Martin Luther King, Jr. at Penn Center

Martin Luther King, Jr. used to visit Penn Center on St. Helena Island for respite from his public political activities campaigning for Civil Rights during the 1960s. It is said that he wrote much of his "I Have a Dream" speech there. In honor of his life and work, we recommend I will not be silent and I will be heard: Martin Luther King Jr., the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and Penn Center, 1964-1967 by J. Tracy Power. The booklet is in the BDC for permanent retention of course, but there are plenty of print copies to borrow. There’s even a digital copy in the SC State Documents Depository collection online.

All units of the Beaufort County Library, including the BDC, will be closed on Monday, January 16th for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Regular hours resume on Tuesday, January 17th. 

Reminder: We will keep registration open for the "Civil War Union Bands" program at St. Helena Branch Library on January 19th until we reach room capacity. There will be a repeat of Dr. Johns' program at Hilton Head Island Branch Library on January 24th. Check the Beaufort County Historical Society's  website for seat availability for our co-sponsored "Bands" programs. Also, registration for "The Battle of Port Royal Island, 1779" will open on January 19th for that BDC/BCHS "Historically Speaking" series program.