What We Posted on Facebook during April 2026

The latest installment of our running series of re-capping the posts made to the BDC's Facebook page during the previous month. As per usual, we omit most references to past programs or events. I have decided to return to grouping posts by major theme. As you may notice, some posts refer to more than one theme. - gmc

April 1 - Monthly Overview

This Week in the BDC posts:

April 26 - "This Week in the BDC" we celebrate Preservation Week, though we have no "specials" planned to accompany our commemoration other than a few posts here on Facebook re: preservation tips and disaster preparedness. Cassandra prepared the display case on the topic. You can read the virtual exhibit narrative on Connections.

Independence (Mon)Day posts: 

April 6 - Independence (Mon)Day : If you want to understand why the War for Independence was won in the South, you really should read Walter Edgar's Partisans & Redcoats: The Southern Conflict that Turned the Tide of the American Revolution.

According to Amazon: "In 1779, Britain strategised a war to finally subdue the rebellious American colonies with a minimum of additional time, effort, and blood. Setting sail from New York harbour with 8,500 ground troops, a powerful British fleet swung south towards South Carolina. One year later, Charleston fell. And as King George′s forces pushed inland and upward, it appeared the six-year-old colonial rebellion was doomed to defeat. In a stunning work on forgotten history, acclaimed historian Walter Edgar takes the American Revolution far beyond Lexington and Concord to re-create the pivotal months in a nation′s savage struggle for freedom. It is a story of military brilliance and devastating human blunders - and the courage of an impossibly outnumbered force of demoralised patriots who suffered terribly at the hands of a merciless enemy, yet slowly gained confidence through a series of small triumphs that convinced them their war could be won. Alive with incident and colour." [Can you tell that the reviewer was British?]

The BCL and SLCENDS consortium have many copies of this important title to share. (It's also pretty short as histories go, only 197 pages, title page to chronology to glossary to biographical information to notes to index. It has illustrations and maps, too.)

April 13 - Independence (Mon)Day : The Loyalists were not the only partisans to find their estates confiscated at some point during the American Revolution. British General Lord Cornwallis made it clear that real and personal property (including enslaved persons) of Patriots were to be used for the benefit of the Crown. John Cruden, a Charleston merchant, was appointed Commissioner to execute the orders - which ended up causing him extreme distress. Our copy is fragile and may have contain heavy metals so we suggest that you look at the digital version on the Hathitrust website instead.

April 20 - Independence (Mon)Day : Following the Revolutionary War, South Carolina punished Loyalists through a combination of property confiscation, forced fines (amercement), and banishment, aiming to neutralize them politically and economically. The 1782 Jacksonborough Assembly identified hundreds for punishment, though many later received pardons. Punishments included confiscation of estates, and for some, forced exile. Kathy Roe Coker, one of my former supervisors while I was interning at the SC Dept. of Archives and History when I was in Library school in the early 1980s, wrote her dissertation on The Punishment of Revolutionary War Loyalists in South Carolina. We have it on microfiche in the Research Room.

April 27 - Independence (Mon)Day : Colonel William Harden: South Carolina's Unheralded Partisan Commander by Dik Daso, 2025. Though Harden's efforts are often overlooked when recounting the Revolution, he led partisan operations through the marshes and swamps of the Lowcountry against Loyalist forces. We'll be happy to have this book waiting for you in the public area of the Research Room: 843-255-6468; bdc@bcgov.net.

68 days left until July 4, 2026 and the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Revealing the Revolution Challenge posts:

April 14 - Revealing the Revolution : Beaufort District's most infamous Loyalist, Andrew DeVeaux gathered 220 men at his own expense to go adventuring after he had lost his area properties. His stated goal was to restore the inhabitants of the Bahamas "to the blessings of a free government." DeVeaux's band arrived at Providence on 14 April 1783. Within four days they had captured two forts with nearly 100 cannon, driven off 7 Spanish naval vessels and defeated 600 regular Spanish troops. His real purpose was to improve his own lot in life after the American Revolution.

Don't forget to pick up a "Library Quiz" or the tri-fold game sheet for our Revealing the Revolution project. Complete to win prizes! The challenge ends July 2.

National Library Week posts:

April 19 - "This Week in the BDC": It's National Library Week! We have two programs scheduled relating to "Finding Your Joy: The BDC Online" on Wednesday afternoon at 5:30 in the BDC and we continue Cassi's series of Archives Adventures - this time at the Hilton Head Branch Library highlighting BDC collections relating to Hilton Head Island on Thursday morning at 11.

Please note: The Library staff will be in training on Tuesday, April 21 so all our locations will be closed. Regular hours resume on Wednesday, April 22.

In honor of National Library Week, I'd like to share a "Library Poem" by Julia Donaldson with you:

Library Poem

Everyone is welcome to walk through the door.

It really doesn't matter if you're rich or poor.

There are books in boxes and books on shelves.

They're free for you to borrow, so help yourselves.

