Answers to Halloween Trivia

Q: According to Gullah folklore, what menacing figure can be kept away with blue paint?
Answer: Ol' Plat Eye. Amber was correct in her comments "that they are repelled by gunpowder & sulfur and can be enticed away with whiskey!"


Q: What was the name of the famous Beaufort County witch doctor who caught bullets with his hand and escaped from a chained and locked coffin after his death?
Answer: Dr. Buzzard.

Read more about Dr. Buzzard (also known as Stephany Robinson) in Sheriff J.E. McTeer's High Sheriff of the Low Country, Fifty Years as a Low Country Witch Doctor and/or watch the PBS produced documentary, High Sheriff, Lowcountry Witch Doctor available at BDC, BEA, BLU, HHI and LOB. For those who can come into the BDC to do research, we have several vertical files of related matter about Dr. Buzzard, root doctors, and Sheriff McTeer, plus the scrapbooks that Sheriff McTeer's family gave to us several years ago from which in-house customers can learn even more!


Q: According to Gullah folklore, what happens the day before an earthquake?
Answer: The Dead sing in their graves.

Expect to hear more about the 1886 Earthquake and its impacts on the Beaufort area on November 9th: "Earthquake Awareness" Day.

Thanks to all who participated.

History Channel's e-newsletter about Halloween traditions

Read more about the History of Halloween at this site by the History Channel.

Ghost Tales

"Man in Mask" from BCL's Digital Collection

With Halloween coming up tomorrow, here are a few suggestions how to scare up a little reading fun:

• From our Local History and Nature Pages, read Ghost Stories of Beaufort County retold by our own Information Services Coordinator, Dennis Adams.
• Come read about all the "Ghosts" in our vertical file available in the BDC. Here one can find tales of the Land's End Light, the Blue Lady of Leamington, hauntings at Frogmore Manor, the Castle, along Bay Street, and a ghost trivia game. BDC only.
  
• Read the classic, Tales of Beaufort, by Nell Graydon. Copies are available for check-out in all of our branch libraries.
• Nancy Rhyne, raconteur, has stories called "The Case of the Headless Corpse"and "Dr. Buzzard's Coffin" in Tales of the South Carolina Low Country. Her sequel, entitled More Tales of the South Carolina Low Country, includes stories about Edingsville Beach and Dr. Buzzard along with other ghost tales in coastal South Carolina. Copies are available for check-out in all of our branch libraries.
• Coastal Ghosts by Nancy Rhyne tells the tales of "The Eliza Tree" and the "Unparalleled Rides of the Late William Baynard" from Hilton Head Island, and the story of "Daufuskie's Big Foot." Copies available in the BDC, BEA, BLU, HH, and STH.

Help us document the religious history of Beaufort County

Some area churches, including the Roman Catholic churches, hold services to remember the dead during the Hallowtide season.

You can read about our many of our area churches in the BDC vertical files.

We gather the information from individual churches and synagogues as we can. BDC staff and docents often donate their Sunday bulletins to the vertical files. Because the Baptist Church of Beaufort and the Beth Israel Synagogue have been particularly interested in documenting their respective cemeteries and have used our BDC to help them in their quest to learn more, these congregations have been very generous by donating copies of their compiled research and publications to the BDC. But there are more, many more, religious organizations that could -- and should -- be represented in our files and holdings.

To do a better job at collecting the history of the large variety of religious organizations in our county, we surely could use a little help.

Here's how you can help us preserve materials for the future:

If your congregation publishes an e-newsletter, a newsletter, or has compiled a history of itself, we would appreciate a copy to put into our vertical files or on the book shelf so that future Beaufortonians and researchers will have access to vital information about the social life and customs of our area in the early part of the 21st century. If you would like to donate bulletins or records from your church or religious organization, please call us at 470-6525 or e-mail gracec@bcgov.net.

Please note: The Beaufort County Library does not accept religious tracts that aim to convert the reader to any particular denomination or system of belief.

History of Halloween

Chase's Calendar of Events 2008 says this about Hallowe'en or All Hallow's Eve, October 31:

An ancient celebration combining Druid autumn festival and Christian customs. Hallowe'en (All Hallow's Eve) is the beginning of Hallowtide, a season that embraces the Feast of All Saints (Nov. 1) and the Feast of All Souls (Nov. 2). The observance, dating from the sixth or seventh century, has long been associated with thoughts of the dead, spirits, witches, ghosts and devils. In fact, the ancient Celtic Feast of Samhain [pronounced Sown], the festival that marked the beginning of winter and of the New Year, was observed Nov. 1.

Halloween Trivia Question #3

Q: According to Gullah folklore, what happens the day before an earthquake?

1. Church bells ring the death knell.
2. The dead sing in their graves.
3. Dogs act nervous.

Please give us your answer by sending us a "Comment." We'll let you know if you were right at midnight on October 31st.

Halloween Trivia Question #2

Q: What was the name of the famous Beaufort County witch doctor who caught bullets with his hand and escaped from a chained and locked coffin after his death?

1. Dr. Big Bird
2. Dr. Vulture
3. Dr. Buzzard

You can send us a "Comment" with your answer. All will be revealed at Midnight on October 31st!

