For those of you who do not participate on Facebook, here is a re-cap of the BDC's August 2021 posts:
Book Drop Blitz
The Beaufort County School District, the Pat Conroy Literary Center, and the Beaufort County Library teamed up to sponsor the "Book Drop Blitz" in July and August 2021. Some of the posts this month concern one or more titles that were given away.
August 3 - Reading Sea Island's Secret? Brothers Thomas and Percival Drayton did fight on opposite sides during the Civil War. They are among the Legendary Locals of Hilton Head discussed by Barbara Muller. Check out a copy from one of the Local History sections today.
August 5 - Learn more about the history of Hilton Head Island, the setting of Sea Island's Secret with these books:
August 6 - "The Battle of Port Royal Sound, 1861" was among the most significant events ever in Beaufort District's long and storied history. Learn more:
August 9 - "P" is for "Property Map of Palmetto Dunes", Map 195 in the Research Room. It was probably made during the 1970s. Palmetto Dunes, an upscale housing development on Hilton Head Island, was created on land that was purchased for $1000 an acre in 1967. If you look closely at the lower left of the map, you'll see some handwritten notes about the 60 rooms that were planned for the Palmetto Dunes Inn and the 40 rental units planned for the Water Oak Villas. These notes make this map unique.
August 10 - P is for the Palmetto Volunteers, a regiment that served with distinction in the Mexican War. Among those who bravely fought was Capt. James A. Stuart, a son of John Allan and Claudia Smith Stuart (whose letters were discussed in my FB post on 2 August 2021 below). Read more about the dashing life and death of this young man in Connections. It's another "True Tale" brought to you by the BDC.
August 11 - "P is for Palmetto" Black History Note: African-Americans in the Palmetto State was put together by the SC Department of Education in 1994 to support instruction about Black History in the K-12 public schools. Thematically it covers historical periods and some of the many contributions of Black South Carolinians to religion, literature, performing arts, visual arts, the military, and the Civil Rights Movement. Among the Beaufort District related people or places mentioned are the 1st SC Volunteers (USCT); Reconstruction Era figures such as Robert Smalls, Thomas Miller, Richard Gleaves, and William Whipper; Mather and Penn School and 'Smokin' Joe" Frazier, a 20th century Olympic champion and World Heavyweight boxer.
August 12 - "P" is for Palmetto Post, a newspaper published in Port Royal from 1882 until it moved to Beaufort in 1906. It ceased publication in 1907. S.H. Rodgers, the so-called "Palmetto Poet" was the newspaper's editor. You can read and roll the Palmetto Post on microfilm in the BDC Research Room. You can check out Rodgers' poems published in the paper and from his diary, his words of wisdom, and selected editorials from the newspaper in the book Palmetto Poet : S.H. Rodgers edited by Walter Rodgers.
August 12 - The Palmetto Post mentioned earlier today has its obituaries listed in the Online Obituary Index already. It was among the first newspapers - if not the first - that Mrs. Adams indexed more than two decades ago. Since then the work has continued with the help of other Beloved BDC Docents Carole Holland, Jan Johnson, Merle Hoagland, Laura Lewis, and Nelson Brown. Work proceeds slowly with the hope of eventually getting to March 31, 2015 when our newspaper back files on microfilm run out.
August 13 - One of the running jokes in library services is the customer who comes in and asks for the blue book. In this instance, that blue book is Palmetto Braiding and Weaving by Viva J. Cooke and Julia M. Sampley (Miami, FL: E.A. Seemann Publishing, 1947). They learned how to braid and weave palmetto fronds from their mothers and wanted to pass down the arts and craft to later generations. They provide patterns for making hats, baskets and purses with the naturally abundant material.
Behind the Scenes Activities
August 19 - Among the many tasks performed in the Research Room is maintenance of the 2500+ vertical files.
Through the power of the internet, the magazine's title and the help of the magazine's editor, I now know that "Baskets of Atlantic Canada" appeared in the November/December 2001 issue of Saltscapes on pp. 22-26. It was the 6th issue from volume 2 of the magazine's backfiles. I wrote the citation along the bottom of the final page of the photocopy so that even 50 years from now the source will be known.