Come and meet your heroes, old and new,

From William the Conqueror to Winnie the Pooh.

You can look into the Mirror or read The Times,

Or bring along a toddler to chant some rhymes.

The librarian's a friend who loves to lend,

So see if there's a book that she can recommend.

Read that book, and if you're bitten

You can borrow all the other ones the author's written.

Are you into battles or biography?

Are you keen on gerbils or geography?

Gardening or ghosts? Sharks or science fiction?

There's something here for everyone, whatever your addiction.

There are students revising, deep in concentration,

And school kids doing projects, finding inspiration.

Over in the corner there's a table with seating.

So come along and join in the Book Club meeting.

Yes, come to the library! Browse and borrow,

And help make sure it'll still be here tomorrow.

April 25 - End your observance of National Library Week 2026 by visiting the local history sections in the Branch Libraries. You just might find some historical joy! waiting there for you. Addresses and times of operation are online.

Finding Aids Friday posts:

April 10 - [Finding Aid Friday:] Flowers are in bloom everywhere - which puts me in mind of garden clubs - which puts me in mind to share that we are the caretakers of the records of a number of local garden clubs. The oldest is the Beaufort Garden Club founded in 1934.

April 17 - Finding Aid Friday: The Camellia Garden Club was established in 1939 in Beaufort, South Carolina. The collection includes yearbooks, scrapbooks, photographs, and other materials which document the club’s history and activities.

April 24 - Finding Aid Friday: The Mossy Oaks Garden Club, founded in1959, aims to encourage community pride through beautification efforts of private and public property. The small collection contains photographs, pamphlets, organizational records, and materials from a dismantled scrapbook.

National Poetry Month posts (Grace on "Black History Note" Wednesdays; all the rest were by Sydney):

April 1 - "Black History Note”: We begin National Poetry Month with “Moss Love” by Beaufort native Amy Jenkins Bassett from her book "Mulberry Wine." The illustration is from our Lucille Hasell Culp Digital Collection, item 1524.

There are many trees

Over which the moss does spread

But there is only one

To whom the moss is wed.

It is the live oak

That the moss does cloak

With its creeping love.

The moss is the boss

Of the oak tree's life

The moss is the husband

The tree his wife

Together they live in harmony

Together they conquer strife.

Theirs is a union

Made for life.

April 7 - National Poetry Month: From Beloved Low Country by Marie E. Reddy (1973) we have “Island Home.” Beloved Low Country is a collection of poems about the beauty of the Lowcountry’s landscape with hand drawn illustrations from Lois Gilbert and Sarah Compton.

Island Home

The place on the creek we call home.

On its five wooded acres -

There’s jungle of southern undergrowth

Where oaks, pines and sweetgum grow.

Here jessamine abundantly covers

Fences, bushes and undergrowth rank,

And climbs to meet the festoons of moss

That drape in grandeur the ancient trees.

We love the tang of the brown-green marsh

That stretches from creek to river beyond,

Forever we’ll hear the lap of water

Against bateau and palmetto logs.

We see jumping fish and porpoise schools

Pass in the river out yonder.

Not even the zoom of the passing planes

Disturb the tranquility of our island home.

- Marie E. Reddy, Beloved Low Country (1973).

April 8 - "Black History Note in National Poetry Month:" Wilhelmina Mitchell poetry anthology "Along the Way" includes a poem "We are Family."

Measure not the nearest of kin.

For are we not of the common root?

From the lowest branch

To the tender leaf toward the sky?

From the root we are nourished

Of the communal sap --

We are family!

We are seeds of our tenacious tree.

Tho' we are akin to life's forest,

We draw from the same wind and rain --

The solar life.

We are family!

April 14 - National Poetry Month: From Realities and Imaginations... a Poem by Robert Woodward Barnwell, Sr. (1938) we have “To Beaufort—A Plea.” In this titles preface, Robert Woodward Barnwell, Sr. explains that all 265 pages constitute one poem, consisting of one prelude, six cantos, and one finale. Some pieces do have their own distinct titles; Barnwell, Sr. says to think of these titled poems as “beads strung onto a wire of untitled connectives.” This is such an interesting collection of poetry that holds almost an entire section dedicated to Beaufort District.

To Beaufort—A Plea

O, ebbing tide! O, flight of time!

O, little town, my strength is spent!

My silver hair shows wintry rime!

To you I come with spirit rent.

The flood! The flood! My youth and flood!

O, little town, flood tide and thee!

A new strength races in my blood,

And joy unlooked for comes to me.

Old town, you know both flood and fall;

And winds from sea that rise and fail;

There are no tides that you appal:

No gales could ever make you quail.

Then teach me no swift ebb to fear!

Teach me to trust the years of time!

Show me again how stars appear,

To make the dark of night sublime!

- Robert Woodward Barnwell, Sr., Realities and Imaginations... a Poem (1938).

