Memoirs : Reading Suggestions from the BDC

The Library chose to highlight "Memoirs" for June, a genre that I have featured in more than one Connections post through the years. Yet I shall revisit the genre once more to indicate the BDC's willingness to comply with the Library system's marketing schedule. 

A "memoir" is defined as "a historical account or biography written from personal knowledge," "a narrative composed from personal experience," or in the plural "memoirs" often to indicate a form of autobiography. The authors usually are trying to advance their perspective on events or a series of events across some stretch of time in which they were participants. As you will discover, the BDC contains a broad range of memoirs to share with you. Here are about 25 titles to get you started exploring the lives of others with Beaufort District connections : 

Against the Tide : One Woman's Political Struggle by Harriet Hirschfeld Keyserling (2004, 1998) details her family life with Dr. Herbert Keyserling and their four children. The book explains her transition from a liberal-minded Jewish housewife to an eight term South Carolina legislator beginning at age 54. Her particular interests were funding for the arts and environmental issues.

Average Expectations: Lessons in Lowering the Bar by Shep Rose (2021) was a somewhat reluctant purchase because I am not a fan of "reality TV". However the collection development policy says that I should buy items penned by Beaufort County residents who spent their "growing up years" within the County. Thus, Shep Rose qualifies with "this witty and engaging collection of essays from the charismatic star of Southern Charm [who] offers rip-roaring stories and tongue-in-cheek advice on everything from relationships to travel to 'woke' culture and beyond." Plus I sincerely think that a few years from now, the BDC might be one of the few libraries still holding this title. The copy in the local history section at Hilton Head Branch has circulated more than 20 times. The BDC also has a vertical file of clippings about Rose in the Research Room. 

Before the Bridge : A Memoir of Hilton Head Island by Kay Sconyers Moore (2015) was a white teenage on the island in the early 1950s who was a resident before and after Charles Fraser's vision led to the creation of the island as we know it today. 

A Black Woman’s Civil War Memoirs: Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33rd U.S. Colored Troops, Late 1st South Carolina Volunteers by Susie King Taylor (1988) served as an educator and a nurse for the 33rd United States Colored Troops. She was born enslaved but freed at the age of fourteen. Later in life, Taylor became the first African American woman to write and publish a memoir about her experiences throughout the Civil War. The BDC has printed copies of her memoirs in two forms: Reminiscences of My Life in Camp, 1968 and A Black Woman's Civil War Memoirs, edited by Patricia W. Romero with a new introduction by Willie Lee Rose.

Daufuskie Daze : Living, Learning, and Teaching on a South Carolina Sea Island by Jim Alberto (2019) covers what it was like for him to be Pat Conroy's teaching successor at the Mary Field Elementary School in 1974. 

Daughter of the Dawn : A Child of Hilton Head Island, 1950-1956 by Avary Hack Doubleday (2019) captures what it was like for her to live on then remote Hilton Head Island that had no electric or telephone service, and one paved road as a white child who attended a one room school with an outhouse. Paradise : Memories of Hilton Head in the early days by Nelle and Ora Smith (2018) covers their remembrances as one of the first White families on the island brought by Charles Fraser's vision for Sea Pines Plantation in the 1960s. 

Doctor K by Herbert Keyserling (1999) is the physician's memoir about his family, his life as a Navy doctor during World War II and his life in Beaufort, SC as a country doctor from 1940s.

Downrange at Gardez: Forward Operating Base Lightning by Gerald L. Wynn (2024) shares his experiences as a Sergeant First Class in Afghanistan. A native Beaufortonian, Wynn walks the reader through his deployment from October 2007 to May 2008 and expresses gratitude for the support he received from the home front while he was serving overseas.

Fight like a Girl : The Truth Behind How Female Marines are Trained by Kate Germano (2018) is critical of the Marine Corps. The blurb says "This is the story of [Lt. Col.] Germano's struggle to achieve equality of performance and opportunity for female Marines against an entrenched male-dominated status quo.... [she] charges that the men above her in the chain of command were too invested in perpetuating the subordinate role of women in the Corps to allow her to prove that the female Marine can be equal to her male counterpart." Her last duty station was the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island. Other memoirs about their time spent on Parris Island are: Parris Island Daze : My Drill Instructor was Tougher than Yours by Robert E. Shirley (2006); Ringside at Parris Island : Four Months in the Marine Corps, Served with Spice and Humor by Lee Reynolds (2002); Rows of Corn : A True Account of a Parris Island Recruit by Herb Moore (1983); See Parris and Die : Brutality in the U.S. Marines by H. Paul Jeffers (1971); and This Recruit : A Firsthand Account of Marine Corps Boot Camp, Written While Knee-Deep in the Mayhem of Parris Island by Kieran Michael Lalor (2010).

A Fire-Eater Remembers : The Confederate Memoir of Robert Barnwell Rhett edited by William C. Davis (2000) looks at the secession crisis and the formation of the Confederacy as seen through the eyes of the man some call the Father of Secession. Like Rhett himself, the writings are opinionated, contentious, arrogant, and unforgiving. They reveal much of Rhett's inside view of the effort to separate from the Union, and they depict his participation in the founding of the Confederacy. 

