Lecture and Civil War Living History Encampment, Nov. 1 - 2

The Beaufort History Museum is hosting a Civil War re-enactment on Saturday, November 2, 2024. The afternoon before, the BDC and the BHM are hosting re-enactor Tom Vaselopulos who will speak about Alexander Campbell, 79^th New York (USA) and his brother, James Campbell, 1^st South Carolina (CSA)  who fought in competing armies. 

Beaufort History Museum is lead for both events.

The 79th Highlanders were stationed in Beaufort and were deployed to James Island in June 1862 in advance of the Battle of Secessionville. Alexander was on one side; his brother James on the other during the battle. Attending the lecture will better prepare you to thoroughly enjoy Saturday's living history re-enactment at the Arsenal. Two of the Union dead from that battle are buried in the Beaufort National Cemetery. 

“The American Civil War: Highlander Brother vs Brother” with Tom Vaselopulos | Friday, November 1, 2024 | Beaufort Branch Library, 311 Scott Street | 2 PM | First come, first seated. Door opens at 1:30 PM.

The following day, Saturday November 2nd, is the encampment. I'll drop in with some of my grandsons who will be visiting with me that weekend. [We're also going to shop at the Friends of the Beaufort Library book sale in Waterfront Park.] 

New York Highlanders Civil War Era Living History Encampment at the Arsenal | Saturday, November 2, 2024 | The Arsenal, 713 Craven Street, Beaufort | 9 AM - 4:30 PM

The demonstrations are free. Cassandra will be there from 10 AM to 2 PM showing off surrogates of some of our Civil War and Reconstruction materials, showing off what we have about the 79th Highlanders, sharing a little library history, and talking with interested passers-by and area residents. 

This is a repeat visit of the 79th New York Highlander Regiment to Beaufort. Learn about the history of the Union unit's Civil War service in the area. The re-enactors will set up camp in the walled Arsenal Courtyard and provide a unique educational opportunity for visitors of all ages, who will be able to interact with the soldiers to learn firsthand how life was lived in Beaufort during the Civil War years. Here's what you can expect:

1.      Historical re-enactors in full military regalia

2.      Experience Civil War era camp life through live presentations

3.      Enjoy educational discussions and interactive activities for the whole family

4.      Watch drills and marching throughout the day

Admission is free to the Encampment in the Arsenal courtyard (though donations to support the Museum are much appreciated by that all volunteer organization). There is usually a reduced entrance fee to the Museum during the encampment.  

JSYK: November 1 - 3 is a very busy weekend with lots of special activities planned in town. 

1. The Friends of the Beaufort Library Fall Book Sale is Friday, November 1 through Sunday, November 3, too. I have always been grateful the support that the Beaufort FOL has given to the BDC through the years. 
2. Though the BDC is not involved with the Fort Fremont Harvest Festival on Sunday afternoon, November 3rd, you might see me there with some of my grandsons. 
3. The Pat Conroy Literary Festival is going on that weekend, too. 

Fingers crossed that we do not get another tropical storm scare! 

Honoring Contributions of the Gullah Geechee People

October is Gullah Geechee Heritage Month. The Library honors Gullah Geechee heritage with special collections of Gullah Geechee heritage in the BDC and at the St. Helena Branch Library.

The BDC’s primary focus is geography. We collect a host of materials about a variety of topics within a defined geographical area – in other words, Beaufort, Hampton, and Jasper counties. Collecting materials of and about Gullah heritage began more than 100 years ago. Some are very rare. A few can be found nowhere else. Overall, about 20% of BDC holdings relate in some manner to Gullah Geechee heritage. The BDC is acknowledged for having one of the largest collections of Gullah related materials in the Southeast. 

In contrast, the Gullah Geechee Reference collection at St. Helena Branch covers only one topic: Gullah Geechee culture as expressed throughout the southeastern United States. The secondary materials in St. Helena Branch’s reference collection extend also to the culture’s African roots.  

While there is some overlap in individual titles held, the two units are quite distinct. Both are maintained in recognition of the contribution of the Gullah Geechee people to our nation’s history.

We have posted some information and guides about Gullah culture online: 

Praise Houses in Gullah Religion and Social Practices

Gullah Culture: A Preliminary List

Beaufort History Moment: Gullah Food [video] with Emory Campbell

Beaufort History Moment: Gullah Language [video] with Emory Campbell

Sweetgrass Baskets in the Lowcountry 

 If you're looking for the best reads, pick a title or two from this flyer to begin (or continue) your journey learning about a fascinating - and local - culture.

and there's even more reading recommendations in honor of Gullah/Geechee Heritage Month on the Library's website. 

Reminder: The Library will be closed on Monday, October 14, 2024 for Staff Training. 

