"These are a Few of My Favorite Things" by Cassandra Knoppel

As part of Cassi's training, I asked her to identify, make a display of, and write about some of the treasures that she's found in the Research Room during the 3+ months that she has been on staff.

JSYK: I am streaming "My Favorite Things" sung by Julie Andrews from the Sound of Music album on Hoopla even as I cut-and-paste, add links and comments and tweak a bit here-and-there. The Library also has DVDs of the movie, e-books about the composer and lyricist, the 50th Anniversary Album, etc. for and about this Rodgers & Hammerstein musical. 

Below is Cassi's list and synopses of a few of her favorite things discovered in the Beaufort District Collection during her earliest months on the job.- Grace Cordial 

The Great Sea Island Storm of 1893 by Bill and Fran Marscher (2001, 2004) 

The Great Sea Island Storm is one of the deadliest hurricanes in United States history, but so often forgotten. I didn’t even learn about it in school but from a Wikipedia entry on hurricanes I read in college. I only remembered it again when I was assigned with writing a detailed report on the history of the John Mark Verdier House for my senior report this past spring. I needed to know if any damage was reported at the Verdier House, and what the Downtown Beaufort area experienced in general during the storm. Thankfully, I was able to read The Great Sea Island Storm at the BDC. In it, I found a brief account of Senator W.J. Verdier’s experience on page 31, then continued to read account after grisly account of the horror of the storm and its aftermath. The Marschers seemed to have left no stone unturned when working to compile the information needed to write this excellent book, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in natural disasters or Beaufort history.

[One can still access the "Tide of Death : The Great Sea Island Hurricane of 1893" lecture that I recorded for the Library's YouTube Channel if you have 50 minutes to spare. -gmc] 

The Walter Greer Retrospective: March 19 - May 4, 1997 : The Self Family Arts Center : Walter Greer Gallery, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina (1997) 

I first noticed this book on artist Walter Greer when re-shelving materials in a section near our art-related materials. Glancing over towards the shelf it sat upon, I was drawn to the painting on the cover. The piece is entitled Orchard Pond and depicts a blossoming tree standing on the edge of a rippling blue pond. The colors are vibrant, but the brushwork was hazy; it felt like I was looking at a pastoral dream. I picked up the book to see if any of his other works included in the volume were of a similar style, and I was not disappointed. I learned from both Walter Greer’s work and the written text that Greer was a local artist who found inspiration from his surroundings. Much of his work is of the lowcountry waterways or vernacular architecture, some of my favorite subjects as well. This proved to be a delightful read and one of my favorites within the collection. 

[The BDC has the only copy of this particular title in the entire SCLENDS consortium.- gmc]

Court Martial at Parris Island: The Ribbon Creek Incident by John C. Stevens (2000, 2007) 

Growing up in Beaufort, I had heard the story of the Ribbon Creek Incident talked about, but never in much detail. I had heard just enough to consider Staff Sergeant Matthew McKeon to be a terribly bad drill instructor who cruelly led his men to their death. I first heard his story at a family gathering, but the details changed with every retelling of the story I heard thereafter. I remained confused yet firmly against McKeon until reading Court Martial at Parris Island while fulfilling a patron’s request at the BDC. 

The book includes interviews with McKeon and trial transcripts to give an insider’s look into the case. With this lens, it tells the story of that fateful night and its aftermath in great detail, revealing nuance and humanizing SSgt. McKeon while also being honest about the tragedy.  

[Judge Stevens gave the BDC his research files for the book earlier this year. The material includes a complete transcript of SSgt. McKeon's court martial. - gmc] 

Waking Up Dead: A Loose Collection of Anecdotes from Life as the Son of a Funeral Director and Coroner, Among Other Things by Ryan Copeland (2020) 

Picture this: You’re sitting in your high school’s library. There’s a kid there, maybe 8 years old, who appears to be the son of one of the media specialists, Mr. Ryan Copeland. The child decides to initiate a conversation with you. He chooses the subject: his grandfather’s old funeral home and refuses to budge from that topic until the end of the talk, which is when the child hands you his business card for a non-profit organization that he set-up. You are left with a million unanswered questions. 

This might sound like a bizarre dream, but it was a very real interaction I had with Ryan Copeland’s son, one that I remember fondly but remain confused by. When I came across Waking Up Dead in our collection this summer, I hoped that it would answer some of the questions I was left with after that brief talk with his son. 

In Waking Up Dead, Mr. Copeland writes about being raised by a funeral director and coroner. His detailed account balances both the humor and grief embedded in the occupation and the way it effects an entire family. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in morbid things, Beaufort-related anecdotes, or those of you who are also seeking answers after having a conversation with Mr. Copeland’s delightfully precocious son. 

[So far, only the Beaufort County Library shares copies of this charming book with our customers within the SCLENDS consortium.- gmc] 

Deadly Censorship: Murder, Honor & Freedom of the Press by James L. Underwood (2013) 

One of my first research projects for the BDC was narrowing down the two participants in a “duel that was not actually a duel” mentioned in Neil Baxley’s program on duels. This led to me looking into the BDC’s collection to find other not-quite-a-duel cases or events that were influenced by the culture of dueling for honor and justice. I ended up pulling Deadly Censorship because it centers around the events leading to and the aftermath of the murder of journalist Narciso C. Gonzalez by Lieutenant Governor 

James H. Tillman in front of the South Carolina Statehouse in 1903. The book argues that Tillman and the rest of South Carolinian society was struggling to overcome the idea that an injury to one’s honor was so severe that violence was a just form of restitution, even when freedom of the press was a First Amendment right and dueling had fallen out of fashion and legality. Deadly Censorship is both a fascinating court-room drama and an eye-opening piece on the history of press freedom and oppression in South Carolina. 

