Lecture and Civil War Living History Encampment, Nov. 1 - 2

The Beaufort History Museum is hosting a Civil War re-enactment on Saturday, November 2, 2024. The afternoon before, the BDC and the BHM are hosting re-enactor Tom Vaselopulos who will speak about Alexander Campbell, 79^th New York (USA) and his brother, James Campbell, 1^st South Carolina (CSA)  who fought in competing armies. 

Beaufort History Museum is lead for both events.

The 79th Highlanders were stationed in Beaufort and were deployed to James Island in June 1862 in advance of the Battle of Secessionville. Alexander was on one side; his brother James on the other during the battle. Attending the lecture will better prepare you to thoroughly enjoy Saturday's living history re-enactment at the Arsenal. Two of the Union dead from that battle are buried in the Beaufort National Cemetery. 

“The American Civil War: Highlander Brother vs Brother” with Tom Vaselopulos | Friday, November 1, 2024 | Beaufort Branch Library, 311 Scott Street | 2 PM | First come, first seated. Door opens at 1:30 PM.

The following day, Saturday November 2nd, is the encampment. I'll drop in with some of my grandsons who will be visiting with me that weekend. [We're also going to shop at the Friends of the Beaufort Library book sale in Waterfront Park.] 

New York Highlanders Civil War Era Living History Encampment at the Arsenal | Saturday, November 2, 2024 | The Arsenal, 713 Craven Street, Beaufort | 9 AM - 4:30 PM

The demonstrations are free. Cassandra will be there from 10 AM to 2 PM showing off surrogates of some of our Civil War and Reconstruction materials, showing off what we have about the 79th Highlanders, sharing a little library history, and talking with interested passers-by and area residents. 

This is a repeat visit of the 79th New York Highlander Regiment to Beaufort. Learn about the history of the Union unit's Civil War service in the area. The re-enactors will set up camp in the walled Arsenal Courtyard and provide a unique educational opportunity for visitors of all ages, who will be able to interact with the soldiers to learn firsthand how life was lived in Beaufort during the Civil War years. Here's what you can expect:

1.      Historical re-enactors in full military regalia

2.      Experience Civil War era camp life through live presentations

3.      Enjoy educational discussions and interactive activities for the whole family

4.      Watch drills and marching throughout the day

Admission is free to the Encampment in the Arsenal courtyard (though donations to support the Museum are much appreciated by that all volunteer organization). There is usually a reduced entrance fee to the Museum during the encampment.  

JSYK: November 1 - 3 is a very busy weekend with lots of special activities planned in town. 

1. The Friends of the Beaufort Library Fall Book Sale is Friday, November 1 through Sunday, November 3, too. I have always been grateful the support that the Beaufort FOL has given to the BDC through the years. 
2. Though the BDC is not involved with the Fort Fremont Harvest Festival on Sunday afternoon, November 3rd, you might see me there with some of my grandsons. 
3. The Pat Conroy Literary Festival is going on that weekend, too. 

Fingers crossed that we do not get another tropical storm scare! 

November 2023 Overview

We have a busy 11th month with programs, a community outreach event, holidays, and reviewing applications for the BDC's Library Specialist position.

On Friday, Nov. 3rd we host a talk about the 79th New York "Kilted
Warriors" who were stationed in Beaufort District for a part of the Civil War. The next day Jalen and I will be outside the Arsenal for the Living History Encampment on Saturday, Nov. 4th. Both the lecture and the Encampment are sponsored by the Beaufort History Museum.

The Friends of the Beaufort Library are having their big Fall Book Sale in Waterfront Park, Nov. 3, 4, and 5. That group helped fund the BDC's compact shelving array for which I will be eternally thankful. Great deals are to be had there. Please support them as they help support the northern Beaufort County Library branches and units.

Thursday, November 9th we're on the road to Hilton Head Branch to hear Robert Lanham discuss one of South Carolina's first settlers, Henry Woodward, and his interactions with area Native Americans.

Holidays-wise: The Library is closed on November 10 and 11th for Veterans Day. Thanksgiving holidays began at 5 pm on Wed., November 22nd. All units of the Library will be closed on Thursday, November 23 and Friday, November 24. Library units normally open on Saturdays will be open on Saturday, November 25th.

JSKY: The "Yamasee Homelands" program is postponed until January.

Letters in the Research Room

A new year means a new theme for "Materials Monday" posts on the BDC's Facebook page. In 2020, the theme was "The Word "New" appears in the title or subtitle"of the material being highlighted.  I could have continued the "'New'-in-title" theme for another year, but I decided that I needed a fresh topic - but what topic? I began to weigh number of factors as I was thinking through what to highlight each Monday on the BDC's Facebook page during 2021. 