April 15 - "Black History Note in National Poetry Month:" Walter Dennis wrote many poetry anthologies. His poem "Ode to the Drifter" is in his little booklet Ask Me, I Might, (1985):

Distant are the shores of the soul

Distant are the dreams of the wanderer

Simple music plays among the mind ...

Harmonizing with the soul.

Drifting upon the airstreams of life

Drifting, whispering with the wind

And the by-ways of the night ...

The pollen of youth goes forth

... a new life, visions of love,

Are the secrets of the drifter ...

Drifting upon the airstreams of life

... Free!

April 16 - National Poetry Month: From The Palmetto Poet: Samuel Henry Rodgers by Walter Ioor Rodgers, Sr. (1985) we have “-The Better Land- Port Royal-.” This title is a collection of Samuel Henry Rodgers' life's work. Known locally as the Palmetto Poet, Rodgers was always writing and reading poetry and prose. From his personal diaries and papers to his published works in newspapers and personal words of wisdom, The Palmetto Poet: Samuel Henry Rodgers (1985) is a gateway into the mind of a Victorian Era poet in the South Carolina Lowcountry.

-The Better Land- Port Royal-

I hear thee speak of a better land,

Thou call’est its chances supremely grand,

Happy! Oh, where’s this saintly spot?

Can it be Charleston? Or it not?

Not there? Not there! My child!

Is it a harbor with scarce a bar?

Alive with vessels from near and far,

Crowned with prosperity--clothed in gold-

That is Savannah, so I’ve been told-

Not there! Not there! My child!

The promised land is no dream, my boy,

No vague, delirious glimpse of joy,

No, fears dispelled and regained,

With triumph rules, where chaos reigned

It is there! It is there! My child!

Secure at the ocean gates, she mocks,

While commerce of worlds bestrew her docks,

No other port sees ships so fine,

As those of the famous PORT ROYAL LINE-

It is there! It is there! My child!

- Samuel Henry Rodgers

April 23 - National Poetry Month: From A Patchwork of Poems About South Carolina by Edith Bannister Dowling (1970) we have “For a Live-Oak Planting in Beaufort, S.C. Arbor Day (1965).”

Tomorrow, April 24th, is Arbor Day. What better way is there to celebrate during poetry month than to share an Arbor Day poem from our collection?!

Edith Bannister Dowling created a collection — or patchwork, if you will — of poems about South Carolina, with many drawing inspirations from our very own beautiful Beaufort. In this specific poem, Dowling describes the delicate details of the town's graceful greenery on this delightful day of growth.

For a Live-Oak Planting in Beaufort, S.C. Arbor Day (1965)

‘A green thought in a green shade,’

A long-ago poet wrote down,

And Marvell’s ‘green thought’ again is made

A fact, in this southern town:

Today we are adding one more green tree

To our bounty - - an evergreen,

With shadowing grace, over land and sea,

And a haven for birds who preen

In its moss-boughs, gray in sun, green in rain:

By the Inland Waterway

It shall grow in glory, with might and main

This tree, from this Arbor Day.

- Edith Bannister Dowling, A Patchwork of Poems About South Carolina (1970).

April 29 - "Black History Note in National Poetry Month:" Bessie M. Greene wrote of "The Rain" in her book of poems and stories, Heart to Heart (2014).

The Rain

It rained last night

Sounded like buckets of water lashing down

Was it a washing of all things wrong

Or all things getting clean

The sun is out spreading its light

Everything is beautiful and bright

Nature is wearing her crown

Leaves and grass are green and not brown

It rained last night

Gave the trees their nourishment

Washed all the dust and grime away

The sun is drying everything and leaving a

sparkling shine

The rain washed the wrong away

Gave the earth a new birth

Flowers are blooming and smelling sweet

All because it rained last night

Upcoming Programs (that are still upcoming in May) posts:

April 16 - Please pencil Eric Ellis' talk about "A Party Divided: Political Divisions of the Beaufort Republican Party During Reconstruction" in to your calendars for Thursday, May 14 at 11 AM. The Beaufort County Historical Society and the BDC hope to see you at Beaufort Branch, 311 Scott Street that morning.

April 21 - Pencil this into your calendars: Dr. Randy James (AKA "Dr. Dirt") will share the forgotten history of a colonial industry: the harvesting of cochineal insects on Hunting Island. Bet that has you wondering why anyone would want to grow bugs. Join us on Tuesday, May 19 at the St. Helena Branch Library at 2 PM to find out. BTW: This local history program is co-sponsored by the Beaufort History Museum.

April 28 - One month to "The Pardo Trail and Santa Elena" with archaeologist Dr. David Moore. He will explain how Fort San Juan is linked to Beaufort's Santa Elena, once the capital of Spain's La Florida. Please note: This "Historically Speaking" series session with the Beaufort County Historical Society will be held at the Coastal Discovery Museum, 70 Honey Horn Drive on Hilton Head Island on Thursday, May 28 beginning at 11 AM.

