Beaufort County is made up of many islands, 68 of which are inhabited. Together they make up the chain of Sea Islands that the county is well known for. Some of the islands remain accessible only by boat. The largest islands are accessible by bridges now. Unless you choose to travel by air or sea, you will most likely cross a bridge in the midst of your Lowcountry adventures. If you wish to learn more about the bridge related materials we have to share here in the BDC, then keep on reading!
Across the Bridge: Penn School and Penn Center is a dissertation written by Francis Harold Jordan in 1998. This title is a BDC exclusive. To view, please contact the BDC to schedule an appointment.
Jordan’s dissertation explores the relationship between Penn School and the community as well as the role that Penn’s geographical location played in its evolution. For many years, St. Helena Island “had no bridge to mar its near-perfect isolation,” making the island the “ideal location” for the education of former enslaved. This seclusion did not last long and resulted in differing opinions:
“The isolation of St. Helena Island was finally breached in 1927 by the building of a bridge from downtown Beaufort to Lady’s Island. This Bridge opened up St. Helena to traffic because a small bridge already existed connecting it to Lady’s Island. Rossa Belle Cooley had opposed the bridge vehemently, saying that it would open up the islands to drunkenness, crime and other evils. Another reason for her opposition, to be sure, must have been the fact that the bridge meant an end to the state of isolation so highly prized by Dr. Frissell when the Hampton experiment began on the island.”
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To the left is the title page of Records of public transportation in Beaufort County: Prepared for the Beaufort County Historical Society: July 18, 1967: Also Read to the Hilton Head Historical Society: October 12, 1967 written and spoken to the Beaufort County Historical Society and the Hilton Head Historical Society by Charles N. Barnum. All forms of transportation in Beaufort District from 1733 to 1960 are covered in this presentation including ferries, horses, causeways, trains, and (of course) bridges. Barnum estimated that the first bridge constructed in Beaufort District was a bridge that spanned the Combahee River. I say estimated because although the bridge was authorized for construction in 1742, maps of the river depict a ferry running until 1938. This title is a BDC exclusive. To view, please contact the BDC to schedule an appointment.
Located in the April 12, 1997, Centennial publication of the Beaufort Gazette is an article titled “Bridges Tie Beaufort County Together,” written by Chuck Easterling. The article contains short histories of some well-known local bridges, such as: The St. Helena bridges, Whale Branch bridge, Broad River bridge, J. E. McTeer bridge, Horse Island bridge, Battery Creek bridge, and the Woods Memorial bridge. Easterling also interviewed Pigeon Point resident Mills Kinghorn, who had a hand in building two bridges that connect St. Helena and Hunting Island, as well as evaluating the Broad River bridge during its construction. Kinghorn reflects fondly on the time he spent connecting different areas of Beaufort. While others complain of traffic and hold ups, Kinghorn feels nothing but pride that “others are learning about the beauty of the Lowcountry.” The BDC has copies of the Beaufort Gazette from July 16, 1903 - March 31, 2015, available to view on microfilm.
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The BDC’s vertical file collection contains many files related to different bridges located in Beaufort District. Vertical files hold materials such as clippings, pamphlets, or articles pertaining to the subject of the file. These files act as a gateway; they can provide context that may point researchers to a new path of resources. If you are interested in learning more about the importance and use of these files, check out The Value of Historical (and Permanent) Vertical Files.
We have the following vertical files available to view in the BDC:
From VF Bridges, I came across two different bridge opening ceremony pamphlets. The first is from the grand opening of the Beaufort-St. Helena Bridge on Thursday, July 7, 1927. It is incredible to think that it has been nearly (or only) one hundred years since the city of Beaufort was officially connected to the Islands. The second is from the opening ceremony of the Marine Corps Memorial Crossing and Russell R. Bell Bridge on Saturday, May 7, 1994. This pamphlet provides a short history of Port Royal as well as an overview of the bridge’s construction, which first began on September 26, 1991.
Before the Bridge: A Memoir of Hilton Head Island by Kay Sconyers Moore (2015) was created in order to provide readers with a feel for what living on Hilton Head Island was like before and after the construction of the bridge. Moore was raised on Hilton Head during the mid-20th century, a member of one of the few white families residing there year round. Growing up listening to her mother’s stories of the Island, Moore set out to honor both the old and the new Hilton Head. From the Pioneers to the Ferry, the opening of the James F. Byrnes and the J. Wilton Graves bridge; Moore explores some major events in Hilton Head history while also sharing some more personal stories from locals she had interviewed over the years. This title is available for checkout through the Beaufort County Library System.
