August 2026 Facebook Recap

In case you don't follow us, here is a recap of our Facebook posts for the month of August:

August 2: The history books and popular media lead most people to believe that the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4 and immediately the delegates signed the document. The real timeline was a bit different as the National Park Service shows. The four signers from South Carolina - Beaufort's own Thomas Heyward, Jr., Edward Rutledge, Thomas Lynch, Jr. and Arthur Middleton - do so on August 2, 1776 alongside the vast majority of the other representatives from Britain's colonies along the Atlantic seaboard.

August 3: Independence (Mon)Day: Now that the BDC's involvement with the Revealing the Revolution Marker Challenge has ended, there are plenty more of American Revolution related historic sites to explore further afield. We recommend "Touring South Carolina’s Revolutionary War Sites" by Daniel W. Barefoot (1999) for an overview of South Carolina’s Revolutionary War battlefields and historic sites, including Cowpens, Ninety-Six, Camden, Eutaw Spring, and Kings Mountain. Brief biographies of key figures such as the "Swamp Fox" Francis Marion, "Gamecock" Thomas Sumter, Andrew Jackson, Henry Drayton, Charles Pinckney, and Henry Middleton are included. The BDC has a copy in our Research Room but other SCLENDS libraries have plenty of copies that you can borrow.

August 4: In 1526, Captain Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon brought a company of 550 men to what is now Beaufort County. Embark on a journey of discovery of 500 years of Spanish influence in Beaufort District! First, fuel your curiosity with our comprehensive resource guide, "The Spanish Legacy in Beaufort District History." Then, join our vibrant community at one of our upcoming local history programs!

August 5: "Black History Note Wednesday:" Work on updating the Resource Guides posted to the BDCBCL blog continues. We revised the list of materials about Rachel C. Mather's School recently. Follow the link to see the list of materials we have about this important Civil War and Reconstruction Era educator and humanitarian.

August 6: Congratulations to the "Revealing the Revolution" Challenge winner, Angela Baldree who is accepting the framed Beaufort District map from Beaufort County Historical Society President Phil Toomer. Representing the RtR team in the photo are Mary Lou Brewton, Leah Roche and me. We thank all of you who participated.

August 7: It's Finding Aid Friday! My staff tease me about my focus on disaster and death so I think that it's highly fitting that my final two "Finding Aid Friday" FB posts are about primary sources for a deeper understanding of the Hurricane of 1893. First up : George Waterhouse (1838-1894) was a local businessman who operated a storefront, warehouses, and a wharf on Bay Street. The George Waterhouse Collection contains documents, letters, and photographs related to his life and the impact of the Hurricane of 1893 on his business. Some even say that the stress caused in the aftermath of the storm led to his death the following summer.

August 7: Happy National Lighthouse Day! Go shine a light on our updated Connections post 'Celebrating Beaufort District's Lighthouses and Range Lights'.

August 10: Independence (Mon)Day: "A Historical Account of the 1780-1781 Campaigns in Southern North America" is a seminal work, penned by the controversial British officer Banastre Tarleton. The two volumes provide a meticulous chronicle of the final major battles of the American Revolutionary War. Universally reviled by the Continental Army for his brutal tactics, Tarleton's 1787 publication offers a comprehensive, extensively documented history of the war's shift from New England and New York to the southern provinces. The book features an array of primary sources, including letters, statistics, and unique maps, detailing the campaigns of Lord Cornwallis, the state of the royal armies, and pivotal battles in the southern theater. Follow Tarleton's encounters with American leaders Nathanael Greene, Francis Marion, and George Washington in this classic of military history.

August 12: "Black History Note" Wednesday - You may know Joseph William Frazier as "Joe" or "Smokin' Joe" but we know him as a native son. Like many southern Blacks of the mid-20th century he relocated to the North to improve his lot in life. He settled in Philadelphia, PA which recently relocated a statue of him to the base of the Philadelphia Art Museum. Read more about his life and boxing career in our WordPress Blog.

August 14: "Finding Aid Friday:" John J. Dale (1844-1896) was a Beaufort businessman at the time of the Sea Island Hurricane in 1893. Following the devastating hurricane, he advocated for relief efforts for affected Sea Islanders and was appointed to the Sea Island Relief Committee by Governor Benjamin Tillman. This collection of correspondence from the fall of 1893 is believed to have been written by Dale.

