great Migrations: A People on the Move from McGee Media LLC & Inkwell Media LLC, 2025. This four hour mini-documentary series hosted by Henry Louis Gates examines the long history of African migration to America. The first journeys from Africa to North America were forced migrations; by the 20th and 21st centuries, many migrations became voluntary. From the very beginning, these relocations significantly transformed the nation for centuries to come.
Savings and Trust: The Rise and Betrayal of the Freedman's Bank by Justene Hill Edwards, 2024. Only nine years after African Americans were given a chance at economic growth and independence, the Freedman's Bank collapsed and the hope of economic autonomy fell along with it. From the founding to the failing of the Freedman's Savings and Trust Company, Edwards writes of the pains and priorities of finance in the age of emancipation. (This book was named Winner of the 2025 Frederick Douglass Book Prize and a Publishers Weekly Best Nonfiction Book of 2024.)
Rice, Rebellion, and Revelations: 2024 Archaeology at the Old House Plantation by Rita Folse Elliott and Daniel T. Elliott, 2025. Just in time for the country's 250th anniversary, the LAMAR institute was granted funding and permission to conduct an archaeological investigation of Old House Plantation, owned by Beaufort District's Signer of the Declaration of Independence Thomas Heyward, Jr., in order to showcase the importance of Jasper County's role in the American Revolution. South Carolina Women: Their Lives and Times, Volume 3, by Marjorie Julian Spruill, Valinda W. Littlefield, and Joan Marie Johnson, 2012. The third volume of South Carolina Women begins in the early twentieth century and spans to present day. From the careful and cunning to the forthright and forceful, this era of women put their lives on the line and fought through two Worlds Wars, Depression, and the Civil Rights Movement to secure freedom, education, and healthcare for all.
Mother and Son by Dr. Cynthia Gregory-Smalls, 2021. Dr. Gregory-Smalls shares real e-mails between her and her son, Michael Smalls, Jr. Her purpose was to highlight the highs and lows of life and how anything is possible when you lean on one another.
The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressman Who Shaped a Nation by James 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 the Black congressmen of South Carolina who fought for a better tomorrow.
Colonel William Harden: South Carolina's Unheralded Partisan Commander by Dik Daso, 2025. This brand new edition of Colonel William Harden's patriotic narrative was published just in time for the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Though his efforts are often overlooked when recounting the Revolution, Colonel Harden led partisan operations through the marsh and swamp of the Lowcountry against Loyalist forces.
Free Map 90/91, Hilton Head Island: Includes: Savannah Airport to Hilton Head Route Map by Edward C. McNair, 1990.
New Archival Collections
St. Helena Episcopal Church Collection, Circa 1912 – 1994, Undated
The Parish Church of St. Helena, established in 1712 in Beaufort, South Carolina, has evolved significantly over the centuries. This collection documents the church's history through pamphlets and materials from the 20th century collected by library staff.
Geneva Betties Collection of Funeral Flyers, 1974 - 2019
Geneva Betties donated this collection of late 20th and early 21st century funeral flyers for African Americans in Northern Beaufort County. These flyers and programs include photographs of the deceased, obituaries, and information on the funeral services for the deceased.
Prologue to Freedom Collection, 1960-1962
In 1960, preparations for the Jean Ribaut Quadricentennial celebration began in Beaufort, SC, leading to the establishment of Prologue to Freedom, Inc. The celebration's events took place in May of 1962 and included theatrical performances, tours, art shows, and other activities. This archival collection is made up of material created during the planning of the Prologue to Freedom events, and contains play scripts, brochures, photographs, scrapbooks and memorabilia.
New Finding Aids for Older Archival Collections
Cassandra has also spent time going back and updating or creating finding aids for some of our previously processed and/or digitized collections. One of our goals in the upcoming year is to have finding aids published for each of our digital collections hosted by the Lowcountry Digital Library (LCDL).
Civil War and Reconstruction Era Stereoscope Photographs of the Port Royal Region Collection, circa 1861-1865 Finding Aid
During the Civil War, a number of photographers came to Beaufort with the Union troops and documented the area with their cameras. This collection includes 106 stereoscopic photographs depicting Civil War and Reconstruction era Beaufort, including landscapes, freedmen's homes, and military scenes taken primarily by Samuel A. Cooley and his assistants/ business partners. The LCDL digitized the collection for the Beaufort County Library in 2018 and all photographs in this collection can be found on their website.
Donner Family Photograph Collection, 1886-1916, 2004-2018, Undated Finding Aid
Conrad Munro Donner (1844-1916), a German immigrant to Beaufort, SC, documented scenes from his daily life as a phosphate mining engineer, and later farmer on Hall's Island, during the turn of the 20th century. The collection includes 548 images (also available digitally through the Lowcountry Digital Library) and supplemental research materials related to the Donner family.