Second Reminder: The Beaufort History Museum/ Beaufort County Library Local History series Season 8 kicks off on Tuesday! 

"The History of the Beaufort Jasper Water & Sewer Authority, 1954 - " with Tricia Kilgore

BHM/BCL Local History Series 8.1A
Tuesday, October 15, 2024 | St. Helena Branch Library, 6355 Jonathan Francis Senior, Road | 2 PM | First come, first seated. Door opens at 1:30 PM

BHM/BCL Local History Series 8.1B
Tuesday, October 22, 2024 | Bluffton Branch Library, 120 Palmetto Way | 2 PM | First come, first seated. Door opens at 1:30 PM

BDC as Repository for Donated Records

The BDC exists to acquire, preserve, maintain and make accessible a research collection of permanent value which records the history, culture, and environment of the South Carolina lowcountry wedged between the Combahee and Savannah Rivers. We are stewards who collect, protect and share unique historical materials about local history, Gullah culture, the natural southeastern coastal environment, family history and archaeology in the area now covered by Beaufort County, Hampton County and Jasper County.  

I will hereby argue that: The BDC checks all the boxes necessary to serve as good repository for a local  organization's inactive records - just in case you are part of a local organization that might be looking for a repository. 

• An archival repository is a place where professional archivists and curators care for and preserve historically significant documents. 

I have a BA in History, ML and SL degrees in librarianship, and am a certified archivist - and more than 25 years' experience dealing with and sharing Beaufort District's long and storied history with others. 

The BDC's Library Specialist, Cassandra Knoppel, has a dual undergraduate degree in Historic Preservation and Art History. She is currently going to Library School at USC concentrating on the Archives track. She's gaining technical skills and library and archival experience each and every day. 

The Library Assistant we hope to hire soon will ideally have a working knowledge of local history; be able to show others the rudiments of historical and genealogical research; file materials according to library and archival standards; demonstrate good customer services skills; possess an aptitude for learning library and archival processes, philosophy, and practices; compile unit statistics; and provide local history programs support as needed, and be a good fit for our little team. 

• Archival repositories are frequently found in historical societies, academic institutions, or public libraries whose mission it is to ensure the protection and accessibility of the materials they house.

Our repository happens to be in the Beaufort County Library. Good stewardship of the materials we house in the BDC Research Room is - and always has been - Priority #1 for me. We've been stewards a long time. I'd even go so far as to argue that the Beaufort County Library is the oldest continually operating educational public entity in the three counties - if you take into consideration our origins in the Beaufort Township Library and its predecessor Clover Club library that began in 1892.   

• An archives can provide environmentally secure storage for inactive records. 

BDC has special equipment to maintain archival standards for temperature, humidity and light levels to extend the life of paper records for at least the next 100 years. The roof has hurricane straps reinforced to survive winds up to 150 mph. We have hurricane shutters to protect our office areas and the interior library/archives stacks. Only BDC staff and vetted docents enter the restricted stacks storage area. (I underlined "inactive records" because we are not in the business of storing current records for organizations, businesses, or agencies.) 

• More important, a repository can provide research access to the information in the records, both to members of your organization and to the public, as well as safeguard the records by monitoring their handling and use. 

BDC staff have demonstrated thousands of times through the years that our reference collection and research advice is thorough and delivered at the highest level we can given our limited personnel levels and financial resources. We always share information about the resources we may have inside the Research Room to assist customers both internal and external. Customers in the Research Room must register. No one can use the materials in the BDC Research Room without BDC staff being available to provide reference assistance and monitor the use of the records. 

• By placing records in an archival repository, you take an important step toward preserving them and the memories that they contain. 

How to Donate An Organization's Records

Like most archival institutions, the BDC is looking for organization records with long-term value. Documents that best illustrate an organization's mission, policies, and activities are of the highest interest. We seek related groups of materials more often than just individual items - though we sometimes take the individual items for the archives. We desire inactive records rather than records that an organization needs to conduct routine business. As a rule of thumb, we prefer records at least 5 years old or older. Records of defunct organizations can be of particular interest. For example, the BDC holds Beaufort Little Theatre records donated by its final president in 2007. 

If the organization: 

            A) has inactive records that fall within the BDC's collection development policy and

            B) the organization seems open to finding a permanent home for those inactive records,

            C) I offer to discuss what the BDC collects and why, and how the donation process works. 

   

For sake of discussion, let's say that an organization decides to donate its inactive records to the BDC for permanent care. Now the ball is in the BDC's court. The speed at which the following steps occur is ultimately dependent on staff skill sets and competing commitments (particularly direct customer service, the local history series we coordinate, digital projects, and Library initiatives.)  