Play the SC Archives 2008 Word Find game

The SC Archives and SC SHRAB have a website highlighting all the "Archives Month" activities around the state. Included is a fun item, the SC Archives 2008 Word Find game.

Halloween Trivia Question #1

Q: According to Gullah folklore, what menacing figure can be kept away with blue paint?

1. Ol' Plat Eye
2. Ol' Evil Eye
3. Ol' Blue Eye

Let us know your answer by sending us a "Comment." We'll reveal the correct answer at midnight on October 31st!

Thought for a Lifetime

"Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will
get you through times of no libraries."

--Anne Herbert, The Whole Earth Catalog

Celebrate the Library Friends Groups throughout the state

Governor Mark Sanford has declared October 19-October 25, 2008, Friends of the Library Week. Beaufort County Library has three Friends Groups. You can learn more about what they do by visiting their webpages. They post an online newsletter and the names of their respective leadership.

The Friends of the Beaufort County Library, serving the North of Broad libraries, including the Beaufort District Collection, has been generous with us. Here are just a few of the many ways in which they help support the mission of the Beaufort District Collection. For example, hurricane shutters protect the BDC in inclement weather because of them. They purchased additional file cabinets to hold the ever-growing forever historical vertical files. These will be put to good use when the BDC moves upstairs. They have graciously allotted money for programs and preservation supplies when we've needed more funds to stabilize historical materials. Even more, they let us lop off a piece of their storage area for BDC purposes. A hearty "Thank you" to all our Friends of the Beaufort County Library.

Care of Photographs pamphlet from NEDCC online

Celeste Wiley will be here on Thursday, the 16th, to demonstrate archival best practices with regard to care of 20th century photographs. Please contact us to reserve your spot. For additional information on how to take care of photographs that you have at home, we suggest you download NEDCC's "Care of Photographs."

Link updated by Kristi Marshall on April 15, 2020.

HH Archaeology Society Events for Archaeology Month

Hilton Head, SC: The Hilton Head Island Chapter, Archaeological Society of South Carolina, is pleased to announce its fall lecture and events program for October. The overall theme is the development of tribal cultures of the southeast from the hunter gatherer Paleo Indians to the sedentary Woodland Indians found at European contact. All local lectures will be at Hilton Head`s Honey Horn Plantation in Discovery House on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM. The meetings are free and the public is welcome and encouraged to attend.

October 18th (Saturday)

The Hilton Head Island Chapter, Archaeological Society of South Carolina will conduct a field trip to Greens Shell Enclosure off Sqiure Pope Road, HHI. Jim Fannon, local hstorian and site expert will be the guide. He will bring drawings and artifacts to illustrate the indian village that occupied the site 700 years ago. 10:00 AM at the site. Free.

October 21st (Tuesday)

The Hilton Head Island Chapter, Archaeological Society of South Carolina fall lecture series speaker will be archaeologist Chris Judge. He will speak about "Late Pre-Historic and Historic Native Americans of South Carolina". History, archaeology and folklore combine for a better understanding of native cultures. The effect of European colonization and ongoing efforts to revitalize native history will be presented. Chris is a professor in the Department of Anthropology, USC Lancaster. Hilton Head`s Honey Horn Plantation, Discovery House 7:00 PM. Free.

October 25th (Saturday)

The Archaeology Society of South Carolina`s 21st Annual Archaeology Fall Field Day will be held at Colonial Dorchester State Historic Park, Summerville, SC. Dorchester offers a wonderful setting to discover the past. Its tabby fort ruins and the brick bell tower of St. George`s Anglican Church set a historic atmosphere and its archaeological record offers a window into village life from 1697 until the American Revolution. Archaeological demonstrations and re-enactments will be conducted. 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Nominal entrance fee

Contact: George Stubbs (843-363-5058) and http://www.ASSC.net.

"A Peek into the Archives" from the Reformed Church of America

Russell Gasero, archivist for the Reformed Church of America (RCA), produced a 3:21 minute video to promote his archives using examples from the collections under his stewardship. The archives web page contains “A Peek into the Archives” is embedded on the homepage. While the video is definitely specific to his Archives, it speaks to what an institutional archives should do and why we should all care that archival records are maintained into the future.

Please note: This post was updated 15 April 2020. All information and links were accurate as of this date.- Kristi Marshall

How to Take Care of Your Family Treasures

Please note: This post was updated 15 April 2020. All information and links were accurate as of this date.- Kristi Marshall

Good information about how to take care of your family treasures can be found on the websites of several key preservation organizations. One of the most prestigious is the Northeast Document Conservation Center. NEDCC provides printable Preservation Leaflets with information on a wide variety of preservation topics, supplier contact information, and links to additional resources. The leaflets may be downloaded at no cost. The leaflets were recently updated with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. The full list is available.

Native Americans in Beaufort County

Once upon a time, Native Americans roamed the wetlands, fished the estuaries, and camped along our riverbanks. Many small Native American groups lived in the area. These former residents left behind shell middens, pottery shards, and their words upon our landscape: Wimbee, Combahee, Kussoh, Yamasee, Pocotaligo, Coosawhatchie, Daufuskie, Salkehatchie. The groups were rather small and unorganized, key factors in the ability of European newcomers to successfully take advantage of them.


