May 2025 Research Room Display: "Historical Fiction Meets Historical Artifacts" by Sydney Whiteside

Happy May! A new month means a new research room display! Every month, the library system highlights a different genre; this month we are highlighting historical fiction. The Beaufort District Collection is home to all things local history including nonfiction materials, biographies, video media and archival collections. We also have a small section of fiction materials which happens to include some historical fiction that I will be shining a spotlight onto today.  

In addition to spotlighting some historical fiction materials from our collection, I wanted to pair each title with its own “historical artifact”. I am using this term loosely due to the fact that none of these materials are technically historical. Just for today, we are going to pretend that they are artifacts paired with their novel counterparts!  

The BDC has a some very interesting historical fiction materials. I had many choices for this month's display, but it was a priority of mine to cover an array of topics while also staying true to the Lowcountry’s lore. Each shelf will have a theme that the chosen materials will coordinate with; they are organized as follows: 

Shelf One: Antebellum Era 

Shelf Two: Historical Heroes Shelf

Three: Secrets & Storms

Shelf Four: Riveting Raids 

Beginning with the first shelf, we have our materials that take place during the Antebellum era which begins in 1812 and lasts until 1861.

Beaufort 1849: A Novel of Antebellum South Carolina by Karen Lynn Allen (2011) is a story about transformation. After years of avoidance, Jasper Wainwright returns to his home of Beaufort, South Carolina. He views Beaufort as a stagnant southern state that refuses to follow in the North’s progressive footsteps. He dreams of the day when his hometown will establish emancipation and transition to a wage-based economy. He believes the town is a lost cause, until the Charleston Courier begins publishing anonymous letters that begin to give him hope. While emphasizing the need for change in everyone around him, Jasper himself is forced to confront his own need for change in his personal life, including his love life. This title is available for checkout through the Beaufort Country Library System.  

Katrina: Woman of Beaufort by Rita Van Pelt (1994) is a novel that depicts the struggles women faced in the time before, during, and after the Civil War. A young woman named Katrina is brought to Beaufort aboard the Sea Belle by her father; her mother sadly passed during the voyage. Though she is a fictional character, the people and places she meets and visits are historically accurate. The racist and sexist prejudices she faces in this new town is also historically accurate. Katrina is forced to navigate this new life and find the strength to transcend it. This title is available for checkout through the Beaufort Country Library System. 

The Antebellum artifacts include an American flag and a surrogate of a Slave Policy from 1858. This era was defined by two very distinct identifying factors: economy and slavery. The southern economy witnessed a massive boost with the increase of plantation farming, attributable to the increase slave labor. Southern politicians and plantation owners wished to continue this way of life while the North advocated for abolition; thus, the roots of the Civil War were planted.

A Slave Policy was completed in order to insure the life of an enslaved person. In the case of this surrogate, Joseph Myers applied to insure the life of a slave he owned named George. Myers agreed to pay a premium of $17.40 annually for George's life insurance with a sum of $1,000 covering the next five years. (Note: The BDC does not contain any insurance policies in our holdings.)

Moving on to shelf two, we have our historical (and fictional) heroes of the Lowcountry!

Trouble the Water: A Novel (2019) was written by Rebecca Dwight Bruff, a new voice in the world of historical fiction. This is the tale of Robert Smalls, known for commandeering the Planter and sailing himself and his loved ones to freedom. Bruff expands upon the more well-known aspects of Smalls' life by providing context into how these events materialized in the first place. From being born into slavery, being sent to Charleston to work at the age of twelve, then being assigned to work on the Planter; this story walks the reader through every event that defined Smalls’ life and led him to the courageous act of sailing a confederate warship to the hands of the Union Army. This title is available for checkout through the Beaufort Country Library System. 

Fragments of the Ark by Louise Meriwether (1994) was inspired by the life of Robert Smalls. Peter Mango, a runaway slave, saves his family and fellow escapees by commandeering a Confederate gunboat and delivering it to the Union Army stationed in Beaufort, South Carolina. The story follows Mango throughout his life, taking the reader through the perspective of a Black man living through the Civil War. This story is full of gut-wrenching realizations but also love and perseverance as Mango endeavors his expedition to freedom. This title is a BDC exclusive; if you are interested in learning more, make an appointment to visit today! 