Growing up on the Combahee River: An American Story by Charlotte Murray Taylor (2023) is a very personal memoir of a Black girl who was raised near the river after her young mother died shortly after giving birth. Murray Taylor grew up in the upper reaches of rural Beaufort County on Hobonny and Sugar Hill plantations. She shares reminiscences of her daily life until she went away to college. One of our bookmobiles and the BDC are the only libraries currently holding copies of this self-published work.

Growing up in Paradise : Beaufort : Reflections from Living on The Point for 94 Years by Therese Sams Colquhoun (2024). "Ting" describes her life in the Lowcountry from river baptisms to peep shows, and parties to World War II. This self-published 44 booklet is a "Uniquely BDC" title.

Gullah Days : Hilton Head Islanders before the Bridge, 1861-1956 by Thomas Barnwell, Emory Campbell, Carolyn Grant and Christena Bledsoe (2020), shares remembrances of native Islanders Barnwell, Campbell, and Grant from the perspective of Blacks before and after large-scale real estate development on the island. 

Lest You Forget by Wesley B. Glover, Jr. recounts his life and times from his perspective as a Black male growing up on St. Helena Island. He shares tales of a warm family, his military service, and finding his calling as a schoolteacher. The BDC and the Allendale-Hampton-Jasper Regional Library have copies to share.

Life on St. Helena Island by Isabella C. Glen (1980) is a short assemblage of Glen’s experiences growing up on St. Helena with all of her good, bad, and supernatural encounters on the island. Only units of the Beaufort County Library have this title within the SCLENDS consortium.

Little Geech by H.H. Von Harten, Jr. (2011) offers his reflections on the local seafood industry. "Bubba," went into business with his brother and father when he returned as a Korean War veteran. He established Von Harten Seafood on Lady's island in 1965 and Capt. Geech's seafood restaurant. This book provides insight into Von Harten's life and adventures shrimping and beyond. 

Love's Sea Island Song by Marquetta Goodwine (2013) begins with memoirs of her roots on Polowana, St. Helena and Dataw Islands, through her early years, her enstoolment as Queen Quet, Chieftess and Head-of-State for the Gullah/Geechee Nation, and her journey of representing her people in the United Nations. Goodwine has authored numerous books on Gullah/Geechee history and has co-authored a novella. She begins her memoir with The BCL and the State Library have copies of her book but only the BDC has a copy of the audio book narrated by the author herself. 

Memoirs of the American Revolution by [Patriot General] William Moultrie was first published in 1802 in two volumes. It contains personal anecdotes, first-hand observations, and an extensive collection of letters between civil and military officers, including some about the battles of Port Royal Island and Purisburgh, the spiking of the guns at Fort Lyttelton, and the occupation of Beaufort by the British. There's a lot about what's going on in other parts of the lowcountry too. In addition to our Research Room copy, you can borrow the title from other members libraries in the SCLENDS consortium. Or you can access a digital copy of the original texts through Archive.org.

Memoirs of the Prodigal Son : The Road to Redemption : Fifteen Years in Prison and Beyond (2008) by John C. Dortch is "An inspirational saga of one man's spiritual odyssey... An epic tale of his Christian upbringing, his fall from grace, his quest for redemption and ultimately his spiritual resurrection. A powerful message of hope and triumph through obedient faith in the word of God." No other SCLENDS library make this title available. 

Memories of "The Bay Street Boy -- In His Own Words" by Joseph W. Lipsitz (2004) shares his life's story and how his family came to own and operate the Lipsitz Department store for more than a century. He even includes a paragraph or two about Lippy, the Mynah bird that his wife, Lucille, had won in a drawing. The booklet was printed in very limited quantities, so I remain grateful that Miss Lucille gave us one for permanent retention here in the Research Room. During the early 20th into mid-1970s there were a number of Jewish owned businesses along Bay Street. 

My Memoirs by Julian S. Levin (2015) was dictated in his final year of life for his family and friends. He begins with the family histories of his Jewish grandparents, what Beaufort was like in the 1920s and 1930s when he was boy, his military service in the US Navy during World War II, and his post-war law practice. The BDC got a copy because his widow, Miss Renee, was kind enough to give us one for permanent retention.  

Never Too Late by Rosalie F. Pazant (1992) shares her life experiences and accomplishments as a Gullah woman in order to inspire others to achieve a desired goal. Pazant was a teacher, education administrator, and president & co-founder of the Gullah Festival, a project that has received national and international attention. 

The Other Mother by Teresa Bruce is an award-winning memoir of her life and relationship with Byrne Miller, dance teacher and arts mentor extraordinaire. It is a story of a transformative friendship between a TV reporter and a former burlesque dancer and pioneer in the dance world who was 40 years her senior.

Pat Conroy : Our Lifelong Friendship by Bernie Schein (2019) is the story of a relationship forged in a high school pick-up basketball and a shared identity as outsiders in a Bible-belt military infused small town. Bernie Schein was born, bred, and Bar Mitzvahed in Beaufort, South Carolina. Pat Conroy was a Marine Corps brat who had moved around a lot with his fighter pilot father. Together they shared a complex friendship.

