Most posts during this period related to program opportunities and BDC materials that supplement those program opportunities, particularly about the Great Sea Island Hurricane of 1893 and its aftermath.
August 1: August 2023 Overview: The dog days of August - and the blistering heat that come with them -- are upon us. Stay hydrated my friends. Limited access to the Research Room continues. Please make advance arrangements for a Research appointment: 843-255-6468 or bdc@bcgov.net. Surprise! for you and for me: I'll be the fill-in speaker at Beaufort Branch's "Time for Tea" Talk on Monday, August 7. On August 22, I'll be at the Hilton Head Branch Library to present "Tide of Death: The Sea Island Hurricane of 1893" at 1 PM. I hope to see at least a few of you there. Updating all the BDCBCL blog posts to integrate the new URL for the SCLENDS catalog continues: 16 done; only 100 or so more to go. Slow and steady wins the race - or so Aesop tells me. Otherwise, I'm doing my job and most of Olivia's duties as we seek to find the right person to succeed her in the Research Room.
August 2: "Black History Note Wednesday:" The book, All for Civil Rights: African American Lawyers in South Carolina, 1868-1968 by Lewis Burke (2017), explores the careers and impact of the 170 black attorneys who fought for equal protections and rights for African Americans, including these from Beaufort District: Samuel J. Bampfield; William J. Whipper; Julius I. Washington; Jonathan J. Wright; Richard H. Gleaves; A.A. Bradley; Thomas H. Wheeler; L.S. Langley; A. H. Ezekial; Dempsher W. Powell; Isaiah R. Reed; Charles English Washington; Charles E. Washington, Jr.; Thomas J. Reynolds; A.S. Bascomb; and William W. Still. We also have copies of Burke's At Freedom's Door: African American Founding Fathers and Lawyers in Reconstruction South Carolina (2005) if you'd like to set up an appointment to come visit the Research Room: bdc@bcgov.net; 843-255-6468. PS: Make plans to see the Civil Rights Exhibit on display in Darrah Hall at Penn Center.
August 3: Although the BCL's Summer Reading Program is over, the American Historical Association's Summer Reading Challenge is not! You have until Labor Day to complete the challenge. Success is 3 blocks; Over-achievers (and I would opine "true" history nerds) will go for all 9!
For example, I updated the Clara Barton, 1821 - 1912 : A Selective List of Links & Materials entry recently in preparation for the upcoming "Tide of Death" presentation at Hilton Head Island Branch later this month. Barton ran the relief effort in the wake of the destruction and misery caused by the Great Sea Island Storm of 1893. It includes some online resources as do almost all the bibliographies on the BDCBCL: Links, Lists and Finding Aid blog.
August 9: "Black History Note" Wednesday: Clara Barton was in Beaufort District at least twice: during the Civil War and in the aftermath of the "Tide of Death." Within days of Clara Barton's arrival in Beaufort to spearhead the Red Cross' relief efforts after the Great Sea Island Storm of 1893, four middle-aged Black Union veterans approached her. Each had been injured during the assault on Fort Wagner thirty years earlier. One of the men recounted: I was with Colonel Shaw and crawled out of the fort with a wounded arm and a broken leg. "We all got to you, Miss Clare. And now you got to us." - From A Story of the Red Cross: Glimpses of Field Work by Clara Barton (1928), pp. 79-80. You can read the book in our Research Room: 843-255-6468 or bdc@bcgov.net.
August 10: 12 days to "Tide of Death" at the Hilton Head Branch Library. I hope to see you there on Tuesday, August 22, 2023 at 1:00 PM.
August 14: "Uniquely BDC:" The Great Sea Island Hurricane devastated the coastal islands of South Carolina, killing thousands in 1893, and destroying the economic base of the area for years to come. Given the population of Beaufort County at the time, the vast majority of the dead were African-Americans. We know the names of about 300 of the deceased only because of surviving records from the Beaufort County Coroner's Office.
August 16: "Black History Note:" The devastation caused by the Tide of Death led to some adaptation to social conventions - at least in the short term. Mabel Burn recalled what happened at her house during the midst of the hurricane:
“Around 1 am there was a furious ringing of our door bell, and a tall Negro man we knew asked if he might bring women and children to our front porch as all their houses were gone.” But our porch was about to fall off so “My Father said … Bring them into the house.” About 30 Black refugees ended up spending the rest of the night in the Burn family’s private school room. Burn continued: “They had lost everything they possessed except for what was on their backs.” Her memoir doesn't mention what happened the next morning or afterwards to her Black neighbors.