Jodi Delong, the magazine's editor, sent me the direct link to the article in the Saltscapes database to share with you. The local history connection for us is on page 26 of the article.
I have no doubts that this photocopy came from one of former Interim Library Director Hillary Barnwell's annual sojourns to Nova Scotia. It still makes me smile to think of her and her dedication to Beaufort County Library and public library services.
August 12 - I am proud to announce that there are now 885 new listings in the Online Obituary Index for the 1985 Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet newspapers thanks to the work of Beloved BDC Docent (and former Library co-worker) Kathy Mitchell. She agreed earlier this year to take on the tasks of reading the newspaper microfilms in search of obituaries for local people and then indexing the items for posting into the Online Obituary Index.
This dedicated group have together created a database of entries for more than 25,000 people whose deaths were noted in the local newspapers since 1882.
Please note: The index gives the person's name and the citation for the obituary in the newspaper. The actual published obituaries are available inside the Research Room - just remember that limited access continues due to staff shortage and the small physical size of the public area of the Research Room. bdc@bcgov.net; 843-255-6446
August 17 - In response to a reference question a few weeks ago, I put together a highly selective list of books that might help you write up your family history. Please note: None of these items are available in the BDC Research Room. Check out the post in Connections, the BDC's longest running blog.
August 9 - "Materials Monday : Letters" "Letters to the Editor" in local newspapers can be very informative about government operations and/or local issues. This letter in the March 3, 1875 issue of the Beaufort Tribune submitted by Justice attempts to explain why County Treasurer George Holmes won't pay the teachers. The issue festers for another two months or so until Robert Smalls gets the State Legislature to front Beaufort County $10K to cover the teachers' payroll.
Though we have the Beaufort Tribune on microfilm in the Research Room, it is usually more efficient to use the Chronicling America website that shares digital images of select newspapers. One can put in search terms in the digital newspapers; with microfilm it's a "read and roll" process. But - and it's a big but - microfilm remains superior as frequent readers of this page know for the reasons I have expressed in former posts here.
Former BDC assistant Lori Setterstrom did this research earlier this year. I asked her to find some interesting letters to the editor as fodder for this weekly post. Since school is again in session, I chose to work in her work now as the 2021-2022 school year begins.
August 16 - "Materials Monday : Letters" The New Testament has a lot of letters written by the Apostle Paul to various groups of Christians throughout the Roman Empire. Epistle is just a fancy word for a "letter as a literary work" meant to reach a broad audience. In the Gullah De Nyew Testament, the opening paragraph of the book of First Corinthians goes like this:
"Paul Fus Letta Ta Dem Een CorinthA Paul, wa God call fa be postle ob Jedus Christ cause dat wa God wahn, da write dis yah letta, long wid broda Sosthenes...."
We have plenty of copies to share in the Local History sections as well as a permanent copy in the Research Room.
August 4 - "Black History Note:" Here's a bit of tourism history for you. There was a long period when Black people could not travel as easily as many other Americans could. Beginning in 1936, the Green Book led African American tourists to accommodations, restaurants and other businesses that accepted Black clientele during the days of segregation. If you watched the movie Green Book (2018) starring Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen, you may recall that there were a lot of places where the world famous pianist, Donald Walbridge Shirley (1927-2013) portrayed by Ali, was not welcomed. You can read the Negro Travelers' Green Book for 1956 online courtesy of the South Carolina Digital Library. There are no listings of "Hotels - Motels - Tourists Homes - Restaurants" for Beaufort in 1956. Read more about the history of the Green Books in the Library of Congress Magazine. The Library has multiple copies of the Green Book movie on DVD for you to borrow. You can listen to the movie soundtrack on Hoopla.
August 18 - "Black History Note:" ... and something of a mystery. While working on behalf of an off-site customer looking for an article, I came across two supplements to the Beaufort Gazette in September 1913 written for the Black community labeled vol. 1, Numbers 10 and 11. I didn't find any earlier issues before 5 September 1913 nor any later issues after 12 September 1913 on the microfilm. It's a shame that the issues did not survive to be microfilmed during the 1960s. There is a treasure trove of information in just the two issues we have. For example, the Caffey-Bell wedding at the Tabernacle Baptist Church sounds like it was a lovely affair.
