"Adventure Begins" in the BDC's Display Case

With Jalen's departure, I am stocking the BDC Display case with "Adventure" for June and July.  

According to the online Cambridge English Dictionary, adventure is "an unusual, exciting, and possibly dangerous activity, such as a trip or experience, or the excitement produced by such an activity." At first, I thought that the BDC might not have enough material to highlight this theme. But as I explored our holdings looking for "adventure stuff," I was pleasantly surprised (again). Oftentimes I go into a topic expecting to find little or not enough for a display but then poof! there's more than enough to go around. As it turns out, the BDC can definitely share some local history related adventures with our customers!

Shelf 1 contains three classics. 

I choose Adventure in the Woods and Waters of the Low Country by J.E. McTeer on account of its book cover and the author's reputation for delivering entertaining tales of shipwrecks, hunting, fishing, and creatures in the Carolina lowcountry. Sheriff McTeer was not one who let truth get in the way of a good story. Caution: Lots of references to smoking cigars, drinking of alcoholic beverages, and killing of animals.

The ship on the book cover is the City of Savannah that was shipwrecked during the Hurricane of 1893. When I do the "Tide of Death" lecture, I always include a lot (perhaps too much) information about what happened to her. One of the men marooned on the steamer ended up being Clara Barton's right-hand man on Hilton Head during the recovery effort. By the way, I'm doing that lecture at Beaufort Branch Library at the end of August.  

William Elliott's Carolina Sports by Land and Water is considered a sports literature classic. It has stayed in print since 1846. The USC Press reprint of 1994 with a new introduction by Theodore Rosengarten (author of Tombee) has a beige, brown and red cover that is more suitable for a display than the other copies we have. Mid-19th century book covers tended to be rather formal. The BDC has a first edition copy and several other reprint editions in the Research Room.

Plenty of circulating copies of this classic are available through the SCLENDS consortium. It's also available on Hathitrust, the Internet Archive and the Digital Public Library of America. In other words, there is no reason at all why you shouldn't check out Carolina Sports.

BTW: William Elliott III was an interesting very important person. Cassandra and I recently updated a long neglected bibliography of materials by and about him on the BDCBCL: Links, Lists and Finding Aids blog. We have an original copy of his Address to the People of St. Helena Parish (1832) in our stacks in which he expressed his opposition to nullification. It cost him his political career.

A Sea Island Adventure : Beaufort County, South Carolina, 1999, 2007 is a video introduction to the area's natural environment, Gullah culture and long history. Not only does the title of the video include the word "adventure," it is included in the ETV Video Adventures series. I like the VHS cover of the boats silhouetted in the sunset. [The DVD copies that are in the local history sections at some of the Branch Libraries have plain covers.] The writer and producer was local resident, Suzanne Larson; videographer was local resident, Paul Keyserling; and the narrator was Miles Mead.

I like Thomas Schotter's artwork for Summer Reading 2024. He took the islands portion of Beaufort County with 30 "stops" along the way to indicate one's path to successful completion of the program by July 31st. I think that the gameboard makes a fitting backdrop for Shelf 2. 

I included a copy of the Civil War Times Magazine because the article "A Slave's Great Adventure" is about the same person featured in Captain of the Planter by Dorothy Sterling. That man with guts of steel was Robert Smalls.  

As most of you know Smalls steamed the Planter into the Union's naval line under the nose of the Confederates in Charleston Harbor in 1862. Though the man and his feat were nationally famous during the Civil War and Reconstruction eras, Dorothy Sterling (1913-2008) was the first author in the 20th century to take note of the significance of the act in her book Captain of the Planter: The Story of Robert Smalls (1958). We have letters between Sterling and Beaufort Township Library staff from 1955 to 1956 in the Research Room as Sterling was doing her due diligence trying to separate fact from fiction and reconcile conflicting accounts of some of the details of Smalls' life before the book's publication. The Dorothy Sterling Letters Finding Aid is in the BDCBCL: Lists, Links and Finding Aids blog.