August 17: Independence (Mon)Day: Today, the BDC is belatedly honoring William Henry DeSaussure's 263rd Birthday. DeSaussure was born on August 16, 1763, to a local Huguenot merchant family. Before becoming a prominent SC politician and Director of the US Mint (his most famous achievements), DeSaussure was a young Patriot soldier. While fighting to defend Charleston from British forces, DeSaussure was captured in May of 1780 and imprisoned on one of the infamous prison ships. He was not yet 17 years old. DeSaussure was exchanged and released after a few months and made his way to Philadelphia where he studied law. The rest, as we say, is history! You can learn more about William Henry DeSaussure's life after the Revolutionary War, as well as the story of his family, in the DeSaussure Family Vertical File in the BDC.

August 19: "Black History Note" Wednesday - In honor of National Aviation Day, we wanted to share a snippet of a poem written by Elijah Heyward, Jr. in his book, Stories and Poems of a Gullah Native (2012). Heyward was inspired to write a series of poems on historic Black Americans while working as a teacher. One such poem is entitled "Tuskegee Airmen," where Heyward reflects on the triumph of the first Black Army aviators despite the doubt of many that Black men were capable of such pursuits. Heyward closes the poem thusly:

"The news from Tuskegee is great,
God intervened; call it fate.
Not only did the Negro fly,
They excelled with only one try."

P.S. Local history nerds are likely to know that the Lowcountry has yet another a connection to the famed Tuskegee Airmen (though not a Beaufort one)! The Airmen's advanced training took place at Walterboro Army Airfield, now the Lowcountry Regional Airport. A monument stands in Walterboro in their honor.

August 21: Fun Friday: Cassandra and Sydney have decided that on non-Finding Aid Fridays, the BDC will post something related to the Library's marketing theme for that month. This month, BCL is highlighting cookbooks, so we want to share a couple of fun ones that can be found in our collection. Today, it's the Recipe Book of Eliza Lucas Pinckney, 1756.

This delicate booklet is a host to a wide array of recipes for more than just food. You will also find remedies for illnesses, salves for rubbing furniture, oil to help your hair grow, and so much more. When it comes to curing ailments, there was nothing Eliza could not handle. She provides treatments for watery eyes, gout, sore throat, tooth aches, jaundice, and scald head, the last of which includes a salve made from mutton fat and tar drippings. Of course, inside her book there are recipes for edible items such as mince “pyes”, mushroom “catchup”, oyster “soop,” and so much more!

August 24: Independence (Mon)Day: On your next trip to Charleston, watch for the Colleton County Historic Marker about "John Laurens" within a mile or so as you cross the Harriet Tubman Bridge over the Combahee River. This local Patriot, and dear friend of Alexander Hamilton, was killed on August 27, 1782, near this site in the Battle of Combahee Ferry (also known as the Battle of Tar Bluff). The battlefield was rediscovered in 2020 by The South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust.

Interested in learning more about John Laurens? Check out John Laurens and the American Revolution by Gregory D. Massey (2000) from an SCLends library or come take a look at the copy we have in the BDC!

August 26: "Black History Note" Wednesday - Earlier this month, the BDC put up a National Archives and Rightfully Hers display in the Beaufort Branch lobby which details the ratification of the 19th Amendment in August of 1920. Today, I wanted to share with you the story of the Rollin sisters, the Lowcountry's own suffragettes! Born into a Free Black family in Charleston, the sisters (Frances, Lottie, Kate, Louise, and Florence) were advocates for equity, enfranchisement, and education in Reconstruction era SC.

According to their profile in 101 Women Who Shaped South Carolina (2020), Lottie and Louise were the most active sisters in the suffragette movement. In 1869, Louise gave an address to the SC House of Representatives on the matter of women's suffrage. Lottie became secretary of the SC Women's Rights Association in 1870 and led a suffragette rally the following year.
The most famous of the sisters (especially in Beaufort) was Frances Rollin Whipper, the author of the first full length biography written by an African-American, "The Life and Public Services of Martin R. Delany." She is also the author of one of the earliest known diaries written by a Southern Black woman. Frances was married to William J. Whipper, a local politician, and they lived at 606 North Street until the marriage dissolved in 1880. Rollin then moved to Washington, DC where she worked in the District's Deeds Office with Frederick Douglass. She later returned to Beaufort where she died of tuberculosis in 1901. It is believed that Frances and William are buried in unmarked graves in the Wesley United Methodist Church yard.