A Place Called Home by Elizabeth B. Later and "Sonny" Bishop (2013) captures her father's reminiscences of life on Yard Farm (formerly a Fuller Plantation) on St. Helena Island. His firsthand accounts of Hurricane Gracie and Lowcountry life growing up paint a portrait of a quieter, more peaceful time before widescale development in Beaufort County. 

Seventh Son on Sacred Ground by Roger Pinckney (2006) shares memories of his life as a seventh generation Lowcountry native in his inimitable style. 

 

Songs to Sing, Stories to Tell : Growing Up Gullah by Eva Smalls Segar (2004). One volume about what it was like to grow up a Gullah on a small farm in Northern Beaufort County during the 20th century was not enough so she wrote More Songs to Sing ... in 2005. 

Tell Me A Story : My Life with Pat Conroy by Cassandra King Conroy (2019) pays homage of her life with her one of the best and best-selling authors of Southern literature from 1995 until his death in March 2016.

With Open Arms: The Robert Middleton Story by Robert Middleton (2007) recounts Middleton's search for his biological parents, his adoption into a warm and loving family on St. Helena Island, and his belief in God's plan for his life. The Beaufort County Library is the only library to have copies of this local memoir to share with the SCLENDS consortium.   

There are plenty more to explore in the Research Room and through the circulating collections of the SCLENDS consortium. 

Summer 2026 BDC Local History Programs

Though we have concluded "Historically Speaking" season 7 and season 9 of our joint series with the Beaufort History Museum, the BDC does not stop presenting local history programs over the summer months. I will grant you, though, that the BDC does tend to scale back during June, July and August on account of Summer Reading Program and the fact that many local residents go to cooler climes during the dog days of August. This depletes our local history nerd pool of potential program attendees. So we have planned only a few local history programs for summer 2026.  

Just as a reminder: Local History Programs sponsored by the Beaufort District Collection are designed to open dialog about local topics of a historical, genealogical, cultural or environmental nature (50 or more years ago so we "cut off" around 1976) and to publicize the amount, breadth, and depth of our library resources on these topics. Programs are not intended to be the final word on any particular topic, issue, or philosophical discussion relating to the history, culture or environment of our area. We make no claims other than to offer opportunities for you to learn more and/or proffer suggestions about possible materials for your further self-education. It's hard to meet those criteria when your target demographic is away in the mountains, lazing along the river, playing in the ocean or just refusing to leave their air conditioned homes. 

We have only two programs on the calendar before Labor Day 2026. 

Monday, June 22, 2026 - "Brits in the BDC"  with BDC Manager Grace Cordial | 5:30 PM | BDC@ Beaufort Branch Library, 311 Scott Street | No registration required. Seating begins at 5 PM. 

Join me to learn a little colonial history while exploring the British-related resources available for researchers in the Beaufort District Collection. 

Wednesday, July 7, 2026 - "Travel Narratives about the Gullah-Geechee in Beaufort County" with Malik Raymond, PhD | 2:00 PM | BDC@ Beaufort Branch Library, 311 Scott Street | No registration required. Seating begins at 1:30 PM. 

Dr. Raymond will discuss 19th century travelogues related to the local Gullah-Geechee people on his summer hiatus from teaching.

How much of yourself do you bring when you visit a new place? Or when revisiting that place? How informed are the places that you visit shaped by your understandings, or larger ones floating in the world around you?

Dr. Raymond's presentation will feature the experiences of various visitors and commentators who visited Beaufort County and the Gullah-Geechee people of the region over the centuries. These travels will be contextualized with larger social events and movements across the country (and world), as well as having their stories contrasted with stories from Beaufort County community that both bolster and counter the traveler narratives.

Speaker Bio: Malik Raymond is from Statesboro, Georgia and graduated from Georgia Southern University before obtaining his PhD from Purdue University. He now currently teaches in the Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies at Grand Valley State University. He first visited the Beaufort District Collection's archives in the Spring of 2024 and has since made semi-frequent visits for his research, and to say "hi!"

We do hope that you'll be able to attend one or both of our summertime local history programs.

BTW: I wrote a post about "Travel Writings in the Research Room" on 13 April 2026 in case you'd like to explore our offerings before or after Dr. Raymond's presentation. 

BDC Facebook Page Re-cap for May 2026

As is my established practice, events that have taken place are omitted. The entire BDC staff contributed Facebook posts during May: Cassandra focused in on preservation - Preservation Week and National [Historic] Preservation Month; Sydney on postcards; and I did most of the remaining ones. - gmc

May 1 - (12 AM) My historical hero, Benjamin Franklin wrote "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" which means that it is easier and better to stop a problem from happening than to fix it afterward. Though he coined the phrase in 1736 as a reference to fire safety, the phrase has a much larger application. The proverb emphasizes that proactive, small efforts (prevention) prevent much larger, costly, or difficult fixes (cure) later. Here in the BDC we observe MayDay in just such a way: risk assessment, mitigation, analysis, risk assessment, mitigation, analysis is a frequent cycle of activity when it comes to being a good steward of historically important materials.

May 1 - (Noon) May Day, May Day! Save your archives! In honor of May Day and Preservation Week, the BDC wants to make sure that your collections will be safe in a disaster.