Andre Michaux: Journals and Letters, 1785 - 1797 edited by Charlie Williams, E.M. Norman and Walter Kingsley Taylor (2020) is the first English translation of this naturalist's personal journals and correspondence written from America. King Louis XVI sent him on nine "adventures" to identify unknown plant species that might improve French forestry, agriculture and horticulture. Two of those journeys crossed into Beaufort District. If you're into botany, you will find "Michx." at the end of more than 700 plant names in his honor. Unfortunately, none of his letters directly commented on species he discovered within our historic borders. But the book is just beautiful and chocked full of primary source documentation. I can see this volume being an useful item for research 25, 50 or even 100 years from now.

The alligator has swum his/her way through many a BDC display over the past 13 years. If I recall correctly, I raided my children's long discarded toy box to bring it to work.

We have a number of cruising guides here in the Research Room. The  6th edition of the Cruising Guide to Coastal South Carolina and Georgia (2007) has the marina and fake lighthouse at Harbour Town in Sea Pines Plantation on the cover. 

American Conquistador: An Action-Adventure that is more Robin Hood than Robin Hood. And the Story is True! by Daryl Arden Ferguson covers the early Spanish and French settlements in our area. There are also copies of this title that you can borrow from the Local History sections at the branch libraries. The BDC is honored that Mr. Ferguson gave us a pre-publication proof of his book back in November 2021 for our archives.

I rather like lighthouses - and I like the word "treacherous" because it just oozes "adventure." I included the VHS copy of the award winning documentary by Suzanne Larsen and Paul Keyserling, A Light on Treacherous Waters: The Story of the Hunting Island, South Carolina, Light Station for its attractive cover. It's also an important history. [Teaser: You'll hear more about that in early August]. The Beaufort County Library owns and shares copies of this title on DVD through the Local History sections at some of the branch libraries. 

I placed the front and the back cover of the Summer Reading Program pamphlet on the shelf in hopes of drawing attention to the fact that it is possible to get an "extra" entry into the Grand Prize sweepstakes by doing 6 of the 12 additional activities, 3 of which I can directly relate to Local History. 

1) You can "Attend a [Local History] Library Program" of which we are offering three! 

2) You can "Read about Local History" by following our many suggestions here in Connections, on Facebook, or by picking a title from one of the more than 125 topics on the BDCBCL: Links, Lists and Finding Aids blog. 

3) You can "Use Hoopla" to read some audio and e-books about our long and storied local history, too. Of course, I'd prefer that the "local history" titles were about this area, but a search on "local history" in Hoopla brings up tons of titles about local history in other locales. For example a search on "Hilton Head Island" as an e-book results in 188 hits. The downside is that the Hoopla search engine is not optimal. Only a few of the "hits" are local history non-fiction titles relevant to Hilton Head Island. Among the successful hits are Hilton Head Island in the Images of America series; Captain William Hilton and the Founding of Hilton Head Island; The Dolphins of Hilton Head; Hidden History of Hilton Head Island; and Remembering the Way It Was by Fran Marscher. If you want a 5 minute history in a nutshell version that covers colonial times to the present, then The Birthplace of Hilton Head Island in South Carolina by Charles J. James, Jr. (2024) may be your best bet.  [Caution: The narrator doesn't correctly mispronounce "Daufuskie" Island.]  You can search in Hoopla on other places in Beaufort District to discover even more options!  

The bottom shelf includes the definition of the word "adventure." I know that some people find Fishin' (1993) an exciting activity but I really liked the cover of this book about where to go around Hilton Head Island to hook a fish or four. The BDC has a number of guides from the 1970s - 2000s on how to find the right fishing holes across our coastal waters for those who want to come into the Research Room to plot their next marine adventure. 

I can't say that I am a fan of fishing as a personal recreational activity. But I generally don't pass up the opportunity to accompany fishermen and fisherwomen on their boat-bound adventures in search of hooking just the right species. It's just that I take along not a pole or a rod or seine net but a book, lots of sunscreen lotion - and plenty of iced water and snacks. I've even been known to sing to a fish or two in my time. [That used to really aggravate my Daddy way back in the day.] 

