Finishing Season 8 with a Flourish : BHM/ BDC Local History Programs

We are poised to end Season 8 of the Museum and Library's local history series on a high note with opportunities for you to learn more about the depth, scope, and breadth of Beaufort District's long and varied past. How did a grandmother run multiple plantations while her sons supported the Patriots cause? How did Beaufort District land features play out in the War of Independence? What is that land made of? are all questions that can be answered by attending our upcoming programs with the Beaufort History Museum. 

Tuesday, March 25, 2025 - BHM/BCL 8.3: "Eliza Lucas Pinckney's Revolutionary War" with Historical Interpreter, Peggy Pickett at Beaufort Branch

Program Description: Eliza Lucas Pinckney, portrayed as a time traveler from the 18^th century by experienced historical interpreter and author Peggy Pickett, gives modern audiences her view of the American Revolution as a woman and the mother of two Continental Army officers. One of those sons, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, left his plantation on Pinckney Island in her care while he was off at the Continental Congresses and fighting for independence from Great Britain. Space is limited. First come, first seated; Doors open at 1:30 PM for seating. 

Speaker Biography: Margaret Pickett, or Peggy as she prefers to be called, is a graduate of the University of Maryland and a former teacher who spent 20 years working in museum education in Virginia's historic triangle-Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown. In 1999 she became an independent Living History Interpreter researching and developing documented programs based on the lives of prominent 17th and 18th century Virginia women. She has presented programs attired in historical clothing reproductions and in modern clothing for the National Parks Service, at colleges and historical organizations in both Virginia and South Carolina.

After moving to Bluffton in 2010 she has added three 18th century South Carolina women - Eliza Lucas Pinckney, Dorothy Sinkler Richardson, and Rebecca Motte- to her repertoire. Her published works include The European Struggle to Settle North America (2011) co-authored with her son, Dwayne, and a biography of Rebecca Brewton Motte: American Patriot and Successful Rice Planter, 1737-1815 (2022).   She authored the first major biography of Eliza Lucas Pinckney since 1896, Eliza Lucas Pinckney: Colonial Plantation Manager and Mother of American Patriots, 1722-1793 (2016). 

Tuesday, April 29, 2025 - BHM/BCL 8.4:  "The American Revolution from the Perspective of Geology and Topography" with Dr. Tom Burnett at Beaufort Branch. 

Program Description: Dr. Burnett will discuss war strategies utilized by both American patriots and British soldiers through an integration of philosophy and cartography. He will begin with a general overview of the geology and topography of the Eastern Seaboard which influenced the outcome of many battles. From there he will narrow his lecture to South Carolina and highlight battles in Beaufort District. You will hear about the Swamp Fox, the Gamecock, and the Wizard Owl and how each used knowledge of their native terrain to defeat the British. Come learn the “real story” about why the South Carolina state flag features a palmetto tree. Space is limited. First come, first seated; Doors open at 1:30 PM for seating. 

Speaker Biography: Thomas L. Burnett, Jr., PhD received his B.S.in Geology and Biology and then his M.S. in Geology and Oceanography from the University of South Carolina. He Received his Ph.D. from Texas A&M in Geology and Oceanography. His long career included work in universities in South Carolina and California and in private business with Getty Oil and Texaco. 

Tuesday, May 13, 2025 - BHM/BCL 8.5: Lowcountry Discoveries of Dr. Dirt with Randy James, PhD at St. Helena Branch Library

Program Description: Learn about the fascinating soils in Beaufort District. Dr. Randy James will share many interesting secrets of our soils, from the top, all the way down to the phosphate bedrock. He will also discuss the fascinating, multiyear project, full of various pieces and parts, that finally allowed him to determine just how old our local soils are. Surprising stuff! As Dr. Dirt often says, “Why look up, when you can look down?” Space is limited. First come, first seated; Doors open at 1:30 PM for seating. 

Speaker Biography: Dr. Randy James has a PhD in soils, and is a Professor Emeritus with the Ohio State University, College of Food, Agriculture & Environmental Sciences. He has lived in Beaufort for over 15 years, does a lot of volunteer work in the community, and is endlessly fascinated with our dirt.