Here are some disaster planning and response tips for personal collections:

- Create an emergency preparedness plan and a disaster kit, along with a check-list of “must have” records and treasured heirlooms to bring during an evacuation. Make note of the locations of your records and heirlooms in your emergency plan if they are not kept in one spot. Doing so will make grabbing your collections during an evacuation much easier!

- Make digital copies and back-ups of your most important records and documents. Store those back-ups in safe locations or on the cloud so they are not lost in a disaster.

- After a disaster, follow professional salvage advice from organizations like NEDCC and NPS, and contact a conservator to restore any damaged heirlooms. Wear proper PPE during salvage efforts. Do not prioritize the safety of objects over your own health and safety!

May 1 - (6 PM) Monthly overview

May 2 - It's the last day of Preservation Week, and the BDC has one final tip for you. Since National Postcard Week begins tomorrow, we're taking the time to share some advice on preserving your postcard collections.

- Like photographs, postcards should be stored in archival-safe plastic sleeves, like those made of polypropylene.

- Organize your postcards upright in an archival box that best fits the postcards. Oversized postcards might need to be stored in separate boxes or in a folder near the main collection. Do not fold materials.

- Postcards can be arranged in any order that makes sense to you: by date, name, subject of the postcard's image, etc.

- If the correspondence on the postcard is valuable to you, consider transcribing it! Writing in cursive is growing less common, and as a result the ability to read it is also decreasing in younger generations. Transcribing the messages on postcards now preserves the content for your descendants.

May 4 - (AM) Independence (Mon)Day: The Battle of Coosawhatchie happened 247 years ago. A small Patriot contingent led by Col. William Moultrie and his subordinate Col. John Laurens encountered a British force of about 2400 Redcoats under the command of Gen. Augustine Prevost. Laurens was supposed to fall back with his men. Instead he crossed the river and set up a battle line on poor ground to engage the enemy. His men suffered from well placed long range artillery fire; Laurens was wounded. His subordinate, Capt. Thomas Shubrick, ordered the Patriots to fall back to the Tullifinny River and then back towards Charleston. The Battle of Coosawhatchie was a British victory.

"Battle of Coosawhatchie, May 3, 1779" is SC PRINT 138 in our holdings.

2 Asides: 1 ) That's Major William Hazzard Wigg riding upon his horse "Independence" to Col. Laurens' rescue. 2) The victor British General Augustine Prevost was called "Old Bullet Head" on account of a disfiguring wound to his face acquired during the Seven Years' War.

61 days until Independence Day 2026 - and the official 250th anniversary of our republic!

May 4 - (PM) National Postcard Week: Today we have a postcard from our Artificial Beaufort County Postcard Collection, 1900-present. Titled “Ruins of Old Sheldon Church between Beaufort and Walterboro, S.C.,” this postcard depicts the ruins draped by a plethora of oaks and Spanish moss. The church was estimated to have been built between 1751 and 1757 but was partially burned by local Loyalists during the American Revolution. General Augustine Prevost ordered a raid in 1779 which initiated the action.

You may be wondering, what exactly is an “artificial” collection? Great question! Artificial collections are collections created by archivists out of materials given by different donors that share a similar subject matter or format. A standard archival collection is donated by a single person and consists of a distinct grouping of items that archivists do not add to or adjust. In regard to this specific collection, these postcards were all donated by library staff, anonymous donors, and purchased specifically for the collection.

If you would like to learn more about Sheldon Church or would like to see one of our many different postcards of the ruins, schedule an appointment today: bdc@bcgov.net or (843) 255-6468.

May 5 - (AM) National Postcard Week: Today we have a postcard from the Lucille Hasell Culp Postcard Collection, 1940 – 1981. Titled “Beaufort Waterfront, Beaufort, S.C.,” you can see a shrimp boat floating in the water with a man standing toward the back. A note is even scribbled on the bottom that states “a shrimp boat coming in.” The Beaufort District Collection holds quite a bit of Beaufort’s long and storied history of shrimping. Our vertical file collection contains multiple files of the subject, including shrimping, boating, shipwrecks, shipbuilding, ship captains, ship registers, and so much more.

What are vertical files, you may ask? 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. You never know what you may find!

If you want to learn more about the economic fluctuations of the shrimping industry in Beaufort, the environmental impacts of shrimp farming, or why there has been such a drastic decrease in Lowcountry shrimp boats over the last one hundred years, schedule an appointment today: bdc@bcgov.net or (843) 255-6468.

May 5 - (PM) The BDC staff are enjoying the Revolutionary festivities, too! After our most recent program on Hilton Head, we took a quick pitstop at the Charles Cotesworth Pinckney historical marker to complete that question on our BCHS/BCL/Beaufort County 250 Revealing the Revolution Scavenger Hunt sheets (and we even snapped a selfie!). How many markers have you visited so far? If you haven't started, you can pick up a brochure for the County-wide scavenger hunt or the shorter library edition at your closest BCL branch library. Learn more about everything the Library has planned to celebrate America's 250th in Grace's post on the Library's new Soundings blog.

May 6 - “Black History Note” and National Postcard Week: Today we have a postcard from the Russell J. Arnsberger Postcard Collection, 1900 – 1985 titled “The Mather School.” This postcard is a two-in-one, offering two glimpses into what life was like for young Black girls attending school in early twentieth century Lowcountry South Carolina. The postcard does not have a publication date, but the correspondence on the back is postmarked March 25, 1955.