Days of Commemoration
August 3 - It's National Watermelon Day! [Here's an image] from our Donner Collection hosted online by the Lowcountry Digital Library [to celebrate.]
August 14 - August 14, 1945 was met with a "spirit of overwhelming joy." The Empire of Japan was defeated by the Allied Powers. The then weekly Beaufort Gazette (the County's only newspaper) in its 17 August 1945 issue reported how the people of Beaufort celebrated the end of World War II.
August 17 - Q: What South Carolina plant fits in your hand?
A: 
A palm-etto tree!
A palm-etto tree! It's National Tell-A-Joke Day! There's nothing in the rules that says it has to be a good joke. Indeed, there are no rules at all! Make someone smile today with a good - or not so good - joke. If you want to learn more about our state tree, check out its entry in the South Carolina Encyclopedia.
August 25 - "Black History Note:" Celebrate the National Park Service's birthday by visiting the Reconstruction Era Historical National Park right here in Beaufort County. You can learn about the history of the newly Freed people and the tumultuous times in which they lived as well as some of the enduring impacts of that history.
August 26 - Paraphrasing an idiom about dogs in honor of National Dog Day: "If you can't sign up for the BDC's Grace.Notes e-newsletter, then you'd better stay on the porch" with Fido here (another canine from our online Donner Digital Collection Those Donner Brothers loved their dogs.) Don't be a lazy dog. Sign up today!
August 27 - Today is a "Red Letter Local History Day" that makes me sad to commemorate. Go to our WordPress blog post to reflect about some of the known deceased who were killed during the Hurricane of 1893.
Miscellany, etc.
August 10 - I know how much some of you enjoy the BDC's local history programs. Get the inside scoop & stay informed of the BDC's news, notes and upcoming programs by subscribing to our occasional Grace.Notes newsletter. Go to the Library's Subscription page and check the "Beaufort District Collection" box to get on the email distribution list. BTW: If you've already subscribed, the system will tell you and prevent you from signing up again.
The BDC Research Room has some school district records on microfilm. If interested in learning more about what we have, send me an email bdc@bcgov.net or call 843-255-6446 so I can tell you more about the scope and content of those records and you can decide whether and when to schedule an appointment to read and roll through the appropriate reels of microfilm.
August 20 - What good can come from studying history and/or earning a History degree? The American Historical Association answers that question.
August 21 - Got stinky books? Read some tips on how to tackle mold and mildew on your books with Biblio.com.
Artist Appreciation Month
August 22 - August is Artist Appreciation Month and the BDC probably has and shares more information about local artists than you might expect.
August 28 - Sam Doyle is a local folk artist to appreciate.
August 29 - The Beaufort Art Association was established in 1957 to promote and support the visual arts and local artists. In 2019 the association donated their archives to the Library. Let the Finding Aid be your guide to determine whether or not you'd like to set up an appointment to review the collection's contents: gracec@bcgov.net; 843-255-6446.
About Hurricanes
August 15 - We're rapidly approaching the busiest part -- historically speaking -- of hurricane season in coastal South Carolina. I turned the "Tales to Tails" display into one featuring just a few of the BDC's many resources about hurricanes. Expect to see and read more about some of the items over the next few weeks.
August 23 - "Materials Monday: Letters" I recently re-discovered a photocopy of a letter from Clara Barton to Mrs. George Waterhouse written in 1894 as I was preparing to commemorate a significant Red Letter Day with you all later this week. There's more about the history of this letter in the BDC's Connections blog. BDC Vertical Files: the gift that just keeps on giving - and will continue to do so long after I am pushing up daisies!
August 24 - Why has the BDC turned into a filming studio again? Subscribe to the BDC's Grace.Notes e-newsletter to find out!
August 31 - Talking about hurricanes is, unfortunately, often timely. Louisiana was struck hard by Hurricane Ida over the weekend. It is not an uncommon event along the Gulf Coast or Southeastern United States.
The worst hurricane to slam Beaufort District - so far - was the Great Sea Island Hurricane. I made a video about this cataclysm of 1893 for the Library's YouTube Channel last week. Please note: Contemporary descriptions about the event are graphic and may be disturbing to some viewers. The video is intended for mature audiences. [It will be available only for a limited time. - gmc]
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