November 2018 Schedule and Programs

October was so busy with programs, talks for community groups, and the imminent departure of Amanda, that I didn't have time to write even a weekly post over the past two weeks.
Now that November is upon us, here's what is on tap:


The Beaufort County Historical Society is coming to visit its archives in the Beaufort District Collection on Thursday, November 1st at Noon. The meeting is free and open to the general public. I've been busy preparing a short talk about the content of their records.

Organizational records can be tricky. A lot of the content is functional in nature and often not particularly exciting. On the other hand, underneath can lie some controversial matters. The trick will be in making rather routine information seem interesting - without offending anyone who is a current member or whose family members were once members of the Society.

On Friday, November 2nd, the BDC heads back to Bluffton Branch. This time the topic is the largest industry that Beaufort District ever had - phosphate mining - as told by Dr. Shepherd McKinley, University of North Carolina Charlotte, the award-winning author of one of the best titled history books Stinking Stones and Rocks of Gold. Join us at 2 pm in the large meeting room for this free and informative lecture.

There's a slight change regarding the scheduling of the next Beaufort History Museum / Beaufort County Library local history series lecture. It will be held on a Thursday, November 8th rather than our customary Tuesday. (Tuesday is Election Day and we encourage all to exercise their ballot). Registration is required and opened 25 October.

Now that Amanda is gone, Kristy and I are holding down the fort until we get another Preservation Associate. We are receiving applications and scheduling interviews but it may be awhile before we get the right person on board to help cover our 40 hours a week public service schedule. We will do our best to minimize interruptions to our usual and customary schedule but we do have a known shortage on Tuesday, November 6th. I will be out of the office so I will be unable to cover Kristy's lunch period. Accordingly, the Research Room will be closed from Noon to 1 pm on Election Day.

We are thrilled to have Dr. Ted Rosengarten premiere his lecture about how he would write his award-winning book, Tombee: Portrait of a Cotton Planter, originally published in 1986, now given the changes in historiography over the past 30 years.

His primary field of research and writing is African-American history so this lecture is entitled "Tombee Revisited: Managing Enslaved Labor on a Sea Island Cotton Plantation." We have room for 70 people for this Beaufort History Museum/Beaufort County Library local history lecture so register before all the seats are taken: https://beauforthistorymuseum.wildapricot.org/event-3112504. The lecture will be closed when full. 

Veterans Day falls on a Sunday this year so Beaufort County government will observe it on Monday, November 12th. All units of the Library will be closed Monday, November 12. Regular hours will resume on Tuesday, November 13.

Lineage & Hereditary Societies is the topic of Bonnie Wade Mucia's workshop on Tuesday, November 13 at St. Helena Branch Library.  She will be going over the various types of lineage and hereditary societies, what the requirements are to join some of the best known one and how to put together your application with your documented proof of descendant. Wade will discuss where to look for vital records and other proof along with tools for Pre-1850s research and how to get past difficult brick walls. She will also be covering how you can use DNA as proof in your lineage society applications. Who accepts DNA and which types of testing you will need. So, bring your lineage society questions and applications to work through some of your questions and problems.

Bonnie Wade-Mucia is a Professional Genealogist and owner of Keeper of the Past Genealogy, LLC. As a native New Englander, she became fascinated with her family history and has been researching her genealogy for over 30 years. Bonnie is a graduate of the Boston University Genealogical Certificate program and the ProGen Study Group. She successfully completed the 2018 course specializing in DNA at the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. She is the Lineage Chair and Librarian for the Emily Geiger chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution as well as the state Vice-Chair for the Volunteer Genealogy Committee for DAR. She is the former Governor of the South Carolina Mayflower Society. She is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the National Genealogy Society, and the Genealogical Speakers Guild. Bonnie resides in Bluffton, SC with her husband, Joseph.

The holiday season continues with all units of the Beaufort County Library closing at 5 pm on Wednesday, November 21st and staying closed on Thursday, November 22 and Friday, November 23rd for Thanksgiving and Heritage Day. Regular hours resume on Saturday, November 24th.