[My favorite feature of the book cover is the gunshot hole that serves as the "o" in the world "Censorship." In case you're wondering about the "Beaufort District" connection of Gonzalez: His mother was a Beaufort Elliott. When Harriet Rutledge Elliott Gonzalez died of yellow fever on 17 September 1869, her sister Emily helped rear the children - and expected their father, Ambrosio, to marry her, as was often the case in the 19th century. She was sadly disappointed. Cuban Confederate Colonel by Antonio Rafael de la Cova (2003) covers the travails of the Elliott-Gonzalez family. - gmc]

Ghosts of the Carolinas by Nancy Roberts (1962) 

I first encountered this book as a kid when my grandparents bought a copy for me to read. I was rather obsessed with ghosts at that age and reading ghost stories that were so close to Beaufort was exciting. At 10 years old, I felt that I only needed this book, a longer curfew, and the ability to drive to become a real ghosthunter. Unfortunately, that dream didn’t come to fruition, and I forgot about Ghosts of the Carolinas until this October, when I was tasked with designing a ghost-themed display for the BDC. While not grounded in facts and actual history, ghost stories like the ones included in Ghosts of the Carolinas are fun to read year-round when I’m looking for a scare. 

[This also happens to be one of the books that I checked out from the Georgetown Public Library when I was a kid - as apparently did Neil Baxley when he was growing up in North Carolina. He said as much when he saw the book in my office the day we filmed his "Duels in Beaufort District" lecture. Her work remains popular and many have been reprinted. I'm sure that there are likely thousands of children born and reared in North and South Carolina who got hooked on reading by reading Nancy Roberts' books. - gmc]

The Cheese Biscuit Queen Tells All: Southern Recipes, Sweet Remembrances, and a Little Rambunctious Behavior by Mary Martha Greene (2021) 

I love cheese biscuits. I catch myself thinking about the cheese biscuits from Red Lobster and Jim ‘N Nick’s BBQ Restaurant often. Too often. I am also frequently finding ways to tweak my own cheese biscuit recipe to become the greatest of all time. So, when The Cheese Biscuit Queen Tells All landed on the shelf next to my desk, I was immediately intrigued. Her recipe is quite different from others I have come across, so I am looking forward to trying it out for myself this holiday season. The writer, Mary Martha Green, credits the recipe to her Aunt Mimi, the original “Cheese Biscuit Queen of Beaufort.” There are multiple other delicious recipes hailing from Beaufort included in the book, so I’m a bit eager to give them all a try. 

Quakers in South Carolina: Wateree and Bush River, Cane Creek, Piney Grove, and Charleston Meetings, edited by Silas Emmett Lucas, Jr. (1991)  

I pulled Quakers in South Carolina off the shelf out of genuine curiosity. I had seen Quaker Meetinghouses in Massachusetts while visiting family, but I had never seen any in South Carolina. Seeing that I had the chance to learn more with this book, I took it. It is a bit of an academic read rather than a casual one, so it might not be everyone’s cup of tea. In fact, some might call it boring. However, I enjoyed it enough to put on this list because it satisfied my initial curiosity, then spurred me to be even more curious about Quaker history and culture elsewhere. 

[The hook is the fact that the Quakers of Philadelphia helped fund the mission of Laura Towne and that the Quaker missionary, John Hunn, served as the superintendent of Seaside Plantation in 1865 and stayed in the County long enough to become the  first and only chairman of the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners in 1872. There were financial discrepancies - but that's a research rabbit hole and likely a potential topic for a future Connections post. But back to the point: The main reason that I added this book to the BDC was for its emphasis on this sect within the Palmetto State. The closest meeting was in Charleston, and as a rule I try to devote the limited shelf space in the BDC to specifically Beaufort District related materials as possible. But as Cassi's entry shows, "genuine curiosity" about the Quakers, if any, in South Carolina remains a rather frequent question of our researchers. - gmc]  

Doctor K by Herbert Keyserling, edited and designed by Stephen Hoffius (1999) 

Doctor K is one book that I might not have noticed if I did not have to use it to fulfill a research request. The book details the life of Dr. Herbert Keyserling and includes anecdotes on Beaufort in the early 20th century and bits of family history. There are also family photographs and poems scattered throughout the book, which made it all the more engaging. By the end of it, I was grateful for the opportunity to look through Doctor K because it was such a delightful and informative read. 

[The Keyserling Family has been in Beaufort County circa 1890 and has been active in agriculture, business, politics, health care and the arts for generations now. A quick search on Keyserling as author in the SCLENDS catalog brings up other Keyserling memoirs, the life's work of "an activist economist devoted to liberal causes," children's books, and a plea for a fuller perspective on American history. - gmc]   

If you would like to set up an appointment to sit down with one of our staff and get some guidance, e-mail bdc@bcgov.net or call 843-255-6468. We will do our best to work out a date and time for your research visit that is mutually agreeable.

Since we're in the winter holiday season, please note that all units of the Library will be closed Thursday, December 23 - Monday, December 27, 2021; and again Friday, December 30, 2021 - Sunday, January 2, 2022. Some units of the Library will re-open on Monday, January 3, 2022 with expanded hours. Beaufort District Collection's first appointment of the day will be given the option of starting at 9 AM or 10 AM when we are discussing the arrangements. Whichever start time is chosen by the customer and BDC staff, the first appointment time will end at Noon.