Sea Kayaking the Carolinas (1997) "is a where-to, as opposed to a how-to, guide to kayaking." It assumes that its readers know how to sea kayak already. It's meant to help you choose a destination along the coastal plain of North and South Carolina for your adventure. Information includes places to put-in and take-out, camping regulations, suggested base camps, and the location of useful facilities such as fresh water sources and toilet stations. The most relevant sections for this area are the ACE Basin, Hunting Island State Park, Pinckney Island and the Savannah National Wildlife Refuges covered on pages 177 - 199. 

If you'd like to tap into "adventure" in the Research Room, please make an appointment for assured service: 843-255-6468 or bdc@bcgov.net. 

A reminder: The BDC Research Room will be closed on Thursday, June 27, 2024. 

Heads up: All units of the Beaufort County Library will be closed on Thursday, July 4, 2024. Regular hours resume on Friday, July 5th. 

BDC SRP Program #1 - "Then & Now" Library Services in Bluffton

Summer Reading Program 2024 is underway. And the Beaufort District Collection is once again contributing to the Library system's effort to encourage reading for learning, for leisure, for life with a few local history programs in June and July. First up is a retrospective and current perspective of library services in a specific area of Beaufort County. 

The BDC will be over at Bluffton Branch on Saturday, June 22nd to present "Then & Now, Bluffton Library Services: An Adventure Through Time." I will do the "Then" part covering how the Beaufort Township Library and the Beaufort County Library once served rural Bluffton residents back in the day.  Debra Henderson of the Bluffton Branch's Reference staff will be responsible for the "Now" portion. She will cover some of the many Library services available to library cardholders, local residents and visitors of the Bluffton area today. 

Please join us. 

Finding "Adventure" in the BDC

As regular readers know, I always try to "fit" in something from the BDC during a Library system initiative. Such was the case again this year during the Summer Reading Program. Since it's all about "Adventure," I began by looking up the definition of the word. According to the online Cambridge English Dictionary, adventure is "an unusual, exciting, and possibly dangerous activity, such as a trip or experience, or the excitement produced by such an activity." Sounds exciting, doesn't it? But where could I find "adventure" lurking in the BDC's stacks? How could the BDC offer some "adventure" in our programming in June and July? What adventuresome materials should we bring to our readers' attention in the display case, the lobby board, on social media, through our programs? 

I started thinking about what we have and could perhaps do months and months ago. In here, pretty much everything starts with a search: of the catalog, or the archives inventory, or the dark recesses of my brain. Over the course of the next two months, you'll see the results. Because the BCL likes for programs to be added to the system calendar no less than 4 months in advance, thinking about local history programs coordination is normally a first step activity. 

I was glad that Deb Henderson asked me about doing something - and that I discovered a PowerPoint I created about a decade ago with lots of images and some research about the Bluffton Branch.

Editing prior work is almost invariably less intensive than crafting a presentation from scratch. The result will be "Then & Now, Bluffton Library Services: An Adventure Through Time" on Saturday, June 22nd at Bluffton Branch Library. Lecture begins at 11 AM.  I'll take care of the "then" part; Debra will handle the "now" part. We hope that attendees will learn a little history and learn something new about the library services currently available to our cardholders. 

Since Cassandra's probationary period will end soon, I asked her about devising a presentation of what she's learned so far as our contribution to SRP 2024. We decided to call her session "Adventures in the Archives ... OR BDC Treasures I've Found my first 6 months on the job."  This session is for "True History Nerds" who love research materials! 

We decided to give an evening session a try since the best attended "Behind-the-Scenes" event was on a Wednesday evening. Please note: This is not a rehash of the BTS events. She's been working on a number of projects since January so her presentation will consist of mostly "new-to-us stuff" she's discovered or re-discovered as she works through our decades long backlog of archival materials. We'll be happy to have you join us. I really think that you'll be impressed by how much she cares and enjoys working with the "stuff" here in the special collections and archives unit. This session will be in the Beaufort Branch Meeting Room, 311 Scott Street, 1st floor on Wednesday, July 24, 2024 beginning at 5:30 PM.  

