The First Reconstruction: Black Politics in America from the Revolution to the Civil War by Van Gosse may seem somewhat out of the BDC's usual scope - and I admit that it is slightly. I purchased a copy to provide historical context and on account of the New York Review of Books assessment: "Gosse's immensely detailed The First Reconstruction offers a revealing, at times startling reconsideration of early national and antebellum political history. ... A valuable work of history that speak[s] powerfully to our own historical moment." It chronicles "the rise of an organized, visible black politics focused on the quest for citizenship, the vote, and power within the free states" of New England, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Later on these same critical political skills that would be exercised by Freedmen in Union occupied areas after the Civil War. Please note: The paperback book is big: 745 pages and so far the BDC is the only part of the SCLENDS consortium to have a copy. (I'm writing this just before Thanksgiving.)
The Green Book South Carolina : A Guide to African American Cultural Sites with evocative photographs by Joshua Parks is modelled on the Negro Motorist Green Book. According to the "Searching for Safe Havens" blog post by Ramon Jackson, the Negro Motorist Green Book was "a travel guide that provided African American travelers with information about businesses that accommodated Black customers to help them avoid the embarrassments, difficulties, and dangers caused by southern Jim Crow laws and de facto segregation in other sections of the country.... Roughly 200 Black owned businesses and other institutions in South Carolina were listed in the guide between 1939 and its final edition published in 1967" but few remain standing.
This new Green Book recommends African-American historic and cultural sites to visit in 2022. The Lowcountry section includes 9 sites located throughout Beaufort County. I think that his travel timeframe is off. Given the increase in the amount of traffic clogging the few roads now, I think that it'd be nearly impossible to catch a boat to see the Daufuskie Island Historic District, visit the Gullah Museum and Historic Mitchelville on Hilton Head Island, and make it to the Gullah Grub restaurant on St. Helena Island in time for lunch as he suggests. I'd recommend that visitors spend at least one night in a motel, Bed and Breakfast, or Air B&B on Hilton Head Island or in Beaufort to adequately cover all 9 of the sites in 2 days.
The Civil War in My South Carolina Lowcountry by James L. Harvey, Jr. is a combination genealogical and historical work that features what he learned about his ancestors who served in the Confederate forces, some of whom were stationed in Beaufort District for much of the Civil War with the Third Cavalry, 11th and 17th Infantry Regiments and Hampton's Legion. He includes local battles of Tullifinny and Honey Hill. He could find no evidence that any of his relatives owned slaves.
One of the BDC's collection development goals is gather titles produced from local publishing houses of nonfictional materials as foundations for the 21st century literary history of Beaufort County. I purchased five more anthology volumes published by the Island Writers' Network: Reflections; Living the Dream; Ebb's Flow; Time and Tide; and Ripples. Each book of poems, essays, photographs and short stories will ultimately reside by Hilton Head Island: Unpacked & Staying and Hilton Headings in the BDC. The Island Writers' Network was the brainchild of writer Jo Williams who placed an ad in the Island Packet newspaper in 1999 calling on those writers interested in meeting to gather together to support and encourage each other. From a initial response of a dozen writers, more than 70 members participate in monthly meetings, writing workshops and open mic readings today.
I added two children's books: Crabs on Calhoun by Katherine Robinson; illustrated by Jacob Eaton and My Trip to St. Helena Island : Discovering Gullah Geechee Culture by C. M. White. The books are similar in that each offers an introductory tour of local places and culture: Crabs on Calhoun features nine fiddler crabs and a tour of Old Bluffton's Historic District. My Trip to St. Helena Island explores Gullah culture and important historic sites.
2022 South Carolina Legislative Manual is the latest issue to join all the other state legislative manuals we share in the Research Room. Beaufort Branch was kind to give us their copy once the Legislative session ended in June.
Osha! by Osalami Lamoke was a transfer from a branch library to ensure that this recording would be available forever. The native daughter's local musician's birth name was Barbara Daise. A self-taught guitarist, she began writing and performing Gullah songs in 2004. This music CD includes selections in the Gullah folk, Afro-Caribbean, praise house stomp and blues styles.
National Bank Notes: A Complete History of National Currency Issued within South Carolina by Tony Chibbaro (Numismatics of South Carolina, volume 2) Though there weren't any Beaufort County based national banks between 1866 and 1935 that "enjoyed the privilege of issuing their own pieces of currency," this is an important niche limited print reference book - and as a second volume it supplements Chibbaro's earlier volume 1: Merchants Trade Tokens that does have information about and images of some Beaufort County merchant trade tokens. I bought this also because he includes lots of illustrations of bank notes and bankers which could help collectors of bank notes and genealogists well into the future. (Note: I had to look up the definition of "numismatics." It's a bit broader than I had anticipated. According to online Oxford Languages dictionary, the term includes the study of coins, paper currency and medals. I didn't know about the "medals" part but perhaps you did.)
Olivia and I picked up the rest of the Beaufort Three-Century Project Archive from Deborah Johnson who ran that commemoration from 2009 - 2011. A significant part of the archive has been in the Research Room for some time but it's great to have the remaining dozen boxes all in one place and under the public library's care. And it's great that as a certified archivist, she has done a lot of work arranging and describing what she turned over to us. As I told Ms. Johnson when we made the pick-up, I will do my best to get the collection created in honor of the City's 300th birthday arranged and described for the public to use before I leave employment. Realistically speaking, this is likely the last large archive that will enter the Research Room under my watch.
Reminder: The Library system will operate per usual on Saturday, December 31, 2022. Those units normally open will be open for business their customary hours on New Year's Eve. Because of how we ring in New Year's Day on a Sunday, all units of the Library system be closed on Monday, January 2, 2023 for New Year's Day per Beaufort County policy.
May you and yours have a safe and joyous New Year!
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