Re-cap of BDC Facebook Posts in August 2024

We had a tropical event near the start of August that impacted one of our scheduled local history programs - and our overall schedule. Sometimes a specific post "fits" into more than one of the headings. --gmc

Finding Aid Friday Posts: 

Friday, August 2 - "Finding Aid Friday:" If you attended Cassandra's "Adventures in the Archives" presentation on July 24th, you would have been impressed with her research about the Presentation Album given to Mrs. Scheper. Read more about it: https://bit.ly/469kMUB

Friday, August 9 - "Finding Aid Friday:" Another "Adventure in the Archives" for Cassandra was getting intellectual control of the records of the Beaufort area League of Women Voters. https://bit.ly/3y7rgGV

Friday, August 16 - "Finding Aid Friday:" Cassandra highlighted the John C. Stevens III Research Files in her recent "Adventures in the Archives" presentation. Judge Stevens compiled the archival material described in the Finding Aid while researching his book "Court-Martial at Parris Island: The Ribbon Creek Incident" (1999, 2007). https://bit.ly/4bUph7

Friday, August 30 - "Finding Aid Friday:" Just uploaded: The Elizabeth Caldwell Collection of Samuel Doyle Materials, 1983-2003, undated Finding Aid https://bit.ly/4cUElSw

"Uniquely BDC: Materials Monday" Posts: 

Monday, August 5 - "Uniquely BDC: Materials Monday" - The BDC has several lighthouse related folders of newspaper and magazine clippers in the Research Room, viz. HUNTING ISLAND - LIGHTHOUSE; also LIGHTHOUSES; LIGHTHOUSES - LEAMINGTON RANGE LIGHT; and LIGHTHOUSES--HARBOUR TOWN LIGHTHOUSE. You can read about the Haig Point Lighthouse in the DAUFUSKIE ISLAND vertical file and the LIGHTHOUSES file.

Monday, August 12 - "Uniquely BDC: Materials Monday:" There's a phrase in the BDC's collection development policy that reads "materials to provide context" which is why the BDC has two titles about Vermonters in the Civil War. Today's post is about "Discovering Black Vermont: African American Farmers in Hinesburgh, 1790-1890" by Elise A. Guyette. Loudon {sometimes spelled London] Langley was a Black Beaufort County official during Reconstruction. His ancestors were one of the few free Black and land-owning farmers in the state. At least one fought in the American Revolution; and Langley himself fought with the USCT. This well-researched book tells the fascinating story of closely related Black families in a small community in what was considered one of the whitest states in the country. The BDC is the only library within SCLENDS to have this title.

Monday, August 19 - "Uniquely BDC: Materials Monday:" In 1860 there were 709 African Americans in Vermont. 152 of the men served in the Union Army during the Civil War. James Fuller provides biographical sketches of many of these men in "Men of Color, To Arms!: Vermont African-Americans in the Civil War" (2001). Louden S. Langley was one of them. He first served with the 54th Massachusetts and then with the 33rd USCT (AKA 1st South Carolina) stationed at Beaufort. Fuller also includes Langley's eyewitness account of his experience at the Battle of Honey Hill for the Weekly Anglo-African newspaper - and his complaints about pay inequity for Black soldiers. The BDC is the only SCLENDS library to have this title.

Monday, August 26 - "Uniquely BDC: Materials Monday:" It's National Dog Day - and the Donner Brothers surely loved their dogs! Check out all the dogs in the Library's very first digital collection hosted by the Lowcountry Digital Library. Online since 2007 - https://bit.ly/4dspfUI

Black History Note Posts: 

Wednesday, August 14 - "Black History Note - and (Uniquely BDC):" Gen. David Hunter got himself in some political hot water when he decided to arm Black men to bolster the ranks of his army. The BDC is the only SCLENDS library to have his response to a series of Congressional questions about his actions: "South Carolina Volunteers. Letter from the Secretary of War, in answer to a resolution of the House of June 8, 1862, transmitting correspondence of Major General Hunter, in relation to arming South Carolina volunteers: fugitive slaves : July 2, 1862." Read more in Connections, the BDC's longest running blog: https://bit.ly/3SxlSUp

Wednesday, August 21 - "Black History Note:" Since it's American Artist Appreciation Month, I think that you would appreciate local folk artist Sam Doyle if you knew more about him and his work.

