04 November 2026

New (and New-to-Us) Materials in the Research Room, 3rd Quarter 2026

We are back with a New (and New-to-Us) update! This update covers materials that have been catalogued from July 1, 2026 to September 30, 2026. We have received various new materials such as books, posters, magazines, reports, telephone directories, and yearbooks. We also have a newly updated archival collection that was processed by one of our dedicated volunteers! To learn more about these exciting updates, keep on reading! 

Books

Box Like the Pros: World Champion Smokin' Joe Frazier's Complete Insider's Guide by William Dettloff, 2005.


Beaufort's renowned boxer Joe Frazier, also known as "Smokin' Joe," partnered with boxing writer William Dettloff to create a guidebook for one of America's most popular sports at the time of publication. This title not only offers tips from the Former World Heavyweight champion himself, but it also provides a history of the sport as well as reference tools that can help casual boxing viewers better understand factors such as rules, scoring, timing, and so much more.

Caroline's Claim: The Remarkable Story of the Martins of Calhoun Street - A Bluffton Original Since 1820 by Andrea R. Martin, 2025.


Martin tells the extraordinary story of her ancestral land in Bluffton that was once owned by her Great-Great-Great-Grandmother, Caroline, who was a free woman of color in the 19th century. The narrative melds past and present, familial facts and historical context, immersing the reader in her heritage. Martin includes tips on researching your own family as well as helpful resources such as books, periodicals, archives, and online resources.

Come Out Smokin’: Joe Frazier, the Champ Nobody Knew by Phil Pepe, 1972. 


Sportswriter Phil Pepe was the first to publish a culminative piece on the "Champ Nobody Knew," who we all now know as Joe Frazier. The book begins with Frazier's early life in Beaufort with his family and the beginning of his amateur boxing career. According to Pepe, those who knew Joe understood that he had a fire and innate drive, which would eventually take him to the Olympics, the Heavyweight Championship, and to win against professional boxer Muhammad Ali. 

Ghosts of Manila: The Fateful Blood Feud between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier by Mark Kram, 2001.


Ghosts of Manila covers two of the most well-known boxers in American history, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. The two met in Manila for their third fight to determine who the true boxing champion was. Little did they know, the fight would become one of the most brutal boxing matches of all time. Ghosts author, Mark Kram, won an award for his Sports Illustrated article detailing the cruel and controversial fight. He expanded on it in this work, which also contains background details on each fighter. 

Gullah-Geechee Diasporas: Knowledge, Culture, and Black Lowcountry Legacies edited by Muhammad Fraser-Rahim and Elizabeth J. West, 2026. 

This title consists of eight essays that explore Gullah culture from multiple perspectives and periods. Each essay considers how different aspects such as origin, migration, geography, and more have transformed Gullah culture and traditions over time and space. Readers come to understand that dispersion does not diminish the impact that African and Gullah-Geechee cultural traditions have had on the world.

The Gullah Geechee Saga: Through African Eyes by Amadu Massally, 2025. 


This work, as stated by the author, is part historical narrative and part memoir. Gullah Geechee history cannot be told solely through the records of slavery in America; Massally states that we must begin with the Rice Coast of West Africa, then combine our findings with records and oral histories from the Lowcountry to fully understand the brilliance of the culture and its surviving African heritage. 

Mockingbird Diary of St. Helena Island by Deborah Serravalle, 2025.


This book is a fictionalized story depicting the true service of Reconstruction-era teachers Ellen Murray and Laura Towne. Towne, along with her dear friend and companion Murray, founded the Penn School, one of the first educational institutions for newly freed Black people. 

Pat Conroy's Lowcountry: A History & Guide by Lynn Seldon, 2026. 


It was in A Lowcountry Heart: Reflections on a Writing Life (2016) that Pat Conroy confessed that Beaufort was where he discovered himself. With this knowledge, travel journalist Lynn Seldon set out to create an immersive travel guide that takes the reader on a journey through the place that inspired Conroy the most: the Lowcountry. Seldon highlights many important spots such as the Arsenal, the Penn Center, Hunting Island State Park, Daufuskie Island, and so much more. 

Requiem for Reconstruction: Black Countermemory and the Legacy of the Lowcountry's Lost Political Generation by Robert D. Bland, 2026. 


Requiem for Reconstruction centers on the political turning point of the Reconstruction Era, highlighting Black figures who played key roles in shaping the nation. This era is often overlooked due to ensuing events of the early 20th century. Robert Bland felt it was time to recognize the contributions of essential Black political figures of this postbellum era such as Frances Rollin, Robert Smalls, Judge William Whipper, and many more. 

Sparring with Smokin’ Joe: Joe Frazier’s Epic Battles and Rivalry with Ali by Glenn Lewis, 2021. 


Compared to the majority of accounts on the rivalry between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, this title offers a more complex perspective on Frazier, his personal life, and the immediate as well as long-lasting fallout he felt from the friction. Glenn Lewis also dives into the next phase of Frazier's life when he trained his son Marvis through his own boxing career.

Posters

Magazines, Reports, and Yearbooks

Telephone Directories

Archival Collections

The Josie Childs Photograph Collection, 1953-1973

This is not a new collection, but it was updated recently by BDC volunteers. The Josie Childs Photograph Collection includes photographic slides of the Mather School, its students and events circa 1953-1973. Earlier this summer, the slides were scanned to archival standards by BDC volunteers. The slides were then sleeved, assigned a barcode, and foldered. The finding aid was also updated by Cassandra Knoppel and published on our bdcbcl: Links, Lists, and Finding Aids blog. As of September 2026, the digitized images are being added to the BDC’s PastPerfect (our internal content management system) by BDC volunteer, Peggy Scott.

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If you are interested in any of the materials we have shared today or wish to explore our collection for yourself: appointments are encouraged while walk-ins are sometimes accepted. 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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