A chance encounter at the Institute for the Study of the Reconstruction Era Symposium in April led directly to our third program related to the SRP.  Meg Gaillard and Reese Spradley of the Heritage Trust of SC DNR just happened to have the booth next to ours. In the course of casual conversation, it turned out that Meg would be doing some doctoral research at Fort Frederick the last weeks in July and it's been more than a decade since I last took BDC history nerds to that historic site. Another adventure we could share with you was born! Please note: Transportation to Fort Frederick is on your own. Parking at and near Fort Frederick is limited so consider carpooling. 

With Jalen's departure, I will once again take over the display case for a bit since I'd rather have Cassi fill in at the front desk on a regular basis. I can also get at least double mileage - and perhaps triple or quadruple mileage -  from that work. I'd have to research "adventure" in the BDC for the display case and then I can use that "adventure" research to create Facebook posts for the "Uniquely BDC: Materials Monday" and "Black History Note Wednesdays" series and perhaps for a few other dates in June and July as well. The triple factor will come in if I manage to find some interesting facets to add to the lobby display board down by the elevator on the first floor; the quadruple factor will be if I can create some slides from this work to show on the Vizio monitor in the 2nd floor reception area over Ileana's desk. 

I guess only time will tell whether or not the BDC is successful in our adventuresome endeavor. You can be the judge come the end of Summer Reading 2024.

Re-cap of BDC Posts on Facebook during May 2024

May 2024 just so happened to begin on a Wednesday. I gave the monthly overview and posted a Black History Note. I usually begin these re-cap posts with the series that just so happens to occur on or closest to the first of each month. Accordingly for May 2024 I begin with the Black History Note posts; then in turn come the Uniquely BDC Materials Monday posts; two Finding Aid Friday posts; posts about upcoming local history programs; and a few "Just Because" posts. 

Black History Notes: 

May 1, 2024 - "Black History Note:" I've always liked this image. Though we don't know who the two men are, the image was taken on Hall's Island in the 1880s and is part of the Library's "Phosphate, Farms and Family" digital collection hosted on the Lowcountry Digital Library website.

May 8, 2024 - "Black History Note in National Postcard Week:" I've always been rather fond of this postcard - with the entire student body arrayed on the porch, in front of and along one side of the building. If you visit the postcard online, you can enlarge the image to see if you recognize anyone. The photograph was probably taken in the 1910s since it's a Luther's Pharmacy image of the school when it was on Carteret Street. The school would relocate to Ribaut Road in the early 1920s.

May 15, 2024 - "Black History Note:" As most of you know, Beaufort County is full of sites connected to the National Park Service's Reconstruction Era network. I got an email notice just this Monday from the American Historical Association about a free Library of Congress webinar covering the Reconstruction period.

Wednesday, May 15, 4 p.m. ET

Visions and Realities of Black Freedom in the Nineteenth Century

Join the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress for an online event exploring how the United States grappled with the post-emancipation future for Black Americans. In the years preceding and during the American Civil War, antislavery reformers began to imagine what a world without slavery might look like—what shape a post-emancipation society might take. As such ideas clashed with realities in the wake of wartime emancipation, activists came to understand how the struggles for Black freedom and justice would be ongoing. This discussion will be chaired and moderated by Corey Brooks (York Coll. of Pennsylvania), and panelists include Frank Cirillo (Univ. of Michigan), Myisha Eatmon (Harvard Univ.), and Sarah Gronningsater (Univ. of Pennsylvania). How much of the panel discussion will touch on our own local history remains to be seen. But just in case you're interested: A recording will be available at loc.gov in the weeks following the event. [But it wasn't yet when I compiled this post - gmc]