Preservation Week, 2026 (April 26 - May 2) posts (by Cassandra):

April 27 - Happy Preservation Week! To celebrate, the BDC will be offering at-home preservation tips each day this week.

Today’s BDC Preservation Tip: Find a safe place with the right “climate” to safely store your personal collections!

It is best to store materials somewhere with stable temperature and humidity levels and away from potential sources of water or pest damage. Ideally, collections should be kept in an environment that is between 50° and 77° F. If your HVAC system allows for it, keep the relative humidity below 65% to prevent mold from growing on your treasured documents and photographs. We do not recommend storing items in attics, basements, sheds, and garages, nor on the floor. Keep items out of direct sunlight, too.

April 28 - Happy Preservation Week! To celebrate, the BDC will be offering at-home preservation tips each day this week.

Today’s BDC Preservation Tip: Little things can make a difference in preserving your family heirlooms! As they often say, “the devil is in the details,” and in preservation, we often see small, common-place things that cause a world of hurt for family treasures.

- Remove staples and paper clips from documents before storing them, as they will eventually rust and stain the pages.

- Unfold paper items before storage. Folding and unfolding can cause documents and letters to tear along the folds.

- Don’t use tape to make repairs or adhere items to scrapbook pages. The acidic adhesive in tape can eat away at the material, and it is difficult to remove tape from items once it has been stuck on.

April 29 - Happy Preservation Week! To celebrate, the BDC will be offering at-home preservation tips each day this week.

Today’s BDC Preservation Tip: Photographs need special treatment!

- Photos should be stored in P.A.T. approved sleeves and boxes.

- While white cotton gloves aren’t required to hold most items (despite the professional stereotype!), it is best to wear nitrile gloves when handling photographs so oils from your hands don’t transfer to the emulsion.

- Be sure to label your photos on the back with pencil. This ensures that the subject’s names won’t be lost to time.

April 30 - Happy Preservation Week! To celebrate, the BDC will be offering at-home preservation tips each day this week.

Today’s BDC Preservation Tip: Handle your books with care!

- Make sure your hands are clean before holding items from your collection. Wash your hands with soap and water, then dry them thoroughly. Do not use hand sanitizer or lotion before handling your materials, as the chemicals and oils in these are known to cause damage.

- When grabbing books from a shelf, do not pull from the top of the spine as that frequently causes tearing and separating of the spine from the book plates. Instead, pull from the middle of the spine.

- When putting books away, you should either shelve them upright with bookends for support or store them flat in stacks no more than 3 books high.

Just Because ... posts

April 4 - From the Culp Collection: Two of the dresses worn by the models in the Schein's Department Store fashion show of 1960 seem to have crinoline underskirts - which I recall with zero fondness from my 1960s childhood. Geez! how I hated crinoline underskirts.

Discover Your Ancestry : Revolutionary Roots Programs and more at Beaufort County Library

The Beaufort County Library, in cooperation with the BDC, Beaufort County Historical Society, the Beaufort County 250th committee and others, will celebrate the quarter-millennial of American democracy from April 1 through July 2 with a mix of activities you can do (mostly) at your own convenience.

Revolutionary Roots Programs

Among those activities are multiple offerings of "Revolutionary Roots," a hands-on Ancestry Library Edition (ALE) program to learn how to trace your lineage, uncover stories about ancestors who lived during the Revolutionary Era, and see how your own family may connect to America's fight for Independence. No prior genealogy experience is required - just curiosity and a love of history! Library staff will be on hand to help you learn the basics. Perhaps you'll find an ancestor or two whose service might make you eligible for a (Continental) Revolutionary War related heritage society. 

Military records are rich with genealogical information that will grown your family tree. Come learn how to get the most out of the ones related to the American Revolution on ALE.

Did you know that you can access the Library's ALE subscription via the public WIFI inside our buildings? For your own convenience, we encourage you to bring your laptop or smart phone with you the day of the session.

Don't have a laptop computer or a smart phone? Not a problem. You can use Library equipment where available - though it's best to ask what will be available at each location in advance of the session. Equipment often varies among the branch libraries.

The "Revolutionary Roots" program will be offered:

• Monday, May 11 at Port Royal Branch, 11 AM - 12:30 PM
• Thursday, May 28 at Hilton Head Island Branch, 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
• Tuesday, June 9 at Lobeco Branch, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
• Tuesday, June 16 at Beaufort Branch, 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Note: Please see the Library calendar entries for each of the above sessions for specific registration requirements at each location.

Can't make any of these dates and times? Not a problem. The BDC can help.

The BDC's Sydney Whiteside offers one-on-one instructional sessions to will show you how to search for your Revolutionary War era ancestors by appointment. Just contact us at bdc@bcgov.net or 843-255-6468 to make the necessary arrangements for a two-hour research slot.