August 27: I would venture to guess that the BDC's most consistently requested materials are school annuals and yearbooks. From student portraits, game highlights, and sponsor ads, yearbooks can yield a treasure trove of information!

If you are curious about what yearbooks the BDC has in our collection, please take a look at our new bdcbcl: Links, Lists, and Finding Aids blog post. We published our most up-to-date inventory of all the yearbooks and school annuals we have on our shelves and will continue to update it as more are donated. You can take a look for yourself here.

August 28: Fun Friday: This Friday, we're sharing the Recipe Book that can be found in the Dale Friedman Collection of Johnson Family Materials. This circa 1880s recipe book is signed “Eliza M. [?] Johnson” on the title page and “Florence E. Johnson” on the back cover, with the date "188[4 or 6?]." It is possible that both women collected the approximately 86 recipes (mostly handwritten) for foods and household materials that make up this book. Some recipes have sources and dates ranging from the 1840s to the 1870s, and some are even credited to fellow Beaufortonians.

One of the most common ingredients in these recipes was rice. When Cassandra was processing the collection, she counted 3 recipes for rice pudding and at least 7 different rice bread recipes. One section went thusly: "Rice Bread ~ Rice Bread ~ Rice Bread Again ~ Rice Bread Again ~ Rice Bread once more...." Cassandra's favorite was the recipe for "Rice Bread !!!!," transcribed here:

"Rice Bread !!!!
2 spoonfuls of wheat[?] flour
2" of Hominy
1" level of good brown sugar
From[?] 1 1/2 pints to a quart of rice flour
" 1 to 2 spoonfuls of yeast according to the temperature of the weather
3 [?] spoonfuls of table salt"

August 31: Independence (Mon)Day: On September 3rd, 1783, the Revolutionary War officially ended.

Many consider the Surrender at Yorktown in October of 1781 to be the end of the Revolution, but skirmishes and occupations continued into 1782. That same year, treaty negotiations began in Paris between the US and Great Britain (and other European powers), which resulted in the signing of the Treaty of Paris in the first week of September 1783.

The Treaty of Paris is one of the most important documents in US history and is called a "milestone document" by the Library of Congress. If you are interested in reading the Treaty of Paris or other documents important to our nation, consider checking out the book, Our Documents: 100 Milestone Documents from the National Archives (2003), from an SCLends library near you!

Coming up in September: BDC Local History Programs

 Hello again friends! 

September is shaping up to be a calmer month. program-wise, for the BDC as we gear up for a very busy October. Let's hope our weather remains calm too, and no storms come ashore this year!

This month, we are looking forward to Raul Galvan's program, which will help the BDC ring-in this year's Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 - Oct. 15)!

Join the BDC and BHM for The Gonzalez-Elliott Family of Beaufort District, with Raul Galvan on Tuesday, September 15, at 2:00pm in the Beaufort Branch Library's Meeting Room.

Raul Galvan is a native of Havana, Cuba. He worked for 48 years in video production, retiring as Manager of Program Production for Milwaukee PBS in 2021. He was named to the Silver Circle of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Chicago Chapter. He earned his Ph.D. in Global History from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (UWM), with a concentration in Latin American History. His dissertation centered on 19th Century Cuban Transnationals. He has published numerous articles in academic journals, several op-ed pieces and a youth book. He has taught Latin American History at UWM and has accompanied numerous groups to Cuba. Raul and his wife Becky made Beaufort their home in July of 2024.

In this talk, Galvan will discuss the career of Col. Ambrosio Gonzales, who, after taking part in the 1850 filibustering expedition to liberate Cuba from the Spaniards, returns to the United States and eventually ends up in the Lowcountry to fight in the Civil War. While in South Carolina, he meets Harriett “Hattie” Elliott, the youngest daughter of Beaufort planter William Elliott III, and after a whirlwind romance, they are married in 1856. Hattie is 17, Gonzales is 37. At first, the Elliotts received Gonzales into the family warmly but as time passed, and the Civil War began, Gonzales struggled to spend time with his wife and the family. Hattie kept the family together.

The talk will also examine the relationship between Gonzales and the Elliott Family, his role in the Civil War, and the family’s struggles after the War. After the War Ambrosio moves most of the family to Cuba, where 29-year old Hattie dies young of yellow fever. After Hattie’s death Gonzales brings some of the children back to South Carolina where they lived with Hattie’s mother and sisters. Gonzales struggled to make a living for the remainder of his life. The Gonzales children grew up to be successful professionally - Narciso and Ambrose founded The State newspaper in Columbia, and the newspaper stayed in the family until 1986.

