Hip! Hip! Hooray! It's our 10th Anniversary Today!

Ten Years Ago: We dedicated the relocation of the Beaufort District Collection to the 2nd floor of the Library building at 311 Scott Street on 29 September 2010. [You can flash back to the time and conditions in which the collection was located in the SC Room downstairs with this old Flickr photostream. The room has since been converted into the Beaufort Branch Meeting Room and has become the frequent site of past - and once it is safe to do so we hope future - BDC Local history series programs.]

 

Library Public Services Coordinator Hillary Barnwell gave me her full support for upgrading the historical collection's facility from the very first time I broached the topic. Library Director Julie Zachowski agreed and allowed me to make a short presentation to the Library Board of Trustees. Thus began the process. Library Director Wlodek Zaryczny saw things through until sufficient financial arrangements were in place to see to critical elements of the relocation plan. Wlodek never wavered in support of this project. County Engineer David Coleman shepherded the building process. It was quite sad for me that Hillary Barnwell did not live to see the move accomplished since those who knew her know how much she advocated for historical projects.

 

With the help of my then assistant Charmaine Seabrook Concepcion, my son, Ciaran and almost son Kyle (who were paid in cheeseburgers), we got everything moved from the old South Carolina Room downstairs over the summer and in place with almost an hour to spare before the ceremony! Whew! but that was cutting it really, really close.  

 

The Friends of the Beaufort Library then headed by Deena Culp provided $25,000 seed money and the Clover Club hosted a fund-raiser with Dr. Larry Rowland as featured speaker to help purchase the compact shelving array that allows us to store 2.5 - 3 times as many materials in the limited space available inside the Paul Siegmund Room. All in all about 150 private citizens and local organizations contributed to the fund-raising efforts. I remember being particularly pleased that BDC researchers Stephen Hoffius and Robert Cuthbert surprised me at a BDC Author Book Talk on Northern Money, Southern Land by donating all their sale proceeds after the program that day towards our compact shelving fund.

 

The Friends of the Library also funded a nice reception that evening shown here. 

Look closely and you'll see Former Assistant County Administrator Morris Campbell, my former bosses Dennis Adams and Julie Zachowski, USCB librarians Geni Flowers and Mae Mendoza and former Library Board of Trustee members.   

 

 

Library Board members Patsy Hand, Theresa Dunn, and then Beaufort County Council Chairman Paul Sommerville marked the occasion as well. 

 

It was nice that the Beaufort Gazette covered the re-opening and that the Island Packet's David Lauderdale championed the project in his column several times through the years: 

Beaufort Gazette, 30 September 2020 p. 1A.

 

Charmaine Seabrook Concepcion and I gave tours that evening and throughout October in honor of American Archives Month. I even recently found the note cards we used to give those tours:

What a difference a decade makes! 10 years later we have approximately 7000 books, videos and cds; our archival collections have doubled and then some though the largest archival collection is still the Lucille Hasell Culp Collection. We've added 5 years worth of newspaper microfilms, some additional SCDAH microfilm series, and many, many more vertical files since then. We've added 7 digital collections, an active Facebook page and another blog to the "Virtual BDC." About 7500 people attended more than 250 BDC local history programs in the last 10 years. There's still room enough to grow though my successor whomever s/he may be will probably have to start advocating for additional space as soon as 2026 if my experience with how quickly things tend to happen in Beaufort County holds true.

 

I reflected on the journey of moving the collection into more suitable quarters in the BDC's Connections blog at the time:

"It's been an arduous 9 year journey from the initial request I made to the Library Board of Trustees on September 18, 2001 to the ribbon cutting today. Although at times I despaired that it would ever happen, I am so grateful for all the people and organizations that have helped me protect the "Wonders of the Beaufort District Collection" by giving of their time, talents, and monies. I am scared to mention anyone by name in fear that I will inadvertently omit someone. I hope the 150 angels of the BDC already know that I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. We done good. -- Grace"

I remain grateful for all the community support, Library Administration and staff, Library Board of Trustees, County Administration and staff, Beloved BDC Docents, and former assistants (Amber Shorthouse, Dannielle Landry, Charmaine Concepcion, Ashley Sylva, Melissa Jacobs, Amanda Forbes, Samantha Perkins, and Kristi Marshall) who helped make the BDC the well-regarded special collections and archives unit it is today.  

 

Though COVID-19 mitigation has prevented us from hosting researchers inside our facility for many months, that is about to change.