Attendance at any of the "Revolutionary Roots" sessions at the branches or by appointment in the BDC Research Room will earn you a stamp on the Library's Celebrate America 250 passport shown above that is available at all BCL locations and bookmobiles.

You could just stop there ... but wait! There's even more ways for you to celebrate America's 250th birthday at the Library.

Celebrate America 250 Passport

There are 6 optional activities on the Celebrate America 250 passport, but only 4 are necessary to be eligible for a Beaufort County 250th committee sticker. Choose any 4 activities from this list:

• Color a Square for the Library Paper Quilt
• Attend Play Like It's 1776
• Complete the Historic Marker Scavenger Hunt
• Attend Revolutionary Roots
• Add to the Library Time Capsule (submissions will be permanently archived in the BDC Research Room after project ends)
• Attend Liberty and Legacy

Why not "complete the Historic Marker Scavenger Hunt" before or after you "Attend [a] Revolutionary Roots" session? It's easy. Just pick up a "Revealing the Revolution - Library Quest Scavenger Hunt" bi-fold brochure game sheet available at all Library locations, find the "Revealing the Revolution" placards hidden throughout the branch library, and correctly answer the questions on the game sheet. Show the library staff at the service desks your completed game sheet to get another "star stamp" on your passport ... and you're half done to earning a Beaufort County 250th Committee sticker.

If you stick around a few more minutes to "Color a Square for the Library Paper Quilt" or "Add to the Library Time Capsule" with your hope for the future, you can get your Beaufort County 250th Committee sticker from the Library staff as soon as you're done. One visit, 4 activities, passport stamped and prize all in a day. What a deal!

Revealing the Revolution Challenges

To notch up the rewards: Once Library staff have stamped your passport for your participation in the scavenger hunt, return the Scavenger Hunt game sheet (only the Revealing the Revolution game sheet. You can keep the Celebrate 250 passport as a souvenir) to one of the be-starred boxes at the Library location.

BDC staff will get the completed game sheets to the Beaufort County Historical Society on a periodic basis. The BCHS will be distributing prizes via mail over the course of the project. All prizes for the "Revealing the Revolution" challenges are set to be mailed by the end of July as long while supplies last.

As a reminder: The BCL America 250 project ends on Thursday, July 2nd because the Library system will be closed on Friday, July 3rd and Saturday, July 4th for Independence Day 2026.

What to Expect in May 2026

We have 3 local history programs set up this month to educate and entertain you: 

• About the political party politics of the Reconstruction Era with National Park Service Historian Eric Ellis on Thursday, May 14 at Beaufort Branch at 11 AM. This lecture is part of the joint BDC and Beaufort County Historical Society "Historically Speaking" series.
• About a forgotten colonial industry. Dr. Randy James, AKA "Dr. Dirt," will discuss the economic value and history of the cochineal beetle on Tuesday, May 19 at St. Helena Branch at 2 PM. This lecture ends Season 9 of the joint Beaufort County Library and Beaufort History Museum local history series coordinated by the BDC. 
• About a rather unknown intrepid Spaniard of the 16th century who was named Juan Pardo. Pardo  left Santa Elena - twice - to explore areas in the hinterland and their Native American inhabitants Archaeologist Dr. David Moore will discuss in particular Fort San Juan built by Pardo's troops that he has studied for many years. Please note: This session will be held at the Coastal Discovery Museum on Hilton Head Island at 11 AM on Thursday May 28. This lecture ends season 7 of the "Historically Speaking" series brought to you by the BDC and Beaufort County Historical Society.

And of course, you can sort of create a local history program of your own by participating in our Revealing the Revolution Challenge. There's an in-library or in-bookmobile version and a more deluxe version that allows you to travel throughout Beaufort County and Jasper County to see and learn about the American Revolution as it transpired in Beaufort District via historic markers placed along our roadways. Deadline to enter is July 2, 2026 so you still have plenty of time to play and learn.

Cassandra and I will be sitting down with representatives of the BCHS and BHM later this month to map out those respective series offerings for July 2026 - June 2027. There are a lot of moving parts and personalities involved with setting up a local history program, but even more when setting up a series of local history programs with partners. But we do it year after year because 1) we love learning about aspects of local history ourselves and 2) you keep attending our sessions year after year. (Thank you!) And we do have the results of the Library system's strategic plan survey that shows that at least 3100 Library users and non-users think that the system should have more evening and weekend programs and longer hours of operation. We will take those results into consideration as well - though to be perfectly honest, it has been our recent experience that we get far fewer people to attend our evening programs than our 11 AM or 2 PM ones. On the other hand, the evening and Saturday programs attract a different clientele which allows us to be a bit more creative. And sometimes, for us at least, it's less about butts in seats than being transparent about what the BDC has and does so that the public is adequately apprised of the full spectrum of BDC programs and services.     