This local history program is co-sponsored by the Beaufort District Collection and the Beaufort History Museum. Doors open at 1:30 PM. As always, please check the BCL Calendar for any updates.

We look forward to seeing y'all there!

Back to School: School Materials in the BDC

It’s that time of year again when children whine and parents cheer... You guessed it: it’s back to school!! Here in the Beaufort District Collection, we have a plethora of materials that cover the history of local schools as well as original materials that have been created by students over the years. Items such as these are extremely important to preserve as they capture glimpses of how young people viewed the world at their time. Some materials even include young people interviewing old folks through different decades which will be a wonderful resource for researchers to utilize in fifty years!

Graduation Day at Mather School [1950]
from the Lucille Hasell Culp Collection.

The Beaufort District Collection contains many different formats of materials. In this post, we will dive into examples from archives, books, microfilm, plans, posters, prints, and vertical files. The bulk of our materials come from donations. Items may come from another branch, the Friends of the Library, or a kind patron who found an old yearbook they no longer want. We would not have the vast selection we have now without the generosity of our community. Now, without further ado, let’s LEARN about our school materials!

Books

Look back 1965-1972: Civil Triumph: The Integration of Beaufort High School by Beaufort Middle School, 2002.

After thirty years, eighty Beaufort Middle School Students participating in the 2002 Humanities Program worked together to collect local oral histories of the integration of Beaufort High School. Prior to setting forth, students spent their time in class reading, researching, and participating in Socratic seminars all relating to the tribulations of slavery to equality and the impact of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. BMS students then interviewed retired teachers, staff, and alumni who worked at or attended local schools from 1965 to 1972. They even interviewed Emory Campbell, previous director of the Penn Center, who provided his personal experience with integration and the Civil Rights Movement. 

Beaufort Family Histories: Downtown Beaufort as a Classroom by Lady's Island Middle School, 1997.

School related titles in the BDC.

In 1997, one hundred and twenty eighth grade students and their teachers worked together to create their own documented history of Beaufort and its families. Students worked together by studying the graveyards of Beth Israel Synagogue, St. Helena's Episcopal Church, and the Tabernacle Baptist Church. They also interviewed family members; some of their own, and some from the different congregations. There are quotes from the students all throughout the book where they talk about learning to interview people, rub gravestones, and enjoying the hands-on research. Even Shelly was quoted with saying, “I am not interested in history, but this project was fun.” So, take it from Shelly, if you are looking for a fun way to glimpse into Beaufort’s past, come take a look at Beaufort Family Histories: Downtown Beaufort as a Classroom.

The History of Robert Smalls School by the Robert Smalls Association, 1991.

Robert Smalls High School Band Marches in
the Decoration Day Parade [1957] from
the Lucille Hassel Culp Collection.

This is a small, but detailed account of the Robert Smalls School and its immense impact on Beaufort’s history. There are multiple black and white photos of the school from varying years as well as photos of numerous principals who led the school. The schools very first teachers are listed by name along with serving committee members, artists, and musicians brought to the school by Principal W. Kent Alston. This history covers the destruction and construction of various buildings that the school has called home since 1925. The Robert Smalls Association, comprised of alumni, is still in existence today and raises funds annually to provide scholarships for college students. 

Annuals

Shelves of school annuals in the BDC.

Remember how I mentioned that the bulk of our materials come from donations? Well, this is a section of our collection that heavily relies on donations. If you or a loved one have a Beaufort District school annual that you wish to part with, you may contact the BDC via email (bdc@bcgov.net) or phone (843-255-6468) to see if you can help fill in any of our year gaps. We would greatly appreciate it!

Our school annuals are catalogued and searchable through the SCLENDS catalog. We also have a page on our WordPress Blog titled Yearbooks & School Annuals in the BDC that lists all of our holdings as well as their years. Either resource gives patrons the opportunity to browse our selection of yearbooks to see if we have the specific school and/or year they seek. 

