A Sea Island Lady Celebration at HBF - Slots Going Fast!!!!

Update: Session #1 sold out so quickly that Session #2 has been added. Details are on the HBF website www.historicbeaufort.org.


Some say that A Sea Island Lady is the best book ever written about Beaufort's past. At least the parts about the effect of the Great Sea Island Hurricane and phosphate mining bear obvious signs of diligent historical research. However,  A Sea Island Lady is one of those books one either loves or hates. Many local residents and visitors fall into the "Love" category. To capitalize on all that love, Historic Beaufort Foundation is hosting several fund-raising events in September to celebrate the book and its author, Francis Griswold, an HBF benefactor.

The original session set for 25 September - Dinner & A Lecture "Reading Nineteenth-Century Beaufort in Francis Griswold's A Sea Island Lady"  with Dr. Mollie Barnes $ sold out so quickly that a second session has been added. Tickets are expected to go quickly for Session #2 - which actually so don't delay! Details are on the HBF website www.historicbeaufort.org.

30 September - A Sea Island Lady Walking Tour $

Exhibit about author Francis Griswold in the Verdier House $

Tickets may be ordered online at www.historicbeaufort.org/shop or by calling the HBF office at 843.379.3331.

A reminder:

All units of the Beaufort County Library will be closed on Monday, September 4th in honor of Labor Day. Regular schedule at all locations will resume Tuesday, September 5th.

For now the Beaufort District Collection is usually open Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, 9 am to 5 pm. Access on Tuesdays and Wednesdays is by advance appointment only. Please make the necessary arrangements by calling 843-255-6468 or by e-mailing bdc@bcgov.net.

Please note: We do not monitor emails or telephone calls after 5pm weekdays, on Saturdays, Sundays, or on holidays. We are not a 24/7/365 work place.

On another topic, the Beaufort Branch Library is going to pilot a curbside delivery service beginning Tuesday, September 5th. Read all about that in the Library's News and Notes.

Tours of Civil War Exhibits and Historic Sites

The Beaufort County Library is partnering with the Beaufort History Museum to host a Living History Civil War Encampment at the Arsenal March 11 - 13, 2016. An encampment often brings in folks who are interested in learning more about the era by touring other nearby sites and exhibits about the topic. As librarians we love to share information about the long and storied history of Beaufort District with others. Beaufort County is blessed to have a number of cultural heritage organizations that sponsor regular tours and have permanent or special exhibits about local historical people, places, events, and eras. Here are just a few of the recurring tours of Civil War related historic sites that sometimes includes permanent or special exhibits on the Civil War:

FORTS OF PORT ROYAL TOUR WITH COASTAL DISCOVERY MUSEUM
Wednesdays at 10am | Tours meet at the Port Royal Golf Club, 10 Clubhouse Drive, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928

Learn about the area's early explorers and the importance of the island during the Civil War, Mitchelville, and the Steam Cannon. The tour visits the site of Fort Walker and the Steam Cannon. Regular price is $12 adult $7 child (ages 6-12); Reservations are required for this tour. Call Coastal Discovery Museum at 843-689-6767 for reservations. www.coastaldiscovery.org

FORT MITCHEL TOUR WITH THE HERITAGE LIBRARY 

Thursdays at 10am | Tours meet at Fort Mitchel, Hilton Head Plantation

Visit a well preserved example of a Civil War era coastal artillery battery. Learn about what life on Hilton Head Island was like for northern soldiers during the Union occupation 1861-1865. Reservations are required for this tour offered by the Heritage Library, owner of the historic site. Regular price is $12 adult $7 child (ages 6-12); Call Heritage Library at 843-686-6560 for reservations. (The Heritage Library will give you directions upon placing your reservation for the tour.) www.heritagelib.org

JOHN MARK VERDIER HOUSE MUSEUM TOURS
Permanent & Special Exhibit for March 2016 only| Mon-Sat, 10a-4p
Verdier House, 801 Bay St, Beaufort | 843-379-6331

Paid admission to the John Mark Verdier House includes a tour of the house museum and two Civil War related exhibits: “Robert Smalls: Beaufort Hero” showcasing the life of the African-American slave who became a Republican leader in the Lowcountry after the Civil War; and a special exhibit, “They Came to Beaufort….Three Women of the Civil War,” featuring the inter-connected stories of Clara Barton, Susie King Taylor and Frances Dana Barker Gage (runs March 1 - March 31, 2016). $10 per person, children and teenagers free.