May 22, 2024 - The Gullah Festival was established in 1987 to honor and recreate the atmosphere of a celebration called Decoration Day, now named, Memorial Day. Rosalie Pazant, her family, and Deloris Nevils helped found the event held over the Memorial Day weekend. The Festival provides a unique family friendly cultural experience for local, national and international attendees of over 35,000 during the 3 day event. The BDC has a vertical file of clippings and a small archival collection (Deloris Nevils Papers) about the festival. This year's festivities start on Friday:

May 29, 2024 - "Black History Note:" Going to the unveiling of the Harriet Tubman monument at Tabernacle Baptist Church on Saturday? She did, after all, help free more enslaved people here in Beaufort District than during all the other years she served as the "Moses of her people." Learn more about Tubman's role in the Combahee Raid through the BDC's WordPress blog.

PSST: If you prefer historical novels to history, then I recommend The Tubman Command by Elizabeth Cobbs (2019) available in print or on Hoopla with your BCL library card. If you want to know the state of latest research on the topic, then borrow Combee by Edda Fields-Black (2024).

Uniquely BDC: Materials Mondays:

May 6, 2027 - "Uniquely BDC: Materials Monday in National Postcard Week:" Even though postcards by their nature are meant to be reproduced and distributed in mass market numbers, sometimes there are only a few remaining copies of a particular postcard 25, 50, 100, or 125 years later. The BDC is lucky to have 4 discrete postcard collections - one of which is online through our partnership with the Lowcountry Digital Collection. Check out the digital Arnsberger Postcard Collection to see some of the rare - and not so rare - postcards.

True history nerds and/or deltiologists might like to learn more about the Peeples Postcard Collection and the Amalia Pugh Scrapbook we have in our Research Room. Finding Aids to each are posted on our WordPress blog.

May 13, 2024 - "Uniquely BDC: Materials Monday" in Asian American, Hawaiian Native and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month - Admittedly we are a little light in the BDC on this particular theme. But there is one event that touches on the intersection of the several themes. We have a few relevant clippings in the CHIN SANG FAMILY vertical file about a Jewish merchant and a Chinese grocer involved in a "Sensational Shooting on Bay Street" in August of 1903. According to the Beaufort Gazette, "There has been bad blood between these men for years, owing to some trifling misunderstanding." For the rest of the story, come and see the the contents of the vertical file.

May 20, 2024 - "Uniquely BDC: Materials Monday" in Jewish American Heritage Month - Leon Keyserling Leon Keyserling grew up on St. Helena Island and in the town of Beaufort graduating from Beaufort High School in 1924. He was both an attorney and an economist who helped craft New Deal legislation under Roosevelt. He served as an economic adviser to Presidents Truman, Kennedy, and Johnson. He spent much of his career exercising behind-the-scenes power advancing liberal causes.

May 27, 2024 - For many Memorial Day is the kick-off to summer fun but its origins lie in a much more solemn tradition. Just as the Civil War history of this place is different than elsewhere in the country, so too is its remembrance of fallen Civil War soldiers. Learn about the unique history of Memorial Day traditions in Beaufort District in a recently updated post to the BDC’s Connections blog. [All units of the Library system re-open Tuesday, May 28, 2024].

Finding Aid Fridays:

May 24, 2024 - It's Finding Aid Friday - and as it just so happens to be Gullah Festival weekend, I'd like to highlight the Nevils Papers. Delores Brazel Nevils relocated to South Carolina in 1977 where she became a contributor to the local newspaper, joined the Penn Club, and helped incorporate the Gullah Festival in 1987. Read about the small archival collection she donated to the BDC.

Heads up: We're down a staff member (again). We strongly encourage that researchers make an appointment before just showing up at our door. I'd hate for you to go to all the trouble of finding a parking space and paying the City of Beaufort's meters to come to this facility only to find that no one is in the BDC to help you. Please contact us ahead of your proposed visit: bdc@bcgov.net; or 843-255-6468.

