Ribbon Creek Author Book Talk - Sept. 15

The Parris Island History and Museum Society is leading the commemoration of 100 years of training Marines on Parris Island. A key component of the celebration is a series of speakers and discussions on the history of Parris Island and the Marine Corps. We are contributing to the community effort with a program to better understand the circumstances and resolution of a military crisis back in 1956. 

Please join us for “COURT MARTIAL AT PARRIS ISLAND: THE RIBBON CREEK INCIDENT” with AUTHOR JAY STEVENS on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 11 am | BDC@ Bluffton Branch, 120 Palmetto Way | Ages 12 to Adult | Free | Room for about 100 people

On the night of April 8, 1956, a forced march led to the death of 6 Marine Recruits on Parris Island. Author and jurist, John Stevens, III explains the court-martial and the effects of the Ribbon Creek Incident on the US Marine Corps.

About the author:  John C. Stevens III, a retired Massachusetts trial court judge, was a practicing attorney for more than twenty-five years. Judge Stevens is a graduate of Brown University and Suffolk University Law School and a contributing author for the Massachusetts Family Law Manual. He spent the summer of 1957 as a Parris Island recruit and experienced firsthand the aftermath of the Ribbon Creek drownings and the McKeon court-martial. He lives in Beaufort, South Carolina.

Copies of the book are available for check-out from the Local History sections at the branch libraries.

These commemoration events and discussions are a collaborative effort of the Parris Island Historical and Museum Society with Historic Port Royal Foundation, Beaufort County Historical Society, Santa Elena Foundation, the Beaufort District Collection of Beaufort County Library, and the Town of Port Royal.

Reminder: TIDE OF DEATH: THE SEA ISLAND HURRICANE OF 1893 (HHI Edition)

BDC@ Hilton Head Branch, 11 Beach City Road, tomorrow, August 27 at 2 pm. See photographs and hear first person accounts about the night death came to call 122 years ago, highlighting the Red Cross’s recovery efforts on Hilton Head Island. It's free and open to anyone over age 12 interested enough to attend.