• We mutually agree on the transfer date.
• We sign the deed of gift conveying ownership of and responsibility for the donated materials to the Beaufort County Library, the BDC's parent organization, in perpetuity. 
• Upon receipt of the materials by BDC staff, an accession record is created. 
• The newly acquired archival collection is assessed for processing priority. A variety of criteria weigh into this consideration: topics contained; potential for customer use; completeness; variety of formats included; physical size of collection; how many preservation activities and supplies will be required, etc. 
• BDC staff work on preserving, arranging, and describing the materials.  
• BDC staff prepare a written Finding Aid for the Research Room. 
• The collection is opened to researchers.

It has long been a BDC goal to post all Finding Aids to our archival collections on the BDCBCL: Links, Lists & Finding Aids blog for easier researcher access. Progress has been made - particularly when were a full-time staff of 3 for about 6 weeks earlier this year - but again has slowed down due to staff shortage in the front room and other work obligations.  By the end of October 2024, there will be 42 Finding Aids posted online but there are 71 Finding Aids in the blue notebook in the Research Room and Cassandra is working on the Archives priority list - more slowly than planned due to the staff shortage and our vigorous local history programs schedule - but she is making progress. 

In a very few instances, an archival collection housed in the BDC is prepared for inclusion in the  Lowcountry Digital Library. I never ever promise that an archival collection will be digitized in full when an organization inquires about donating its records. We simply do not have the resources to fulfill such a promise at this time. I always do my utmost to be a woman of my word.

The Society of American Archivists has two documents posted online that may prove helpful to you: 

Donating Your Organization's Records to a Repository

Donating Your Personal or Family Records to a Repository

In the meantime: Please, please do not just drop off your "stuff" in a BCL book return box or at one of the other Library unit's service desk and hope the items make their way to the BDC. Like many things in life, first there's some paperwork.... Provenance and deeds of gift are really, really important for archives integrity. 

If you'd like to discuss donating an organization's records or your personal or family records to the Library's special local history collection and archives unit, reach out to us: bdc@bcgov.net or 843-255-6468.  

Archives Month 2024 Display by Cassandra Knoppel

Cassandra Knoppel is this month's curator of the BDC Research Room display case. My comments are in italics. -- gmc

Happy American Archives Month! It’s that time of year again where archives, special collections, and other cultural heritage institutions celebrate and promote the work of archivists in preserving records of enduring value. In celebration, I have put together a display that answers common questions about our archive and the field in general, expanding on my prior preservation display from April 2024 and hopefully offering some more insight into what we do here at the BDC. 

Shelf 1: What are archives? 

I started us off in the top shelf by defining archives and showing the varying types of materials archives can hold. The Society of American Archivists Dictionary of Archives Terminology has five definitions for the noun Archive, including “a physical or digital collection of historical records.” Archives hold material of current and future historical value including files and documents, rare books, photographs, maps, posters, and so much more. Researchers looking for the answer to a history or genealogy question can stumble upon untold stories hidden in these primary source documents only available in archives.  

The article “Using Archives: A Guide to Effective Research” by Laura Schmidt is a “short-and-sweet” introduction to archives. Schmidt outlines the aspects of archives that make them stand apart from libraries and the different types of archives, while also describing how to find and make use of archives during your research and what to expect during your visit to one. In my opinion, this should be mandatory reading for all researchers and visitors to archives (and I’m not just saying that because it was mandatory reading in my Intro to Archives course!)

The pamphlet “Placing Your Family Papers in an Archival Repository” by the SC State Historical Records Advisory Board is another quick guide that goes into more detail on how archives collect and present historic material. Copies of this pamphlet and the Schmidt article, unlike most of our materials, are available to take home from the BDC. 

Not every archive holds the same materials, nor does it serve the same function. While the BDC is a local history archive serving Beaufort County, other archives collect material related only to state politicians or governmental agencies or have broader scopes by collecting historical materials from across the state. The featured guide, Directory of Historical Records Repositories in South Carolina edited by Jeanette Bergeron (2000) (SC 025.171 DIR), lists some of the many archival repositories in South Carolina including ours at the BCL, and others like MUSC’s Waring Historical Library, the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, University of South Carolina's South Caroliniana Library, and the Catawba Cultural Preservation Project archives. While this is clearly an older and outdated edition, it does serve as a concise overview of the repositories within South Carolina and the current information for each archive can be easily found online. As the SC Archives Month poster from 2007 (SC Poster #200) proclaims, “There are over 100 historical societies, public libraries, museums, colleges, universities, and other locations across the Palmetto State with archival riches to be discovered.” We’re proud to say that the BDC is one of them! 

Shelf 2: What is the Beaufort District Collection? What do you do? 