In the top photo you can see three girls standing outside of a building wearing what is most likely their school uniform: midi dresses and skirts, knee length socks, and cardigans. The cardigans paired with the baren tree next to them indicates that it was most likely winter. The second photo appears to be taken during a class change period. The girls are passing each other while carrying their bags and books; some are chatting while some are determined to be elsewhere. The short sleeve shirts, knee length skirts, and freshly blooming trees could point to springtime, but in the Lowcountry, who knows?!

There are a few postcards of the Mather School scattered throughout our postcard collections. The Beaufort District Collection holds quite a bit of history on the school itself; from titles to yearbooks, vertical files and more. If you are interested in seeing any of these materials for yourself, schedule an appointment today: bdc@bcgov.net or (843) 255-6468.

May 7 - (AM) National Postcard Week: Today we have a postcard from the Robert E. H. Peeples Postcard Collection, 1910 – 1989. Titled “Bay St. Showing new Bank Building, Beaufort, S.C.,” it is exactly as it sounds. You can see the bank and many other notable buildings still standing on Bay Street today. The correspondence on the back of the postcard was dated 1910, placing the production date either in the early twentieth or late nineteenth century. Bay Street is rich in history, and this single postcard offers a solid, but restrained, view of it.

The Beaufort District Collection contains books, files, maps, prints, videos, and more that offer detailed descriptions of downtown’s storied past. If you are looking to learn more about Bay Street, perhaps you may want to view VF MAIN STREET BEAUFORT, one of our residential files located on Bay Street, or one of our surname files of a family that lived and/or conducted business downtown.

If you would like to learn more about Bay Street’s history or view more of our Bay Street postcards, schedule an appointment today: bdc@bcgov.net or (843) 255-6468.

May 7 - (PM) Curious about what's new (or new-to-us) in the Research Room?

May 8 - (AM) "Finding Aid Friday" - April showers are said to bring May flowers - which brings to mind yet another garden club. The Sea Island Garden Club is the second oldest garden club in Beaufort County. We take care of some of their records in the Research Room. Read the Finding Aid.

May 8 - (PM) National Postcard Week: Today we have another postcard from the Artificial Beaufort County Postcard Collection, 1900-present. Titled “National Cemetery, Beaufort, S.C.,” the postcard depicts the entrance of the cemetery, including what is now the main office. Fun fact: The oldest postcard in the BDC is a "Privately Printed Card" from the Russell J. Arnsberger Postcard Collection of the Beaufort National Cemetery made between 1898 and 1901. This particular postcard is available to view online through the Lowcountry Digital Library.

The Beaufort National Cemetery is located in Beaufort, South Carolina at 1601 Boundary Street and is open daily for self-guided tours. The cemetery was founded in 1863 to provide eternal resting places for those who died while serving the United States. It was officially placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

The Beaufort District Collection holds various maps and vertical files on the Beaufort National Cemetery, Civil War Burial Records from the cemetery, and multiple arachnological and inventory surveys completed on the land. If you are interested in viewing any of these materials, schedule an appointment today: bdc@bcgov.net or (843) 255-6468.

May 9 - National Postcard Week: From the Beverly Bowers Jennings Postcard Collection, 1900 – 2018 we have a postcard titled “Bridge to Hilton Head, South Carolina.” The bridge was built in 1956 and became the Island’s first permanent connection to the mainland. Named for the notable South Carolinian politician, the bridge was formally dedicated to James F. Byrnes on May 19, 1956. The Beaufort District Collection is home to the Beaufort Scrapbook, 1944 – 1959 which holds images from the bridge’s dedication ceremony pamphlet. The BDC contains a variety of materials on all of the many bridges in Beaufort District, including books, inventories, maps, prints, studies, vertical files, and more. If you are interested in learning more, schedule an appointment today: bdc@bcgov.net or (843) 255-6468.

May 11 - Independence (Mon)Day: 246 years ago tomorrow Major General Sir Henry Clinton, Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot and Major General Charles Lord Cornwallis of the British forces successfully seized Charleston, forcing Patriot General Benjamin Lincoln to surrender the town and his entire army to the Redcoats on May 12, 1780.

Among the captured and imprisoned in Charles Towne was Beaufort District's own Thomas Heyward, Jr.

And Then There Were Thirteen: Second Charleston 1780 (AKA The Siege and Capture of Charleston, South Carolina) is narrated by historian Henry Lumpkin. It's considered one of SCETV's classics. You can watch it online OR you can watch the video on the DVD player in our Research Room. Tip: If you want to come view it in the Research Room, it's best to let us know you're coming so we can have the equipment set up and ready for you upon your arrival: 843-255-6468; bdc@bcgov.net.

54 days to the 250th anniversary of our republic - which means you have only 52 days to complete our "Revealing the Revolution" challenge, co-sponsored by the Beaufort County Historical Society and the Beaufort County 250th committee. Pick up the game sheets at any Library branch or bookmobile.