Wednesday, August 28 - "Black History Note:" Tonight's talk about the Hurricane of 1893 includes much information about what happened to the Black community as a result of the devastation. Almost all the known casualties in Beaufort County were African-Americans. Doors open to the Meeting Room at Beaufort Branch at 5:00; talk begins at 5:30PM. Free. We'll let people come as long as we stay below the Fire Marshal's capacity limit.

American Artist Appreciation Month Posts: 

Sunday, August 11 - Since it's American Artist Appreciation Month, we recommend the following library materials about Jonathan Green's work to you:

Tuesday, August 20 - While LeMoyne may not have been an "American artist," he is considered to be the first European to create art depicting America. "Art in South Carolina, 1670-1970" compiled and edited by Francis W. Bilodeau and Mrs. Thomas J. Tobias with E. Milby Burton (Columbia: South Carolina Tricentennial Commission, 1970) has Jacque Le Moyne's "Rene de Laudonniere and the Indian Chief Athone visits Ribaut's Column" (1564) gracing the cover. Sections are arranged chronologically and each is prefaced with an introduction about the art and artists featured. (Don't forget: our "Historically Speaking" lecture 6.1 will feature the art of LeMoyne on September 5th.)

Wednesday, August 21 - "Black History Note:" Since it's American Artist Appreciation Month, I think that you would appreciate local folk artist Sam Doyle if you knew more about him and his work.

Thursday, August 22 - Diligent research into identifying the artist of one of the most famous paintings of the enslaved led Susan Shames to some ground-breaking conclusions. Read more about John Rose of Beaufort District and his "The Old Plantation" painting. Better yet? Borrow her book and marvel at how Shames figured out which John Rose was the painter.

Tuesday, August 27 - James Reeve Stuart was born into a prominent Beaufort District family. He served in the Confederate forces during the Civil War. After the war, he became a well known artist, particularly of portraits of significant political and business figures.

Posts relating to Local History Programs: 

Monday, August 5 - Noon: PLEASE NOTE: Hurricane Debby has caused us to postpone the local history program scheduled for Tuesday. Monitor the Beaufort County Library's website for schedule updates due to the storm. - gmc 5 August 2024 at Noon

Tuesday, August 13 - Heads up: The "Historically Speaking" series Season 6 opens on September 5th with Larry Koolkin talking about the first European artist to depict life in what later became the southeastern United States.

Thursday, August 15 - The next local history program we're doing is the latest version of "Tide of Death: The Sea Island Hurricane of 1893" at Beaufort Branch. No registration. Just show up. Doors open at 5 on August 28th and we'll seat folks until we run out of chairs or meet Fire Marshal room capacity - whichever comes first.

Saturday, August 17 - We have rescheduled Ted Panayotoff's Author Book Talk about "Up Here: The Hunting Island Lighthouse and Its Keepers" (2024) at the Hilton Head Branch Library. Join us there on Tuesday, September 24th at 1:00 PM.

Sunday, August 25 - This week in the BDC: "Tide of Death" (a lecture featuring lots of our own archival materials) about the most devastating natural disaster to befall Beaufort County (to date) happens on Wednesday evening, the 131st anniversary of the hurricane at Beaufort Branch. We hope that you can join us.

Thursday, August 29 - One week to the return of the "Historically Speaking" series we co-sponsor with the Beaufort County Historical Society. Details: https://bit.ly/3LRd9bW

"Just Because" Posts:

Saturday, August 10 - Happy 223rd birthday, RWB.

Saturday, August 24 - Looking forward to the Meet-and-Greet at the newest branch of the Beaufort County Library system. I'll be there touting some of the BDC's online resources, upcoming programs, and pointing out the small local history section from 10 am to Noon today.