BDC Schedule October 16, 2018

Hours of operation will be slightly different on Tuesday, October 16th on account of a staff shortage. Come do your research from 9 AM to 1 PM and again from 2 PM to 5 PM. The Research Room will be closed for lunch from 1 PM to 2 PM that day. 

BDC Celebrates Archaeology Month 2018

Update: 8 October 2018 - Dr. Poplin is sending his able associate, Jeff Sherard, to fill his place on Saturday.  Also, a heads up : The Beaufort District Collection Research Room will be closed from 1 PM to 2 PM on Tuesday, October 16th for Amanda to get her lunch. We'll be short staff that day.

October also is Archaeology Month. Due to the re-scheduling of "Altamaha and the Yamasee Indians," we actually have two programs - both with Dr. Eric Poplin -  on tap to celebrate this year. He'll drive down on Tuesday for his lecture about Altamaha and return on Saturday, October 13 for the ever popular artifact identification session.

The Beaufort History Museum / Beaufort County Library local history series Season 3 opening lecture is focusing on the archaeology done at the site of the Yamasee Indians most important town, Altamaha. Dr. Eric Poplin was the lead archaeologist on the excavation and is said to be bringing along some actual artifacts from the dig for program participants to see.

Hurricane Florence caused us to re-schedule this lecture. Registration opened to the general public on September 25. Check this link:  https://beauforthistorymuseum.wildapricot.org/event-3073818 for seats that might still be available.

We will have another archaeology related program on Saturday, October 13th. Dr. Jon Leader, the State Archaeologist, and Jeff Sherard of Brockington & Associates will hold court that day to conduct our 6th Annual "What the Heck IS it? Artifact Identification Session." 

Drop in with your artifacts and try to stump the learned  archaeologists. The program and information is free. Anyone who has objects that they would like to have identified is very welcomed to attend. At past sessions, we've seen "stuff" from prehistoric periods, the time of Jesus, up to relics from Home Depot! (Psst: If it turns out that you have an artifact from Home Depot, these guys will not laugh at you. They are that professional.) Here's the downside: You have do to all the hauling.  Here's the upside: The program will be held in the Beaufort Branch's Theresa Dunn Meeting Room on the first floor so no climbing of stairs or riding the elevator will be involved.

Don't have anything to bring? That's ok, too.  Even passive bystanders who come to the sessions see  interesting objects and learn interesting things - listening to what the archaeologists say about what shows up on their table from library customers. In this case, eavesdropping is not frowned upon.  

"What The Heck Is It?" Returns

It's almost time for our annual "What the Heck Is It?" Drop-In Identification session to celebrate Archaeology Month. Start gathering up items that you'd like for the experts to identify. We are honored to again host South Carolina State Archaeologist Dr. Jon Leader and Dr. Eric Poplin, Archaeologist at Brockington & Associates from Mt. Pleasant, SC. Unfortunately due to scheduling conflict we cannot host our session on "International Archaeology Day" but will do it a week earlier, on Saturday, October 13, 2018 beginning at 10 am in the Beaufort Branch Meeting Room, 1st floor, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort, SC. 


It is so much fun to see what folks have stashed away in their homes - artifactially speaking. Over the past years, we've seen arrowheads, spearpoints, fossils, Cold Charlotte, 1st century lamps, tourist produced pens (thought by the owner to be an Egyptian receptacle for poison), a Nazi flag taken during World War II, and even some 20th century concrete garden statuary from Home Depot. So there's no need to be embarrassed if what you have turns out to be entirely something else. Based on past experience, I know that the archaeologists will not laugh at you.


Anyone owning an artifact with an unknown provenance, date of origin or identification is invited to bring it to "What the Heck is It?" for identification our expert archaeologists. There is no limit of the number of items you can bring and no fee for the identification. Just understand that whatever you bring, you have to do all the lifting and toting to get it into the building and to get it back to your vehicle.

Heck, even if you don't have an unidentified item to bring, come in anyway to learn about the artifacts which have been brought in for analysis. It`s cool to see the array of items.

Please note: The Beaufort County Library is closed for Staff Work Day today, Wednesday, October 3th. Regular hours resume October 4, 2018.