The Beaufort District Collection (BDC) is the Beaufort County Library’s special local history and archives collection. The purpose of the Beaufort District Collection is to acquire, preserve, maintain and make accessible a research collection of permanent value that records the history of the area of Lowcountry South Carolina known as the old historic Beaufort District. The BDC began as a shelf in the Beaufort Township Library, then became a closet in the 1964 Library building, and by 1992 a South Carolina Room's worth of local history materials on the first floor of the Beaufort Branch Library. (We are still using some of the furnishings that the Beaufort County Historical Society provided back then now.) As the pamphlet from our Vertical File on the BDC shows (yes – we collect archival material on our archive too!), we later became our own department and campaigned to move to our present larger space on the second floor under the careful eye of Grace Cordial, Grand Poo-Bah of the BDC 😊(That you think of me as Grand Poo-Bah makes me smile, Cassi, but in all honesty I think of myself in more regal terms - as the "Queen 👑 of the BDC." BTW: It took me 9 years and 16 days from the initial "ask" for more space to move the BDC to our current quarters. I am a persistent cuss when I believe in a project.)

The BDC now holds almost 250 archival collections related to the history, people, and events of Beaufort County. 

I discussed some of the “behind-the-scenes" work that archivists do in my last display for Preservation Week, but the short story is that BDC staff and volunteers prepare collections for public use through arranging, describing, and preserving collection materials (called processing). We then facilitate that use during reference appointments while also promoting our holdings and sharing local history through programs, displays like this one, brochures, flyers, resource guides, and social media posts. Ways to see and access our collections are described in our BDC brochure and our most recently processed collections are featured in the “What’s New at the BDC” brochure (copies are available outside of our Research Room door). 

Shelf 3: What types of records do you have? How can they help my research? 

The BDC holds a WIDE variety of records of historical value, in both physical and digital formats. A broad list of types of materials that archives hold is posted in the display. A few examples (as depicted in the surrogate versions on the shelf) include photo slides, floppy disks, prints, postcards, photographs and stereoscopes, manuscripts and typed documents. 

Our collection is designed for in-person research, but did you know that you can access some of our resources virtually too? Our new “Virtual BDC” flyer lists all of the ways you can view some of our collections and resource materials from home. (Or you could just join us on October 10th at Port Royal Branch Library for a presentation about the Library's Digital Collections. Just saying.) You can also view some of our archival collection’s finding aids and resource guides on special topic areas on our BDCBCL: Links, Lists, and Finding Aids blog.  

When it comes to research help, we serve many purposes. For example, we often get customers looking to start their family tree research, and although we are NOT a genealogical library, we do have a few tools to help. Looking at census records is a great place to start! The SCDAH’s booklet, Census Records at the Archives (SC 929.1 TUT), is a handy primer available in our Research Room on how to approach Census research and what information can be found within different types of Census schedules. The BDC has SC census records from the years 1790 to 1930 available on microfilm. You can also access census records from Ancestry Library Edition from inside any Beaufort County Library, including here at the BDC (but it is advisable that you give us a heads up that you're coming.)

Shelf 4: How are archives different from libraries or museums? 

And lastly, another important topic to cover is the distinction between archives, libraries, and museums. While each type is designed to hold and present informational material, the scope, method, and manner of maintaining their collections and facilitating access varies between each. The chart adapted from the AASLH “Basics of Archives” course (2008) illustrates the similarities and differences between archives, libraries and museums. One key difference is the types of material they collect; libraries typically collect published material that is available elsewhere, museums collect unique artifacts and objects, while archives - as I discussed before - collect unpublished and unique material (typically not including objects). 

Now is a good time to state that archives often have special rules and policies to safeguard historical materials in our collections, not to burden patrons or prevent research but so that the condition of the items remain stable so people can continue to have access to them for centuries to come. The SCDAH’s booklet, Research in the Archives (SC 929.1 RES), concisely explains the role of the SCDAH, their services and their general holdings, while also outlining some of their access policies. The SCDAH’s policies are similar to those in the BDC - While libraries usually allow unrestricted access to their collections of books and DVDs, so long as you have a library card, archives and museums do restrict access to their collections – they do not allow patrons to walk up and select an item from the shelf to take home for a week. 

I hope that this exhibit gives you a new-found appreciation and understanding of archives and the role they play in our communities and in our exploration of history. As the 2008 South Carolina Archives Month poster (SC Poster #197) states: Archives are “treasure maps to the past” and you never really know what you might find during your visit. Make a research appointment with the BDC to see what YOU can uncover in our archives: bdc@bcgov.net OR 843-255-6468. 

A heads up: The Library system will be closed Monday, October 2024 for Staff Work Day.