Vertical Files

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, you can check out The Value of Historical (and Permanent) Vertical Files. Most of the school vertical files have articles, pamphlets, newsletters and/or programs from events held at the individual schools through time gathered from a variety of places at a variety of times. There are more than 50 designated school vertical files (e.g. VF SCHOOLS--MARY FIELDS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, 1934-1997) and over 130 school related vertical files (e.g. VF BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT.) 

Materials from VF SCHOOLS -- BEAUFORT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

Vertical File Spotlight: VF SCHOOLS -- BEAUFORT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. In this select vertical file you will find: a report card from the 1933-1934 school year, a Beaufort Gazette clipping from 1942 announcing a new Beaufort Elementary School Building, and a 1999-2000 Annual Report featuring artwork from a student. This is only a small glimpse into the endless realm of possible materials that you may find within our school related vertical files. 

Posters & Prints

The posters and prints within our collection do a wonderful job at visualizing the array of time periods that we cover here in the BDC. From a Harper's Weekly print that was published in 1865 to a poster from an event that was held last week, there is a lot of ground to cover when it comes to the history of Beaufort District. 

Print #86 and Poster #450.

Print #86 comes from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper and was published on November 29th, 1862. It is entitled, "Sketches in Beaufort and its vicinity, South Carolina," as it depicts numerous spots in and around the area. However, there is one specific reason I chose this print. The center bottom drawing depicts the Beaufort College Building, which is now part of the University of South Carolina Beaufort campus in Downtown Beaufort. The building itself has lived many lives and served many purposes, including housing a freedmen school for young Black children throughout the Reconstruction era.

Poster #450 is one of our newest editions to our poster collection. St. Helena's Anglican Church began hosting this event as a support system for adoptive and foster families navigating a new school year. Now, their Back to School Bash has turned into a community wide event that serves as a welcoming space for all. Families can expect food and refreshments, music and games, giveaways and prizes, free school supplies, and most of all, community connection.

Archival Collections

The Beaufort District Collection is home to over 250 archival collections. A decent amount of them are related to our local schools, but there is one in particular I wanted to share with you today. The Folklore Project at Beaufort High School consists of three handmade booklets from 1972 that contain information on Gullah culture and folklore. 

The Folklore Project at Beaufort High School.

The booklets are titled as follows: "Gains From Their Life Roles: Samples of Beaufort's Folklore," "Unbelievable Beliefs: Roots, Superstitions, Remedies," and "Voices of Old Folks." Senior student contributors worked together to interview elderly citizens of Beaufort, write and edit the contents of the booklets, and illustrate the covers and pages throughout. The young students under the direction of English teacher Ms. Lee P. Shaffer set out on a mission to preserve the slowly fading rich culture of Beaufort; which will now be forever maintained and remembered within our collection. 

Microfilm

Reels of the Penn School Papers.

Here in the BDC, we have an extensive microfilm collection. From local newspapers to census records, Beaufort City and County Council minutes to primary documents produced by the South Carolina Department of Archives and History; all of these records are searchable in the SCLENDS catalog. An incredible resource that we are lucky to have available to view on microfilm is the Penn School Papers from 1862 to 1976. The original records are housed at UNC Chapel Hill (some of which have been made available online, too!).

The Penn School was founded on Saint Helena Island in 1862 by Laura M. Towne and Ellen Murray. Both of these women were Northern missionaries who established the school in order to provide education to formerly enslaved people in the area. The school endured many changes throughout the Civil War, the Reconstruction Era, and the many years leading up to its closure in 1948. The Penn School Papers cover various aspects of the school: correspondences, inventories, financial records, annual reports, and minutes. There are also more personal elements that detail the daily happenings at the school such as club rosters, newspaper clippings, class schedules, special events, and even photographs. 

Plans

The smallest accumulation of catalogued materials in the BDC would be our plans, which is why not many people are aware of them. Our two drawers of plans consist of fifty building, site, and airport outlines. 

Repairs and Restoration of the
Janie Hamilton School [1993].

Repairs and Restoration of the Janie Hamilton School [1993] was a building plan created by William Blount Shepard III for the school on Daufuskie Island to be presented to the Beaufort County School District. The Janie Hamilton School was constructed in 1937 to educate the native children on Daufuskie that were unable to make the walk to Mary Fields School located on the opposite side of the Island. These building plans proposed safety and structural improvements to almost every aspect of the building including the framework, roof, windows, wiring, and more, without demolishing the building and removing almost sixty years of history. 

Port Royal Elementary School Play [1950]
from the Lucille Hasell Culp Collection.

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!