May 12 - (AM) 164 years ago tonight, Robert Smalls was ready to take the biggest risk of his life - stealing away "The Planter" and sailing into the Union blockade in Charleston harbor. Learn more about this "War Hero, Public Servant, and Man of Mark" on the BDC's [other] blog.

May 12 - (PM) This Place Matters, particularly in National Historic Preservation Month.

A new historic preservation database has begun: Mapping Our Shared History funded by the Mellon Foundation. As the website notes, "For decades, the story of America’s historic places has been told in bits and pieces. Information about them sits scattered across agency hard drives, historic commission meeting minutes, and decades-old surveys. While thousands of properties have been formally designated as historic, we lack a nationwide understanding of what they are, where they are located, and what rules protect them."

Nevada and Connecticut are completed; South Carolina is yet to come.

May 13 - "Black History Note in National Preservation Month:" This year's theme is "All People are Created Equal" so it is fitting for us to draw your attention to materials about freedman Cyrus Garvin's house built on the property of his former enslaver Joseph Baynard ca. 1870. The Garvin family owned the structure until 1961.

The property was in dire physical condition when the Beaufort County Land Trust acquired the house and property in 2001. Beaufort County and the Town of Bluffton partnered to maintain and restore the Garvin House in 2004 as part of the Oyster Factory Park. Restoration of the historic house was completed in 2017.

We have a vertical file on the property and a copy of The Garvin House : a preservation & interpretation plan for an 1870 freedman's home : July 15, 2009 : and Appendix, August 15, 2009 by Laura Budak (2009) in our Research Room. You can also read Charlotte Adams' thesis, Beyond Preservation : Reconstructing Sites Of Slavery, Reconstruction, And Segregation (2018) that discusses the Garvin House online.

May 15 - "Finding Aid Friday": People like to see pictures. In Archives Land, the Finding Aid is meant to precede the digitization - but sometimes the cart comes before the horse.

6 of our 9 digital collections hosted on the Lowcountry Digital Library website are image collections. One of Cassi's performance goals for this fiscal year was to write and post Finding Aids to all of the collections we've partnered with the Lowcountry Digital Library to host so far over the years. Cassi finished writing the Finding Aid to the "Civil War and Reconstruction Era Stereoscope Photographs of the Port Royal Region Collection." Only one more to go before we can check this off my pre-retirement list of projects to oversee.

May 16 - Looking for something fun to do this weekend? Why not try the Revealing the Revolution Scavenger Hunt by BCHS, BCL, and Beaufort County 250? Michaela K. was one of the first to complete the library edition of the Scavenger Hunt. She had a great time searching the Beaufort Branch for each marker.

Pick up a brochure for the County-wide scavenger hunt or the shorter Library edition at your closest BCL branch library. Learn more about everything the Library has planned to celebrate America's 250th in Grace's Soundings blog post.

May 18 - "Independence (Mon)Day:" Last week I highlighted the capture of Charleston by the British. What happened to the revolutionaries after Charleston fell on May 12, 1780? Patriots in Exile: Charleston Rebels in St. Augustine during the American Revolution by James Waring McCrady and C.L. Bragg (2020) explores that tale.

Their book began began as a family history project but soon became a "chronicle ... of sixty-three-patriots-in-exile", including Beaufort's owner signer of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Heyward, Jr., and Charleston and Beaufort merchant Daniel DeSaussure who was part of the Beaufort Council of Safety in 1775; a member of the South Carolina Provincial Congress, 1776-1776, South Carolina House of Representatives, 1776 – 1780 and a captain in the Beaufort militia.

We're another week closer to the big day - Independence Day 2026! Have you finished the BDC/Beaufort County Historical Society/Beaufort County 250th Committee "Revealing the Revolution" challenge yet?

This book highlights the British perspective on the matter. Loyalist attorney, Royal official, and Charleston resident who became Gen. Henry Clinton’s personal secretary in 1780, James Simpson was the architect of a crackdown on paroled rebels after the fall of Charleston on May 12, 1780. Simpson worked hand-in-hand with Lt. Col. Nisbet Balfour to punish “that set of villains” with the concurrence of Gen. Lord Cornwallis. Heyward was arrested in the first round-up of revolutionaries on August 27, 1780. DeSaussure’s arrest came later on November 15, 1780. Both men would be transported to St. Augustine.

Following news of the first round-up, Gen. George Washington was instructed to inquire about the justification of the transfer of paroled citizens to St. Augustine on October 6, 1780. British Gen. Cornwallis wrote back: “In regard to [Washington’s] complaint … I have only to say that the insolence of their behavior, the threats with which they in the most daring manner endeavoured to intimidate our friends, the infamous falsehoods which they propagated through the town and country, and the correspondence which they constantly kept up with the enemy, rendered it indispensably necessary that they should either be closely confined or be sent out of the province. The milder measure was adopted, and they were sent, with every convenience which their situation would admit of, to a better climate than South Carolina.” (p. 63).

I particularly like Appendix A in which the authors provide short biographical sketches of the exiles.

Only 47 days left to July 4th; only 45 days left for you to finish the BDC/ BCHS/ BC250th "Revealing the Revolution" Challenge. Pick up your game sheet, correctly answer the questions, and return to be entered to receive an appropriate prize!