Another glimpse into Hilton Head pre-bridge comes from Gullah Days: Hilton Head Islanders Before the Bridge: 1861-1956 by Thomas C. Barnwell Jr., Carolyn Grant, and Emory Shaw Campbell (2020). Written by three descendants of African American Native Islanders, Gullah Days recounts the long and lasting impact Gullah culture has had on Hilton Head Island throughout history. When a bill to reshape land use was proposed to the General Assembly and rumors of building a bridge ran rampant, Native Islanders were highly concerned as the isolation of island living was seen as both a blessing and a curse. It was a way of life well loved but with limitations regarding interaction with the broader world and other cultures. Thus, Gullah Hilton Head Islanders had mixed feelings about the coming changes:
“Some Gullah people were happy to see the bridge come, and some were not... Most islanders saw the bridge with optimistic eyes. They saw convenience and the freedom to leave and come back to the island as they pleased.”
Additional copies of Gullah Days: Hilton Head Islanders Before the Bridge are available for checkout through the Beaufort County Library System.
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If you have read any of my previous Connections posts, you know that I love poetry. So, of course, I had to include a relevant poem from our collection. In 2010, Alice Connelly Moore published a book titled Inspired Words: Poems and Essays About Life in Beaufort, South Carolina. In this book, Moore included a short poem she wrote about the Richard V. Woods Memorial Bridge:
The Bridge
The concrete and steel snake
Looms cold and grey
Across the river.
Its sight invading
And mysterious
Through the drifting, misty,
Dank fog.
Across the River
That breathes the fog,
The town lies like
A secret place.
Its houses and churches
Wearing the cloak well.
Its lights a beacon to me.
Additional copies of Inspired Words: Poems and Essays About Life in Beaufort, South Carolina is available for checkout through the Beaufort County Library System.
Now, to emphasize the diverse array of material in our collection, we graciously transfer from perceptive poems to scientific studies and inventories.
The Metal Truss Highway Bridge Inventory for the South Carolina Department of Highways and Public Transportation was performed by Dr. Rudolf E. Elling and Professor Gayland B. Witherspoon of Clemson University in December 1981. This inventory covers a wide range of information on bridges, specifically metal truss bridges. Beginning with the history of metal truss bridges in the United States and South Carolina, then the scope, procedures, and results of the inventory, and finally the builders and relocations of metal truss bridges in South Carolina. This title is a BDC exclusive. To view, please contact the BDC to schedule an appointment.
Conversely, we have A Study of Pre-1951 Non-Metal Truss Highway Bridges of South Carolina for the South Carolina Department of Highways and Public Transportation prepared by Dr. Rudolph E. Elling and Professor Gayland B. Witherspoon in June 1993. A short introduction to historic bridges is followed by the history of concrete bridges and builders in South Carolina. Then, the scope of work and bridge analysis process is explained through the description of the initial screening, site visits, and final screening. Summaries of all selected bridges are included in addition to their categories, types, and identification numbers. An additional copies of this title is available for checkout through the Beaufort County Library System.
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In addition to books, maps, and archival collections, the BDC also houses videocassettes and discs! The Dedication Ceremony of the Harriet Tubman Bridge: [Saturday] October 18, 2008, was recorded by Beaufort County Broadcast Services. Representative Kenneth F. Hodges led the grand dedication ceremony of the bridge that connected Beaufort and Colleton Counties along Highway 17. The B. J. Scott Choir from Huspah Baptist Church of Seabrook performed multiple moving songs throughout the program and many notable local figures offered wise words about the historical significance of the structure. Additional copies of this DVD are available for checkout through the Beaufort County Library System.
Hilton Head Island Before the Bridge: a panel discussion by Native Islanders was recorded by WHHI-TV and The Museum of Hilton Head Island in 1994. This program follows discussions between Native Islanders Charles Simmons Jr., Helen Frazier Pittman, Mary Houston, and Diogenes Singleton about what life was like before their home was connected to the Lowcountry mainland. This program is a BDC exclusive. To view, please contact the BDC to schedule an appointment.
To the left is Bridges to Change: How Kids Live on a South Carolina Sea Island by Kathleen Krull with photographs from David Hautzig (1995). This title follows Travis and Martha, two young children living on St. Helena Island, as they go about their daily lives on the island. With each passing day, Travis and Martha make active efforts to learn more about and connect with their African heritage. The isolated islands have long since been connected by bridges, which brought many new opportunities to islanders but has also caused major strains on the community: “because of this dispersal, the mysterious, musical Gullah language is starting to disappear, fading with each passing generation.” Though this title focuses on the daily lives of young islanders, it is also a tribute to Natives who are working each and every day to ensure that their culture and environment are honored and protected for generations to come. This title is available for checkout through the Beaufort County Library System.
I hope you have enjoyed learning more about all of the bridge related materials the Beaufort District Collection has to offer. If you are interested in any of the materials I have shared today, or wish to explore our collection for yourself, walk-ins are sometimes accepted while appointments are always encouraged. To make an appointment, send an email to bdc@bcgov.net or give us a call at 843-255-6468. We hope to hear from you soon!
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