We cannot do much with the topics on the Library's Marketing Calendar this month though Beaufort District has an interesting history regarding Memorial Day and later this month we'll provide you with some "Local History Books to Read in One Sitting." Instead we'll just emphasize our usual history related themes in May, mostly via our almost daily Facebook posts. For example, we'll finish National [Materials] Preservation Week on Saturday, May 2. (BTW: It's MayDay, the date upon which we cultural heritage professionals focus on emergency preparedness.) We feature National Postcard Week, May 3 - 9 on Facebook with Sydney's picks. You can also revisit her 2025 May display write-up about some of the postcards we have in the Research Room as a way of acknowledgement of the popular format. Cassi and I will highlight some historic structures during National [Historic] Preservation Month on Facebook as well. 

I hope to be able to get at least one of my long languishing posts finished and uploaded for you. At the moment it's a toss up whether that post will be the Reverend George Whitefield's visits to Beaufort in the 1700s or the remarkable journalism career of a child who was born out on Coosaw Island in the 1890s. I think that both topics are in the words of Laugh-In's Arte Johnson's "very interesting." I hope you will too. 

The only scheduled closure of the Library system this month will be Monday, May 25 for Memorial Day. As we get closer to the start of Hurricane Season 2026 on June 1 that could indeed change, though I have my fingers and toes crossed that I will retire without ever having to do any serious Hurricane Recovery activities.  

New (and New-to-Us) Materials in the Research Room, 1st Quarter 2026

We are running a bit behind posting what has arrived in the Research Room from January through March this year. Below Sydney and Cassi share information about some new (and new-to-us) materials we have acquired recently.  -- gmc

New Materials on Display

Library Materials 

Blessed Experience: Genuinely Southern, Proudly Black by James Clyburn, 2014. 

Blessed Experience

U.S. Congressman James E. Clyburn tells the extraordinary story of his journey from growing up as a young African American boy in Jim Crow-era South to becoming the third highest ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives. Both Clyburn and his parents knew he was destined for civil rights leadership at the age of twelve when he became president of his National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) youth chapter. All of his efforts and experiences have made him the leader that he is today, which Blessed Experiences does an outstanding job of emphasizing.

Homecoming: The Pyrography of Reverend Johnnie Simmons, February 1 - May 1, 2025 by Johnnie Simmons, 2025. 

Reverend Johnnie F. Simmons was raised on St. Helena Island and enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1969. He served in the Vietnam War until 1972 when he returned to St. Helena and held a variety of jobs. He retired as a preacher in 2003. With time to focus on himself, Reverend Simmons was enrolled into a program for managing PTSD where he began to explore his more artistic side through art workshops, including pyrography. Pyrography is the art of decorating wood or other materials with burn marks created by a heated tool. Simmons would draw a design on a piece of wood with pencil, burn the design into the slab, and finish by painting his desired work. Homecoming includes nine of Reverend Johnnie F. Simmons’s woodburning folk art images. 

True Crime Stories of the Lowcountry by Cathy Pickens, 2025. 

A South Carolina native, Cathy Pickens is known for her loves of the Palmetto State, crime, and mystery. True Crime Stories of the Lowcountry dips into the scandals and transgressions that have occurred in and around the area. From bootlegging to poisonings, serial killers to swamp creatures, you are bound to learn something new (and gnarly) about the Lowcountry.  

Indigenous Carolinians: A History from Original Peoples to Present-Day Tribes

Indigenous Carolinians
by David R. Webb

 by David Rahahe-tih Webb, 2025. 

From the Rappahannock River of current day Virginia to the Edisto River of South Carolina, David Rahahe-tih Webb explores the histories and cultures of this region's First Peoples. The author weaves oral tradition, language, archaeology, and ethnography into a narrative that uplifts four diverse ethnolinguistic cultures in such a way as to challenge long-held colonial assumptions about the First Peoples of the southeastern seaboard. Indigenous Carolinians is an in-depth history of the reclamation of heritage by a valiant group of people who refused to allow their tribal identities to fade any longer.  

Social Roots: Lowcountry Foodways, Reconnecting the Landscape by Sarah V. Ross, 2024. 

In many ways, "you are what you eat." Social Roots is an interdisciplinary anthology that explores the relationships between nature and culture as expressed in the foodways of the Georgia and South Carolina coasts. There are invisible threads that connect the land to its people through the food that is harvested and shared among the population. Looking across time and geography, this book interweaves fundamental ecological principles as it honors three early cultures: Native American, European, and African.  People have always relied on the land for life, and that is something that will always keep us connected.  

Datha by Rev. James Julius Sams, n/d. 

Datha is a manuscript by Reverend James Julius Sams that focuses primarily on the genealogy of the Sams family as well as the people, places, structures, and agriculture of Dataw Island. This is an interesting source because it is quite rare to find such detailed accounts of what it was like to have grown up on Dataw in the early to mid-nineteenth century. Reverend Sams had very strong feelings about the Civil War which he wrote about in his memoir. He also wrote of anger and forgiveness, feelings that are often difficult for people to express.  