Native American history, up to the point of European contact, can be divided into four main historical periods:

The Paleo-Indian Period

10000 BCE - 8000 BCE

Remnants of Paleo-Indian culture in the Historic Beaufort District are found considerably further inland than today's epicenter of civilization--the coast. It was around fifteen degrees cooler then, 11000-12000 years ago, when the first people inhabited the area. The cooler, wetter climate accompanying a variety and abundance of herding animals (many of which are extinct today) attributed to the highly mobile nature of early American peoples. Although many artifacts of their habitation are found in the more inland reaches of the Historic Beaufort District (namely today's Allendale County,) few indications of their existence can be found in today's coastal regions. But, did you know that during the time of Paleo-Indians the Carolina coast was approximately 50 miles further east than it is now? It is possible that all coastal Paleo-Indian artifacts have been swallowed up by the Atlantic!

The Archaic Period

8000 BCD - 2000 BCE

Glacial retreat and gradual global warming at the end of the Paleo-Indian Period at the beginning of the Archaic Period raised the sea levels to within 13 feet of today's levels. The sea islands and today's Carolina "lowcountry" began to take shape. Indian populations grew while mammoths and mastodon, along with various other large mammals, became extinct. Shellfish, fish, and turtle became Indian diet essentials.

The Woodland Period

2000 BCE - 1000 BCE

While fired-clay pottery shards often indicate the Woodland Period Indian presence, Indian shell mounds are the most prevalent evidence of this Indian culture in the Historic Beaufort District. Evidence of this culture can be found on Hilton Head Island, Coosaw Island, Daws Island, and St. Helena Island. For more information about a few Indian shell mounds in Beaufort County, check out the SC Department of Natural Resources--Managed Lands website.

The Mississippian Period

1000 CE - 1600 CE

Archaeological sites of this period are found on just about every sea island of Beaufort County, as well as many inland rivers and creeks. We know more about this culture than any other Paleo-Indian civilization due to European exploration and expansion. At the time of first European contact, established agricultural practices, artistic expression, and ceremonial practices characterized this diverse and thriving culture. Unfortunately, this golden age of Indian culture would soon be demolished by disease, warfare, enslavement and exploitation.

Learn More:

To learn more about Indian culture in the historic Beaufort District, check out some of the following materials found @ the BDC:

333.72579 PRE. Preserving Paradise: The Beaufort County Rural and Critical Land Preservation Program (DVD)
This title is also available in the Local History collection at your local branch!

970.457 BIE. South Carolina Indian Lore by Bert W. Bierer
*contains countless maps, photographs, and illustrations of Native American life in coastal South Carolina. References to Beaufort District include shell mound and burial mound locations, trade paths, and discovered artifacts.

970.457 BIE. Indian Arrowheads and Spearheads in the Carolinas: A field guide by Bert W. Bierer
This title is also available at the Bluffton Branch Library!
*contains photographs and descriptions of found Native American tools.

975.7 CHI. Curricula Materials for the First South Carolinians: The life and times of native peoples in the palmetto state by Chicora Foundation, Inc.
*general history of South Carolina's Native Americans.

975.7915 HEN. Down & Dirty: Archaeology of the South Carolina Lowcountry by M. Patrick Hendrix
This title is also available at the Bluffton Branch Library!
*photographs, descriptions, and analysis of archaeological dig sites in or close to the Historic Beaufort District.

Online Resources:

Catawba Cultural Preservation Project
Search the History of South Carolina Slide Collection for "Native Americans"
View artifacts from the Topper Site in Allendale County, SC
The Beaufort District Collection is a division of the Beaufort County Library, a department of Beaufort County Government of South Carolina.

Links updated and verified by Kristi Marshall on April 15, 2020. 

South Carolina Archaeology Month 2008

SC Archaeology Month is organized by the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology (SCIAA).

SCIAA's goals for Archaeology Month are:
+ Stimulate public pride in SC's archaeological heritage
+ Increase public understanding of why archaeological research is important
+ Heighten public awareness of how many archaeological resources are lost each year in SC
+ Educate the public about what they can do to help protect and study SC's archaeological resources
+ Get more people involved in legitimate archaeological activities.

Nearly 50 organizations throughout South Carolina offer programs each year to celebrate. The 2008 theme is "Native Americans in South Carolina from the 16th Century to the Present." Read through the SCIAA Calendar of Events. You're bound to find a program or two that will interest you!

What is an archivist?

Good question. Here's how 2 professional archivists described just what they do and how what they do helps our larger society. The contest was sponsored by the Society of American Archivists in 2007.

The winning entry by Lisa H. Lewis:

“Archivists bring the past to the present. They’re records collectors and protectors, keepers of memory. They organize unique, historical materials, making them available for current and future research.”

Honorable mention by Jacquelyn Ferry:

“Archivists acquire, manage, preserve, and help patrons identify and use historically significant collections of unique materials, such as government records, manuscripts, photographs, films, and sound recordings.”