May 20 - “Black History Note in National Preservation Month:” On Wednesdays this month, the BDC is highlighting some of the historical sites in Beaufort County that tell a story about Beaufort’s heritage and show us that “All People are Created Equal.” Today, we’d like to share the story of the Cotton Dike Cemetery on Dataw Island with you all.

When the Cotton Dike Cemetery was established, possibly as early as 1785, it was part of the Sams Plantation. It was the “slave” cemetery, used to inter the bodies of enslaved men and women who worked in the nearby cotton and indigo fields. For nearly 200 years, enslaved people and their descendants were buried in graves along the marshy shore, often without a headstone (or perhaps with markers that have degraded or washed away) and without a written record.

Despite this lack of records, family members knew where their loved ones had been buried, so the area remained a sacred site. However, the extent of the graveyard was not understood. In 2006, the Dataw Historic Foundation hired a firm to use ground-penetrating radar to survey the cemetery grounds to record and count the grave sites. At least 38 sites were found and, through the help of local families, 24 of the interred were identified. A rededication ceremony was held at Cotton Dike Cemetery in December of 2007 to honor the departed by their families. DHF also installed a marker which shares the history of the cemetery with visitors and names the known individuals buried there.

You can learn more about Cotton Dike Cemetery, and other historic cemeteries on St. Helena Island, in the St. Helena Island Cemetery Inventory Records archival collection housed in the BDC.

May 21 - The Juan Pardo Expeditions by Charles Hudson, (1990) revised edition with new index with documents relating to the Pardo Expeditions, transcribed, translated and annotated by Paul E. Hoffman and afterword by David G. Moore, Robin A. Beck, Jr. and Christopher B. Rodning (2005) covers Pardo's two journeys with a contingent of 120-125 Spanish soldiers that commenced from Santa Elena. The first expedition ran from December 1, 1566 to March 7, 1567; the second from September 1, 1567 to March 2, 1568.

This volume mines the Pardo documents to reveal a wealth of information pertaining to Pardo's routes, his encounters and interactions with native peoples, the social, hierarchical, and political structures of the Indians, and clues to the ethnic identities of Indians known previously only through archaeology. The new afterword reveals recent archaeological evidence of Pardo's Fort San Juan -- the earliest site of sustained interaction between Europeans and Indians - -demonstrating the accuracy of Hudson's route reconstructions.

May 22 - "Finding Aid Friday:" The Gullah Festival going on this weekend was established in 1987 to honor and recreate the atmosphere of a celebration called Decoration Day. It is held over the Memorial Day weekend. Rosalie Pazant, her family, and Deloris Nevils helped found the event. The BDC has a vertical file of clippings about the festival and the Pazant Family, and a small archival collection, the Deloris Nevils Papers, that include information about the festival.

May 23 - Survey says ... You want more reading suggestions (or at least the folks who participated in the Library system's strategic plan said so).

Because NPS Ranger Eric Ellis gave us an excellent talk on a complicated series of events in the 1870s and the BDC has a lot of resources on the topic, I put together a Connections post, "Reading Suggestions about Party Politics during the Reconstruction Era" for some recommended titles about the tumultuous political shenanigans of the post-Civil War era for all you BDC history nerds to explore.

May 26 -  It's Hurricane Preparedness Month. Nothing reinforces the need to prepare for the next major storm quite like a new digital exhibit about the recovery efforts after the Great Sea Island Hurricane.

"Mapping Recovery: The 1893 Hurricane and Black Sea Island Communities" curated by Caroline Grego is a Lowcountry Digital History Initiative. Some of the BDC's resources are featured in the online exhibit. See "Credits" and "Further Reading" sections for additional details.

Our digital partnership with the LCDL just keeps on giving. Deciding to partner with LCDL was the 2nd best decision of my library career.

May 27 - “Black History Note in National Preservation Month:” For the last few weeks, we’ve been sharing some of Beaufort’s historical sites which show us that “All People are Created Equal.” We’re wrapping up the month with a recent preservation success story: Tabernacle Baptist Church!

Many of you know the Tabernacle Baptist Church, which sits proudly along Craven Street in Downtown Beaufort. The church is believed to have been constructed in 1811 during a brief schism that occurred in the congregation in the nearby Beaufort Baptist Church. When the schism ended, the congregation used the Tabernacle building as a lecture hall up until the Civil War. Then, during the War and as a result of the “Great Skedaddle,” Black Beaufortonians began using the Tabernacle for their own Baptist services. The Tabernacle Baptist Church was officially organized in 1863, and the building was purchased by the congregation in 1867.

Over the years, the Tabernacle Baptist Church became a fixture in the community, offering weekly services while also serving an additional purpose as a community meeting space. However, the centuries began to wear on this beloved structure. The steeple, added to the building in 1873, was especially in need of repair.

In 2021, the Tabernacle Baptist Church was awarded a National Fund for Sacred Places grant by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The funds were to be used to restore the church’s steeple. Work began last year, in May of 2025, and was finished in December.

You can learn more about Tabernacle Baptist Church, and other historic churches in Beaufort District, at the BDC.