Beginning Monday, October 5, 2020 we will be providing some on-site, in-facility services under limited circumstances. The major change is that service will be provided by appointment only for the time being for these key reasons: 

 

1) The Research Room is quite small. Maintaining the CDC recommended 6 feet apart social distancing rubric means that we can only accommodate one researcher at a time;

 

2) Until we can find, hire and train a new part-time circulation assistant, I am the entire BDC staff so advance arrangements are required to make sure that I will be on-site to provide access to the Research Room materials; and

 

3) To keep us all safe, customers must wear masks properly [that is, covering the nose and mouth with two or more layers of fabric or appropriate material] at all times while in County buildings. Disinfectants will be applied to all high touch surfaces between customers. 

 

Please note: To get on my calendar, please call 843-255-6446 or email me at gracec@bcgov.net to make the necessary arrangements.

School Annuals in the Research Room (latest update: 7 May 2025)

Last updated: 7 May 2025 - gmc

Questions about local school yearbooks come up on a very regular basis in the Research Room. 

Our collection of school yearbooks in the Beaufort District Collection comes from donations through time. That means that our coverage of schools is completely dependent on donations. I rejoice when someone calls to offer us school annuals (or Marine Platoon books) found while clearing out a property. As I often say and occasionally write, getting the opportunity of first refusal is the best gift of all.

The full list by school name in alphabetical order with the annual year is: 

Battery Creek High School: 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002

Beaufort Academy: 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2002

Beaufort High School: 1921, 1923, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1980,1981, 1982, 1983,1985, 1987, 1990, 1998, 2005, 2007

Beaufort Jasper Career Education Center: 1993

Beaufort Junior High School: 1963, 1965, 1969, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979

H.E. McCracken High School: 1973, 1975

H.E. McCracken Middle School: 2007

Hilton Head Island Middle School:  2004

Lady's Island Elementary School: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002

Lady's Island Junior High School: 1985, 1986, 1987, 1991, 1992

Mather School: 1954, 1956, 1957

Praise Christian Academy: 1995

St. Helena High School: 1956

Robert Smalls High School: 1964, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1992

Robert Smalls Junior High School: 1989

As you can see, coverage is hit or miss. 

The Mather School, Robert Smalls High School and St. Helena High School were predominantly black schools.  

• Mather School was a private boarding school founded to educate African-American girls in the late 1860s by Rachel Mather. It began to admit males to its religious training classes in the mid-20th century. The Technical College of the Lowcountry campus on Ribaut Road in Beaufort occupies the former Mather School property.
• Robert Smalls High School used to sit on the County administration building property at the corner of Ribaut and Boundary Streets, 1924 -1970 for the High School. The Robert Smalls Junior High School adjacent to the RSHS continued to operate at the site until 1984 when the new Robert Smalls School was opened on what is now 43 W K Alston Dr, Beaufort, SC 29906; and
• St. Helena High School, open from 1954 to 1971, was on the site of the present St. Helena Elementary School.
  

In response to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, three Black students petitioned School District 1 Board of Trustees to transfer into white schools in July 1964. The first Black students to integrate the white schools in Beaufort County were Rowland Washington who attended Beaufort High; Craig Washington who transferred into Beaufort Elementary; and Janelle Drake who went to Mossy Oaks Elementary. When the schools opened in late August that year, nine Black students entered classrooms at formerly all-white schools. The Beaufort Gazette named the nine students as Ronald Washington [Rowland Washington], Reginald Butler Jr., Paula Butler, Craig Washington, Mae Cathlie, Banessa Newsome, Dwight Smith, Lucy Smith, and Jeannelle Drake. Five of the nine students were military dependents. At the time the article was written another ten Black students were awaiting finalization of their petitions for transfer into white schools. [Source: "Nine Negro Students Enter Four County White Schools," Beaufort Gazette, 3 September 1964, pp. A-1, A-3.] 

Gradually the integration process unfolded so that by the 1970-1971 school year, Robert Smalls High School, St. Helena High School and Beaufort High School merged into one high school for all north of the Broad high school students. Each school contributed some tradition to the new integrated high school entity: The school's name became Beaufort High School; the school colors became green and white (green from the green/gold of Robert Smalls, green/white of Beaufort High and red/white of St. Helena High), the athletic teams became Eagles (from St. Helena High).  [Source: Look Back 1965-1972: Civil Triumph: The Integration of Beaufort High School ... by Beaufort Middle School (2002), p. 23].

We have BDC vertical files on each of these schools and one on "Schools - Integration" more in the Research Room. You can borrow a copy of Look Back from one of the branch library local history section. 

You can see some school related postcards in the Russell J. Arnsberger Collection and some school related photographs in the Lucille Hasell Culp Collection through our partnership with the Lowcountry Digital Library.

A request: If you happen to have a yearbook from schools within Beaufort, Jasper or Hampton counties, South Carolina, I'd love to have the right of first refusal for the BDC.