Commemoration Events This Weekend

MAY 9, 2014: The USCB Performing Arts Center • 805 Carteret Street • Beaufort, SC

• 6:00 pm Confederate Re-Enactor Dry Encampment [and] Live Civil War Era Music [and] Civil War Era Medical Practices Display and Talk are free and open to the general public.
• 7:00 pm Symposium on the Soldier’s Life, Death and the Discovery of his Identity Lost for 150 Years Moderator: Dr. Lawrence S. Rowland, USCB Professor Emeritus Speakers: Joel W. Rose, Neil Baxley, and Penelope Holme Parker PLEASE NOTE: Symposium Tickets are $10; Available at the USCB Center for the Arts (843) 521-4145  www.uscbcenterforthearts.com

MAY 10, 2014: The Beaufort National Cemetery • 1601 Boundary Street • Beaufort, SC
10:00 am Confederate Memorial Day Commemoration, Unveiling of the New Gravestone by Descendants, and Re-Enactor Gun and Cannon Salute.  Free and Open to the general public.

These Confederate Memorial Day commemoration events are sponsored by the Historic Beaufort Foundation, The Richard H. Anderson Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and the Stephen Elliott Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Support History This Holiday Season

Beaufort County is blessed to have more than a dozen cultural heritage agencies, many of which hosting special events and programs during December. Why not support local history and cultural heritage organizations - and entertain your holiday guests - at the same time?  (Please be sure to check with each institution about its holiday hours.)  

Old World Christmas Gala 

Description of event:  Come support historic preservation in Bluffton with BHPS and friends. Enjoy a traditional meal and dance the night away under the stars in a live oak grove near the Oyster Factory Park on the May River. Period dress is encouraged, hoop skirts are optional.
Time and date of event:  Friday, Dec. 13th from 6-10 pm
Location of event: Colcock-Teel Property, 46 Colcock Street, Bluffton
Price:  Fee.
Contact: 843-757-6293; info@heywardhouse.org


Beaufort Model Railroaders Exhibit
Description of event: Scaled models of trains run through cities, countryside, and villages and towns courtesy of the Beaufort Model Railroaders hobby group.  For the young and young-at-heart!  A time-honored and celebrated tradition for more than 20 years at Beaufort Branch Library. 

Time and date of event:  Tuesday, Dec. 17th - Saturday, Dec. 21st during regular Beaufort Branch Library hours.

Location of event: Beaufort Branch Library, 311 Scott Street, 1st floor, Beaufort
Price:  Free.
Contact: 843-255-6456; www.beaufortcountylibrary.org

Beaufort County's Most Hated Man: William Henry Brisbane, Planter-Turned-Abolitionist
Description of event: Dr. J. Brent Morris (USC-B) discusses how Brisbane, a staunch supporter of slavery and a plantation until the 1830s had a turn of heart and became an active abolitionist.  In the 1840s he sold his land and moved to Ohio, only to return to his birthplace as a Federal Tax Commissioner during the Civil War.  On January 1, 1863, it was Brisbane who publicly read the Emancipation Proclamation in Beaufort - including to some men and women who he had owned. 