Sankofa Shadow Work: Diaries of a Diasporic Diviner by Sara Makeba Daise, 2025.

Sankofa Shadow Work
by Sara Makeba Daise

Sara Makeba Daise is a Gullah Geechee author, cultural worker, and public historian that specializes in Black History and medicine through a variety of mediums. Sankofa Shadow Work is a cultivation of her experiences as an interpreter, living historian, and tour guide, all of which included considerable amounts of multidimensional interaction with other people as well as the land below her. This mixture of memoir and public history explores many realms, including conjuring, healing, rebirth, and spirituality, with special attention to their origins from native Africana and Indigenous communities.

The History of Dorchester County South Carolina by The Dorchester County Historical South Carolina, 2023.  

The BDC accessions South Carolina county histories as general reference works though our collection does not include every county history ever written. This 566 page volume begins with some topical chapters about history, plantations, transportation, medical development and politics. Chapters 7 - 15 emphasize the people, government officials, schools, churches, cemeteries, businesses, structures, etc. of certain communities. These chapters include useful biographical sketches, genealogical information and chronologies relating to ownership and organizational histories. Coverage ranges from the explorations of De Soto in 1540 into the 2020s. 

The Fishing Co-op Role in the BASF Conflict: May 20, 2014 by Thomas Barnwell, 2014.  

The author donated this transcription of his talk for the series "Hilton Head in the Modern Era" co-sponsored by the Heritage Library and the Coastal Discovery Museum. Barnwell is a Gullah elder and Native Islander resident who was personally involved in the Hilton Head Fishing Cooperative and the Baden Aniline and Soda Factory (BASF) conflict of the the early 1970s. Linda Piekut's introduction of Barnwell provides a thoughtful and thorough background of Barnwell's achievements, interests and contributions to the Hilton Head community. After Barnwell's keynote address about the history of the co-op and the BASF controversy, Henry Driessen who had made a film showing the damage a chemical factory in Texas had done on the environment as a cautionary documentary, joined Barnwell for a question and answer session. The final section contains documents about the co-op and BASF.

Yoruba Traditions & African Religious Nationalism by Tracey E. Hucks, 2014. 

Yoruba Traditions &
African Religious Nationalism
by Tracey E. Hucks

Tracey E. Hucks, professor in the Department of Religion at Haverford College, shares her interest and knowledge in the historical development and religious traditions of African-descended populations in the Americas and the Caribbean in this book. She explores the development of Yoruba tradition in the United States, such as the establishment of the Shango Temple in 1959, the Yoruba Temple in 1960, and the Oyotunji African Village in 1970. These spaces allowed for safe practices and transformation of religious expressions for individuals in underrepresented communities. 

Lowcountry Lost and Other Poems for Everyday Life and Port Royal, SC: A Spiritual Place by Moultrie Townsend, 2024. 

Moultrie Townsend, a Charleston native now living in Port Royal, is a writer expresses his love for the Lowcountry through writing both nonfiction and poetry work. The blurb on the back  cover of Lowcountry Lost and Other Poems for Everyday Life  describes the content as "a simple, emotional and gripping poetic look at nature, life and our place in it." Townsend divided his poem into four sections, "Remembrances" that express the love and loss he has experienced in the Lowcountry; "Beaches"; "Mountains"; and "Sundries." Port Royal, SC: A Spiritual Place is a tribute to his current home that mentions all of the best historic and social spots in Port Royal. 

South Carolina Provincials: Loyalists in British Service during the American Revolution by Jim Piecuch, 2023. 

This is the first published comprehensive history of the known South Carolinian Loyalists and their actions in support of the British during the American Revolution. Based on primary source research including records rarely consulted, the result provides a much clearer picture of the Revolutionary War at the local level in southeastern states. South Carolinians living in the backcountry were often far away from government administration and affiliation with the Patriotic cause. The backcountry Royalist troops experienced varying degrees of success. In 1781, the troops withdrew from the backcountry into British held Charleston, then to British East Florida. From there some relocated to Canada or other British colonies to begin new lives after the conclusion of hostilities.   

Paper Heroines: Women Writers in Conversation and Community Across the Sea Islands, 1838–1902 by Mollie Barnes, 2026. 

Paper Heroines: 
by Mollie Barnes

Mollie Barnes, Associate Professor of English at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, specializes in Nineteenth-century U.S. literature. Paper Heroines is a deep dive into how women reformers documented their everyday lives and their work. This book concentrates on women reformers that traveled to the Sea Islands to provide relief work. She compares and contrasts the contributions and efforts made by both Black and white women in this area. This is an interesting title that is not afraid to point out the flaws and tensions from past texts and approach them with current insights.  

The Inner Passage: An Untold Story of Black Resistance Along a Southern Waterway by Virginia McGee Richards, 2026. 