May 31, 2024 - Cassandra did a great job researching and processing a small archival collection with a long title Presentation Copy of Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina Album Embossed to Mrs. F.W. Scheper, Jr. that we received last year through the Friends of the Beaufort Library. Read more about it on the BDCBCL: Links, Lists and Finding Aids blog.

Programs Related Posts:

May 3, 2024 - Today's the day for the start of the SC Academy of Authors weekend. If you didn't get a ticket for the in-person lecture happening later today, perhaps you can watch it through the Pat Conroy Literary Center's Facebook page. Or perhaps you'd like to read more about Ann Head on Connections. [UPDATE: You can view Nancy Thode and Stacey Ahner's presentation on the Pat Conroy Literary Center's YouTube Channel.]

May 10, 2024 - Next up is the final program of the 2023-2024 "Historically Speaking" season brought to you by the Beaufort County Historical Society and the BDC - and this time by the Hilton Head Chapter, Archaeological Society of South Carolina: James Spirek about "Shoals and Shipwrecks." We hope to see you at the Education Building on Thursday.

Just a heads up: Dr. Rowland's lecture originally meant to happen on Tuesday, May 14th has been postponed until next season.

May 14, 2024 - Don't miss our next local history program: "Shoals and Shipwrecks" with underwater Archaeologist James Spirek.

May 17, 2024 - Even if you missed "Shoals and Shipwrecks" the BDC has got plenty of information to share - as Jalen's last display shows.

Note: I got a little behind in posting photographs of our local history programs: "Remembering Ann Head" with Nancy Thode and Stacey Ahner held on May 3rd and "Shoals and Shipwreks" with James Spirek held on May 16th.

Just Because Posts:

May 1, 2024 - We did our "One Thing" in honor of MayDay 2024. I confirmed that Jalen and Cassi know where the emergency equipment closest to the BDC Research Room is. The 2nd floor has two fire extinguishers in relative proximity to our area; There's a Jacob's Kit close at hand. But the defibrillator is downstairs near the timeclock in Beaufort Branch.

May 7, 2024 - In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week: The Mills Atlas map of Beaufort District circa 1825 is a prominent feature on the walls of the Research Room. It is one of the BDC's true treasures. It was given in memory of James O. Cook around the year 2000. Mr. Cook was a beloved history teacher in the local public high schools. With money donated to the Library in his memory, former Director Julie Zachowski located, purchased and framed the map in archival quality housing for safe-keeping and preservation purposes.

May 18, 2024 - Armed Forces Day was created in 1949 by the Secretary of Defense, Louis Johnson. It replaced separate days that honored various branches of the military (Army, Air Force and Navy) and was intended to “expand public understanding of what type of job is performed and the role of the military in civilian life.” Set to be observed on the third Saturday in May, Armed Forces Day was celebrated with parades as shown in these images [Girl Scouts; Boy Scouts] taken of the local festivities in 1957 from the Library's Lucille Hasell Culp Collection.

What to Expect in June 2024

Summer Reading Program 2024 kicks off on Saturday, June 1 with events at all the Branch Libraries. The BDC's participation is more low key. We'll be pointing out from time to time how the BDC has and does "adventure" but we won't have prizes or give out reading cards. However, I do think that it's cool that the gameboard is a map of Beaufort County. Learn more on the Summer Reading 2024 page on the Library's website.

We are emphasizing "adventure" themed materials in our display case during the months of June and July. Expect a post and photos about my selections later. 

After such a vigorous 11 months of programs, behind-the-scenes tours, and community events, we are taking a bit of a break. Therefore, the BDC has only one local history program scheduled for June. "Then & Now, Bluffton Library Services: An Adventure Through Time" is a joint program brought to you by the BDC and Debra Henderson of the Bluffton Branch's Reference staff. We hope that you'll be able to join us on Saturday, June 22nd at Bluffton Branch for it.

The BDC will be closed on Thursday June 27th on account of a long planned "adventure" to Daufuskie Island to offer advice about materials preservation. 

The BDC has a job opening. Details are on the Beaufort County government website in case you might be interested in applying for what could be the worst paid - but most interesting - job you'll ever have.