August 16: I substituted for last week's "Tea Time Talks" and taught the ladies how to find "local history stuff" on their cellphones. Trust me. It is not intuitive. [I posted some photos of the program.]
August 18: [Tide of Death program reminder]
August 21: "Uniquely BDC:" As it turns out, the BDC has the only known surviving copy of Rachel Mather's accounts of the survivor stories compiled in the Storm Swept Coast in the SCLENDS consortium. Because of its fragility and the historical value of the item, we leveraged our long relationship with the Lowcountry Digital Library to digitize the small volume in 2016. I'll highlight a few of the stories during my "Tide of Death" presentation tomorrow at Hilton Head Branch Library. But you can read all the accounts therein online - whether or not you attend the BDC's local history program tomorrow.
August 22: The "BDC is on the road!" Heading to Hilton Head Branch to present "Tide of Death: The Great Sea Island Hurricane of 1893" featuring lots of the BDC's own materials. Heads up: The Library system will be closed for Labor Day, September 4th.
[I was on vacation from August 23 through September 8 so there were no Facebook posts during this timespan.]
September 11: "Uniquely BDC:" The BDC Research Room has a unique collection of oral histories to share on this solemn day of remembrance for much of the world. In 2004 Beaufort Branch Library participated in the ALA's September Project gathering personal reflections about what September 11th meant. Thirteen (13) residents of Beaufort County, of various ages and backgrounds, provided first-hand reflections on the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Flight 93, and the consequences of the terrorist attacks on American freedoms. The recordings were placed in the BDC for permanent retention upon conclusion of the project. Beloved Docent Hugh Folk made transcripts of the oral histories. We are proud to take care of the tapes and transcripts in our Research Room. The Finding Aid is posted in the BDC's WordPress blog.
September 12: Though it's a tad later than usual due to my vacation, here's an overview for what's on tap for the BDC over the next 5 weeks. Of paramount importance: A new BDC assistant is set to arrive - which, of course, means that a significant portion of my time over the next 4 months will be spent in training the assistant to do Olivia's former duties.
Local history programming wise, there is an awful lot going on at several sites so it's best to consult the Library system's calendar for details:
1) Dr. Rowland and Col. Allen will present "Beaufort Before Britain" at Beaufort Branch on Sept. 21st (Registration opened Sept. 7th); Co-sponsor: Beaufort County Historical Society
2) Registration for "Beaufort Before Britain" reprise at Bluffton Branch opens Sept. 21st; Co-sponsor: Beaufort County Historical Society
3) Authors Nelle and Ora Smith will share their book Paradise at Hilton Head Branch on Sept. 28th. No registration necessary; BDC@ the Branches program
4) We acknowledge the BDC Research Room's 13th anniversary on Sept. 29th with light refreshments in the 2nd floor lobby of 311 Scott Street in the late afternoon. Helpers: BCL Marketing & Communications and Programming coordinators
5) Registration for the "Plantation Profiles" session at St. Helena Branch Library opens October 3rd. Tri-sponsors: BDC, Beaufort History Museum and Beaufort County Historical Society
6) Dr. Rowland and Col. Allen reprise "Beaufort Before Britain" at Bluffton Branch October 5th. (Registration opened Sept. 21st); Co-sponsor: Beaufort County Historical Society
7) Registration for the "Plantation Profiles" session at Bluffton Branch Library opens October 5th. Tri-sponsors: BDC, Beaufort History Museum and Beaufort County Historical Society
8) "What the Heck is It?: Artifact Identification Session" in concert with the Hilton Head Chapter, Archaeological Society of South Carolina on October 7th at Bluffton Branch
PS: If you're on the Local History e-newsletter list, you'll already know how to filter the Library system calendar to only show BDC Local History programs. If you're not on the list, send an email to bdc@bcgov.net to get your name added.
September 13: "Black History Note Wednesday:" Giselle Perry-White wrote an excellent article about one of the lesser known but locally important Black politicians and business leaders of Beaufort County's Reconstruction Era era for the National Archives Prologue magazine in Fall 2010. Learn more about Renty Greaves through her research for "In Freedom's Shadow."
September 14: In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the BDC and Beaufort County Historical Society present "Beaufort Before Britain" with Dr. Larry Rowland and Col. Chris Allen - twice! Session details and registration information. Check the BCHS's EventBrite link for any remaining seats for the premiere September 21st session.
September 15: Chantal and her crew at Lobeco Branch revised the summer display I curated in honor of their 20th anniversary to decorate the area above their branch's local history section.
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