The Inner Passage is a route of canals and waterways that were constructed during colonial times by enslaved people to facilitate water travel through the South Carolina Lowcountry. Virginia Richards, a photographer, historian, and environmental lawyer, captures these forgotten landscapes in her book. View sixty stunning photographs and read her essay depicting and describing what it is like for one to journey through the Inner Passage. Immerse yourself in the photos of witness trees, praise houses, hurricane damage, and narratives. 

South Carolina's County Courthouses: An Illustrated History by W. Clay Young and Rita Williams Livingston, 2025. 

Have you ever wanted to learn more about the history of South Carolina’s many county courthouses? Look no further! Learn more about the architecture, origins, and technological advances of the 46 county courthouses that make up the state of South Carolina. You will find more than 700 photographs of the exterior of Palmetto State courthouses, original floor plans of select buildings, centuries old, uncovered artifacts, and so much more. 

Yearbooks 

Our collection of school yearbooks in the Beaufort District Collection has come from donations through time. This means that our coverage of schools is completely dependent on donations.

A request: If you happen to have a yearbook from schools within Beaufort, Jasper or Hampton counties, South Carolina, please contact the BDC at (843) 255-6468, we would love to have first dibs on "those old yearbooks."

• Battery Creek High School: Delphis, 2007. 
• Beaufort High School: Beaufortonian, 1958. 
• Beaufort High School: Beaufortonian, 1959. 

 

Posters 

• Hilton Head Choral Society: Celebrate Unity: September 26, 2025 • 7:00 pm from the Hilton Head Choral Society, 2025. 
• Author Chat Book Signing: Local Hilton Head Author, Michael Wayne Wojcik from Emry's Bookshop, 2025. 
• The Roommate: Lean Ensemble Theater [Hilton Head Island], October 30 - November 9, 2025 from the Lean Ensemble Theater, 2025.  
• Go Green with Valentina Palacio of Public Works: Beaufort County Library: [Fall 2025] from Beaufort County Public Works, 2025.  
• For God and Country: Saturday, October 18: 6:30 P.M.: St. Peter's Church, Beaufort, SC from the United Methodist Church of Hilton Head, 2025. 
• The Bluffton Tour of Homes: Presented by Historic Bluffton Foundation: Saturday, October 4, 2025 from the Historic Bluffton Foundation, 2025.  
• Lowcountry Pride: Sunday, October 19th [2025] Live Oaks Park in Port Royal from the Lowcountry Pride, 2025.  
• Italian American Club Presents Wines of the World: A Premiere Wine Tasting Event: September 23, 2025 from Italian American Club, 2025.  
• Broadway (Off Paris!): Musical Extravaganza!: St. Mark's Episcopal Church: Sunday, February 15 [2026] 3:00 PM from St. Mark's Episcopal Church Choir, 2026. 
• Prom Boutique: Saturday, February 21 [2026]: Holy Trinity Classical Christian School from the Junior Service League of Beaufort, 2026. 
• Beaufort Independent Games Conference '26: USCB: Friday 20 February [2026] from the University of South Carolina Beaufort, 2026.  
• 2026 Books Sandwiched In: Mondays 12pm-1pm January 26 through March 2 from the Friends of the Beaufort Library, 2026.  
• Dementia 101: The Basics: Learn the Basics of Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias, and the Support Resources Available in South Carolina: [Beaufort County Library Branches] February 11 - March 16 [2026] from the South Carolina Department on Aging, 2026.  
• Dedicated to Dvořák: The Beaufort Symphony Orchestra is Celebrating its 40th Season!: March 22, 2026 from the Beaufort Symphony Orchestra, 2026. 
• Kidfest: MCCS at Laurel Bay: Saturday 28 March [2026] from Marine Corps Community Services South Carolina, 2026.  
• Art with Intention: with Genni Lib Threet: [Beaufort County Libraries]: March 4 - April 2 [2026] from Beaufort County Library, 2026.  
• Flying Frog Frog Fest [sic]: Supporting Operation Patriots FOB (opfob.org): Saturday April 18, 2026: Frogmore "Intranational" Airport from Operation Patriots Forward Operating Base, 2026.  

New Archival Collections

George Waterhouse Collection, 1869-1905 
George Waterhouse (1838-1894) was a local businessman who operated a storefront, warehouses, and a wharf on Bay Street. The George Waterhouse Collection contains documents, letters, and photographs related to his life and the impact of the Hurricane of 1893 on his business. 
 
John J. Dale Correspondence Collection, 1893, Undated 
John J. Dale (1844-1896) was a Beaufort businessman at the time of the Sea Island Hurricane in 1893. Following the devastating hurricane, he advocated for relief efforts for affected Sea Islanders and was appointed to the Sea Island Relief Committee by Governor Benjamin Tillman. This collection of correspondence from the fall of 1893 is believed to have been written by Dale. 

The Revolutionary War themed shelf on our New (and New-to-Us) bookcase.

If you are interested in any of the materials we have shared today or wish to explore our collection for yourself: appointments are encouraged, and walk-ins are sometimes accepted. 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!