Coloring Books!? in the BDC

One of the facets of managing a local history collection that I like most is the opportunity to collect  materials in a variety of formats for the Library and archives unit. For example, coloring books are not a format commonly associated with library and archival collections -- but the BDC has a few coloring books in our holdings that are directly relevant to the long and storied history of Beaufort District. I'm doubling up the relevancy of this post as a "Color Our World" with History and the BDC's homage to the annual "National Coloring Book Day" that will fall on Saturday, August 2nd. 

As a reminder, the Summer Reading Program ends today! Be sure to follow the directions and return your completed game boards before time runs out for you to be eligible for the Grand Prize drawings.  

Our Amazing History Coloring Book: 1712-2012 by Esther Truesdale was done to help celebrate the tricentennial of the Parish Church of St. Helena - which has had several variations in name and denominational membership through the centuries. 

Melissa Conroy, one of Pat Conroy's daughters, drew and published The Lowcountry Coloring Book in 2016. She features historic sites and vistas in Beaufort County, Savannah and Charleston. A unique feature of her book is that the 44 drawings can be combined to make 16-inch four-square artworks.  The blurb says: "Artist Melissa Conroy takes us through the South's lush, magical Lowcountry, capturing the stately mansions and intricate gardens, haunting statuary and monuments, and animals from both the land and sea. Gather your colors and experience the enchantment." 

A Gift for Coco by Dyneshia Watson, 2018. Though Watson was born and reared in Newark, New Jersey, she relocated to Beaufort in the 2010s. Her many years of  experience working with children lead to this hybrid picture book and coloring book for children. 

Archaeology from A to Z = Arqueolog'ia de la A a la Z by the Heritage Trust Program, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (2023) showcases the agency's preservation and protection of cultural and natural properties across the state since 1974 in English and in Spanish. The Heritage Trust takes care of Stoney Creek Battery; South Bluff; Daws Island; Altamaha Towne; Fort Frederick and Green’s Shell Enclosure in Beaufort County.

You can download a personal copy and color the pages as you deem fit. 

We also kept one coloring sheet of each of the two drawing that Katharine Argall made for the Lafayette 200 celebration in March for the archive. 

Note: While we won't allow you to actually color our materials, we will allow you to take a cellphone photo or print a photocopy of our coloring books. Photocopies cost 10 cents per page.