May 29 - "Finding Aid Friday in National [Historic] Preservation Month:" Architect and architectural photographer Charles Bayless captured exteriors and interiors of historic buildings in Beaufort County as part of the Historic American Buildings Survey in the late 1970s. Contact us to see the 466 black and white photographic prints; 2 letters; and one 16 page detailed typed index in the Finding Aid to the archival collection.

May 30 - I can't let National [Historic] Preservation Month go past without a mention of the history of Auldbrass Plantation, one of Frank Lloyd Wright's two houses in South Carolina. There's a recently updated Connections post about Auldbrass in case you'd like to learn more about this historic structure - the only FLW designed plantation complex.

National Trails Day : Reading Suggestions from the BDC

June 6 is National Trails Day, a day to celebrate being in the great outdoors enjoying nature.  

Okay, I will admit it. I am a very "inside" type of person (which may be a critical point in why I became a librarian). While I like to see sunshine on the regular, I am content to see said sunshine through a window or just sitting on my porch. I do not particularly like to be in the sunshine out and amongst nature. I appreciate clean air and clean water that would not be possible without all the filtering that nature provides. I find areas I have visited elsewhere quite lacking in trees which makes me long for my very wooded lot along a little tidal creek. But one is unlikely to find me meandering down a trail without ulterior motives - those ulterior motives usually being one or more of my grandchildren are visiting. Given that they have a lot more energy than a 60-something Gigi, it's more a matter of self-preservation than my personal enjoyment that we sometimes take to one or more of the local trails. 

The BDC has maps about trails; vertical files about trails; posters about trails; a few government documents about trails; and books about trails. Here are a few that you might of interest as you're planning your next little outing: 

The most visible of the local nature trails in the Spanish Moss Trail. The story of the Spanish Moss Trail begins with the historic Magnolia Line Railroad established in 1870. Railroad operations ceased in 2003. In 2008 Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority acquired the right-of-way to use as a utility corridor. In January 2011, BJSWA granted a surface easement to Beaufort County to develop 14 miles of the corridor as a recreational trail called the Spanish Moss Trail. Rumor had it that "Moss" was for head of the BJSWA at the time Dean Moss, but Spanish Moss does indeed hang from trees all along the route. 

We have a vertical file dedicated to the Friends of the Spanish Moss Trail group as it is the most visible entity that raises funds for and awareness of the trail to ensure a sustainable, well-appointed and safe outdoor recreational experience for walkers and bicyclists. The trail recently added several more miles of pathways. 

The Town of Port Royal has a well-used nature trail too. We have posters related to the Port Royal Rookery and Cypress Wetland Trail fund-raising efforts, branded "These Chicks are Ready to Party!."  My grandchildren like to see the alligators basking in the sun and the birds nesting along this 1/2 mile trail. The Friends recommend that peak times for alligator viewing is midday. For birds, it's best to be present within an hour of sunrise or sunset - which alas, also happens to be mosquito feeding times. (Bug spray recommended).  

The Town of Hilton Head was the first governmental entity to establish walking and bicycling trails. We have a separate vertical file entitled Parks and Pathways -- Hilton Head Island on that topic. 

Trails have been part of Beaufort County planning at least from the late 1990s. You can read the Beaufort County Comprehensive Plans for 1997 and 2010 in our Research Room. 

Given that we have so much water, it is not at all surprising that there are water-based trails in Beaufort County too. Paddling South Carolina : A Guide to Palmetto State River Trails (2001) would be a good place to start. For an earlier plan, read South Carolina River Trails : A Part of the South Carolina Overall Recreation Plan (SCORP) 1980 issued by the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism's division of Planning in 1978. Other materials that you might find helpful are The Gullah Connection Trail : A Proposal for the US National Park Service (DATE) and Palmetto Journal : Walks in the Natural Areas of South Carolina by Phillip Manning (DATE). 

Then there are the themed trails, mostly to attract tourists. We tend to create vertical files for these initiatives. For example, we have vertical files for the The Shell Art Trail; The Watermen's Wave Lowcountry Boot Trail; and the Lowcountry Revolutionary War Trail. (Psst: There's more about the Shell Art Trail and the Watermen's Boot Trail in Cassandra's post about public art projects in July 2025.) 

If one is more historically minded, then perhaps you would like to learn about ancient trails, i.e., pathways of the Native Americans in this area. The key source for that topic remains Discovering South Carolina : A Story about Indians, Their Ancient Remains and Trails by Bert W. Bierer (1969). At our recent "Historically Speaking" lecture with Dr. David Moore, he explained Juan Pardo's itinerary in terms of following ancient pathways that the Native Americans had forged through the forests as the basis for a proposed Spanish road to Mexico. 

And as a reminder: The BDC, Beaufort County Historical Society and the Beaufort County 250 Committee has a historical marker trail of sorts relating to the course of the American Revolution for you to follow during our "Revealing the Revolution" Historic Marker Challenge. Don't delay, participate today because game sheets must be returned on or before July 2, 2026. As our partners say "It's fun! It's free!! It's history!!!" 

We have maps for some trails. An example is the recently published Hilton Head Island Culture Trail Map (2024). 

Contact us to learn more about these and other materials inside the BDC's Research Room: bdc@bcgov.net; 843-255-6468.

I hope that you will take to the great outdoors to explore some of the trails we have in Beaufort County soon.