 

Firstly, I wanted a theme that would show the depth and scope of the BDC's holdings. Secondly, I wanted a theme that could cover a variety of topics and/or cover a number of historical periods. (I know that a great many of you are Civil War and/or Reconstruction Era focused but the BDC covers all historic periods, 16th century - 20th century and genealogy, natural history, Gullah culture, events, etc. in Beaufort, Jasper, and Hampton Counties). Thirdly, I wanted a theme that I would offer me some research possibilities to expand upon (perhaps) in the BDC's blogs or serve as a basis for a future BDC program or event. In other words, I wanted a theme that could capture my interests as well as yours. The major question to be answered, then, was "What did the Research Room have at least 50 interesting examples of that could explore a variety of topics, historical periods, and demonstrate the depth and scope of the BDC's holdings to the general public?"

The answer for 2021 became "Letters." The Research Room has a lot of letters and correspondence is a primary source material. Letters can appear in Library collections in book form and in archives as part of record series. Some of the BDC's vertical files contain correspondence too. As I explored the Library's catalog, the archives inventory, and Finding Aids, I discovered that I could research and write posts about the letters in our printed materials and archival collections every Monday for several years. There is plenty of raw material to use. Thus, I settled on exploring the range of correspondence in the BDC as the theme for my "Materials Monday" posts of the BDC's Facebook page in 2021.

I hope that over the course of the year, I will be reminded of some treasures here in the Research Room that I have forgotten we had to share with you. (That always makes me happy.) My hope is that the letters I post this year will encourage you to explore local history more deeply at the Library via the BDC's services, materials, and programs. (That always makes me happy.) If you want to come into the Research Room, please remember to make the arrangements with me in advance of your visit. (When you do so, that always makes me happy, too.) 

So far on Facebook: 

• January 4, 2021 - I introduced the theme of the year.
• January 11, 2021 - Letter from George Trask to Francis Griswold May 1972
• January 18, 2021 - The Library was closed so no "Materials Monday" post
• January 25, 2021 - Some compilations of letters from the confiscated libraries of Beaufort destroyed in the Smithsonian Fire of 1865
  

I will do my utmost to relate the "Materials Monday : Letters" post to something else going on within the BDC, Library, community or on the state or national level. Take, for example, the January posts. 

 

I chose the Trask to Griswold letter for January 11th because it referred to Griswold's setting for his A Sea Island Lady novel first published in 1939 which just so happened to be the featured book kicking off the Friends of the Beaufort Library's "Books Sandwiched In" 2021 series. The letter I chose addressed the author's use of some of the architectural features of Trask's residence of "Tabby Manse" (an historic structure at 1211 Bay Street) in Griswold's somewhat fictional depiction of "Marshlands" (a real historic structure located at 501 Pinckney Street) in the book. 

 

Cynthia Jenkins, Executive Director of Historic Beaufort Foundation, was the featured speaker on January 11th. She used some BDC Research Room materials to prepare her presentation. You can watch the recording of Mrs. Jenkins' very informative and entertaining talk about Griswold's depiction of the built environment of Beaufort in the 1930s in A Sea Island Lady online. 

The Friends have other interesting - but not local history related - reviews coming up soon. Details on how to access the programs are on the clever and cute BSI 2021 poster. JSKY: The next time that I'll remind you about the BSI series will be on February 22 when Peggy Pickett discusses her book about Eliza Lucas Pinckney.

 

I didn't do a Materials Monday post on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday because the Library system was closed. JSYK: I intend to continue this practice of omitting "Materials Mondays" on holidays until my retirement, whenever that may be.

The January 25th post on the BDC's "Materials Monday" Facebook page covered some of the published correspondence lost in the Smithsonian Fire of 1865, among them Chesterfield's Letters (1777); Horace Walpole's Letters (1842); Life and Correspondence of David Hume (1846); Melmoth's Letters of Pliny (1809); Emerson's Letters from the Aegean (1829); Mattheson's Letters from Various Parts of the Continent, 1785 to 1794 (1799), and Letters from Palmyra (1837). We have copies of some of the other titles listed as on auction on November 17, 1863 (until the sale was cancelled) but not copies of the letters mentioned here. If you want to read Chesterfield's, Walpole's Hume's Melmoth's Emerson's letters, etc., try searching the Internet Archive https://archive.org/ and/or the Hathitrust Digital Library https://www.hathitrust.org/ for digital copies of the volumes.

 

Watch for the "Materials Monday : Letters" posts every Monday that the Library is open in 2021.