"Historically Speaking" Series 5.1A & 5.1B: Beaufort District's European Origin Story

Latest update: 20 September 2023 - gmc

We're celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 - October 15 with a program held twice: once North of the Broad River and once South of the Broad River. Both are expected to reach capacity rather quickly. 

                                                                                                   

The Beaufort County Historical Society and the BDC are pleased to host Dr. Larry Rowland and retired Army Colonel and current National Parks Service Ranger Chris Allen in the "Historically Speaking" series Season 5 opening lecture: "Beaufort Before Britain: Our District's European Origin Story." And by the very kind offer of the presenters and due to meeting space availability, this presentation will be done twice to accommodate "local history nerds" on both sides of the Broad River. A word to the wise: I expect that seats will go quickly for both sessions.

A century before the Mayflower made its Plymouth Rock landfall, Spaniards were plying our coastal waters. "Santa Elena", or its English derivation of "Saint Helena", is America's third oldest European place name in continuous use.  In the shadow of Columbus and predating Jamestown by almost 90 years, Larry Rowland frames Beaufort's European origin story.  Col. Allen will underscore Larry's narrative using rare Italian, Spanish, and French charts from the 15th and 16th Century.  Look as hard as you want, but you will not find Boston, New York, Charleston, or Saint Augustine ... but you will see our home prominently annotated.  As "Santa Elena", Beaufort District drove European strategic thinking about the New World during America's First (and Lost) Century. Dr. Rowland is famous for saying "All of American history actually began in Beaufort."  At the talk's conclusion, you will likely agree that if Dr. Rowland exaggerates, it is not by much.

The premiere lecture (5.1A) will be held at Beaufort Branch:

Thursday, September 21, 2023 - "Beaufort Before Britain: Our District's European Origins" with Dr. Larry Rowland & Col. Chris Allen | 11 AM - 12:15 | "Historically Speaking" series 5.1A | Beaufort Branch Library, 311 Scott Street | Registration required. Register for the Beaufort Branch session beginning September 7, 2023 through the BCHS website.  If you have any questions, please contact beaufortcountyhistorical@gmail.com. If you don't get into the Beaufort session, perhaps you can register and attend the Bluffton session set for October 5th. 

The reprise lecture (5.1B) will be held at Bluffton Branch two weeks later:  

Thursday, October 5, 2023 - "Beaufort Before Britain: Our District's European Origins" with Dr. Larry Rowland & Col. Chris Allen | 11 AM - 12:15 | "Historically Speaking" series 5.1B | Bluffton Branch Library, 120 Palmetto Way | Registration required. Register for the Bluffton Branch session beginning September 21, 2023 through EventBrite. 

Presenter Biographies

Dr. Lawrence S. Rowland is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of South Carolina Beaufort where he taught for almost 50 years before his retirement. Other roles he performed at that institution were Associate Dean of Academics and Professor of History. He is a past president of the South Carolina Historical Society as well as the local Beaufort County Historical Society. He sits on a number of history related advisory boards. 

His dissertation topic at the University of South Carolina was Eighteenth Century Beaufort: A Study of South Carolina's Southern Parishes to 1800 and the history of Beaufort District has been the major focus of his work ever since. He has authored numerous articles and book reviews relating to the history of this area. I could not work nearly so well if not for his three volume series that I call the "Bible of Beaufort History:" The History of Beaufort County, 1514 - 1861; Rebellion, Reconstruction and Redemption, 1861 - 1893; and Bridging the Sea Islands' Past and Present, 1893 - 2006. Other works include Window on the Atlantic: The Rise and Fall of Santa Elena, South Carolina's Spanish City and The Civil War in South Carolina: Selections from the South Carolina Historical Magazine. He is a very popular lecturer so be sure to sign up as soon as registration opens on September 7, 2023. BTW: The books are available in the Research Room and through the Local History sections of the BCL Branch Libraries. The dissertation is available only inside the BDC Research Room. 

Christopher Allen graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1980. Commissioned in the Infantry, he transitioned to Special Forces in 1985.  He served in Berlin during the Cold War, Gulf War I, the containment of Iraq throughout the 1990’s, the US Embassy Baghdad in 2007 and had multiple Afghanistan and Pakistan tours from 2003 to 2017. He retired as a Colonel.  

Allen earned a Masters of National Security and Strategic Studies from both the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island and from the National War College in Washington, DC.

Though government service impeded his physical presence, Chris committed to making the Low Country his home in 2002.  A student of Steve Wise and a disciple of Larry Rowland, he served as a Beaufort History Museum docent, on the Santa Elena Foundation Board of Directors, and as a National Park Service Ranger at the Reconstruction Era National Park.

Please note: Just don't get your hopes up that every BDC sponsored program can be duplicated North and South of the Broad River as we are the smallest public service unit in the entire Beaufort County Library system and providing and maintaining the Research Room is always and ever shall be priority #1. It's just by happenstance that we are able to do both "Historically Speaking" 5.1 and 5.2 at two locations this Fall.