While perusing through the BDC for decorative items that could be used as "artifacts", I happened to come across an amazing bottle ship model! I thought this model would perfectly represent the tales of Robert Smalls, Peter Mango, and their vessels. In addition to the model, Grace generously provided me with a creative photo of the Woods Memorial Bridge with The Planter superimposed going through the opening! Isn't it incredible?! It was gifted to her in celebration of the BDC's upstairs expansion in 2010 (which we are about to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of!!!).

The third shelf is a whirlwind of secrets and storms.

Storm Center by Elizabeth Verner Hamilton (1983) is a compilation of retellings of the great Sea Island Hurricane of 1893. Hamilton uses real names and real events in order to connect these stories but does dip into the realm of fiction in order to do so. She has stated that she “treated it as a work of fiction, but it should come under the category of oral history”. The reader comes to care for the families in this title, but then soon follows them through one of the most frightening times of their lives. This title is available for checkout through the Beaufort Country Library System. 

Between both our library section and archival collection, the BDC contains a plethora of material on the Hurricane of 1893. One of our collections, Hurricane of 1893 Photograph Collection, contains (you guessed it,) photos of the damage from the hurricane. This also happens to be one of our digitized collections that you can access through the Lowcountry Digital Library. The collection consists of twenty photos of the damage caused by the hurricane throughout Beaufort County and the city of Savannah. The first photo I have chosen shows the damage done to houses and decks along the shore. There is even a person standing among the wreckage. It is inscribed "1893 Hurricane, #20". In the other photo, you can see the damage done to the wharf. It is inscribed "1893 Hurricane, #10". You can see debris and wreckage scattered all across the sand.

The Sea Island’s Secret: A Delta and Jax Mystery by Susan Diamond Riley (2019) takes the reader on a mysterious journey through Hilton Head Island. While visiting the Island to see her grandparents, Delta Wells learns that her Pop’s history museum is going to be demolished in order to make room for a golf course. Delta can sense the pain and sorrow in those around her and makes it her mission to prevent this demolition. She visits the museum as well as the marsh around it and finds a skeleton whose bones of secret messages lead Delta and her brother, Jax, on a hopeful hunt to save their Pop’s beloved museum.

Delta and Jax are led on a whirlwind of an adventure to not only save their grandfathers museum, but also to find a treasure known as "Jasper's Gems". Abandoned over 150 years ago, Delta and Jax revive the treasure hunt in order to reveal the secrets of Hilton Head Island. Wouldn't you know, we have a treasure chest of our own here in the BDC! What's inside? Well, that's something you'll have to solve by reading about Delta and Jax's journey! This title is available for checkout through the Beaufort Country Library System.

Finally, we have our riveting raids located on the bottom shelf. 

The Battle of Fort Scarlet: "A Strange, Compelling Story in a Forgotten War" by Jon Bebbington (2023) is an alternate history title that tells the story of an artillery fortification and the men who were tasked with protecting the Parris Island naval installation. These sailors and marines never anticipated that they would face any battle until the Spanish Navy invades Port Royal Sound. Please note: The Spanish Navy never sailed into Port Royal Sound during the Spanish American war. I have included another ship model to represent the fictional journey made by the Spanish Navy in and around the Port Royal Sound. This title is a BDC exclusive. If you are interested in learning more, make an appointment to visit today!

The Tubman Command: A Novel by Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman (2019) tells the tactical tale of the largest plantation raid - known as the Combahee River Raid - of the Civil War led by Harriet Tubman. Under the code name Moses, Tubman assists the Union under multiple roles as a scout, spy, and nurse in an intrepid initiative to counteract the Confederacy. Assigned a team of black scouts by General David Hunter, she guides her team on a massive mission to lead hundreds of enslaved African Americans along the Combahee River to freedom.  This title is available for checkout through the Beaufort Country Library System. Accompanying this title is a photo of the plaque that was created to commemorate the raid. The plaque can be found along Charleston Highway just off of the Combahee River.

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I hope you have enjoyed learning about a small portion of our historical fiction collection. If you are interested in any of the materials I 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!