Time and date of event:  Wednesday, Dec. 18th at 3 pm

Location of event: Coastal Discovery Museum,
Price:  Fee.
Contact: Reservations and details:  843-689-6767, ext. 223 www.coastaldiscovery.org

PS: For those of you who live North of the Broad River, Dr. Morris will be speaking about Brisbane during the Beaufort County Historical Society meeting at the Beaufort Yacht Club on Jan. 16th, too.

First South Carolina Volunteers Exhibit
Description of event: As a special treat to the residents of Beaufort County, the Beaufort History Museum is offering free admission during December.  The First South Carolina Volunteers exhibit closes on December 22nd.
Time and date of event:  10 am - 4 pm, Monday through Fridays; 1 - 4 pm Sundays
Location of event: Beaufort History Museum, 1911 Boundary Street, Beaufort (In Town Hall) 

Price: Free for residents during December; Fee for everyone else.

Contact: 843-277-1443; www.beauforthistorymuseum.com

Parris Island Museum
Description of event: In addition to documenting the history of the United States Marine Corps, Parris Island Museum has exhibits about the Spanish and French settlements on the island and the Civil War history of the area.
Time and date of event:  10 am - 4:30 pm, Daily (closed Christmas Day)
Location of event: Parris Island Museum, 111 Panama Street, Marine Corps Recruit Depot

Price: Free.
Contact: 843-228-2951; http://parrisislandmuseum.com/

Civil War Exhibits at the John Mark Verdier House
Description of event: Historic Beaufort Foundation maintains the John Mark Verdier House museum.  Historic images illustrate text panels of the town during the Civil War and there is a scale-model diorama of Bay Street 1863 currently under construction.  In addition with paid admission, visitors can see "Robert Smalls: Beaufort Hero" and the "Unsurrendered Flag" featuring the history of the Beaufort Volunteer Artillery and its recently restored 1858 flag.
Time and date of event:  10 am - 4:00 pm, Monday - Saturday 
Location of event: John Mark Verdier House, 801 Bay Street, Beaufort

Price: Some free; some fee.
Contact: 379-6335; historicbeaufort.org

York W. Bailey Museum

Description of event: The Education for Freedom permanent exhibit chronicles Penn Center's most important history as a place of education, leadership and service, offering a glimpse into the stories of the Gullah Geechee people whose lives were changed by this important American institution. Rare artifacts, photographs, writings, and letters documenting Sea Island life during the 18th-20th century are on display.

Time and date of event:  9 am - 4 pm, Mondays through Saturdays 
Location of event: Cope Building, Penn Center Historic District, St. Helena Island
Price: Fee.

Contact:  843-838-2474



N.B. Please forgive the formatting issues. On the creation page, this looks just fine, all spacing, typefaces, and size of font are the same.  The posted version looks different because the free version of Blogspot (what we have to use) gets a little off kilter when one cuts-and-pastes text and images and proceeds to resize things to suit itself. Alas, it's the price one pays for free versions of software and a desire to "pretty" things up for readers. 

HBF: Fall Festival of Homes

Our partner in the "One County Reads the Civil War" project, Historic Beaufort Foundation invites visitors to explore Beaufort from a rare vantage point: a selection of private homes, gardens, and plantations normally not open to the public welcome visitors inside. The houses represent three centuries of Beaufort architecture for which the city is justly famous. These self-paced walking tours offer a distinctive opportunity to observe how contemporary lifestyles are lived within the framework of our unmatched architectural heritage. The tours occur October 25 - 27, 2013.

You can download an electronic version of the brochure at http://www.historicbeaufort.org/fall-festival.php. To receive a brochure from Historic Beaufort Foundation in the mail please send your mailing address to:  events@historicbeaufort.org.

Exhibits Worth Seeing; Activities Worth Doing

There are several new exhibits worth seeing at our sister cultural heritage institutions.

Historic Beaufort Foundation has opened “The Art of Carew Rice: Silhouettes of the Lowcountry” exhibit.  It is made of a Beaufort family’s private collection which has never previously been shown in its entirety with support of the Humanities Council of South Carolina. The exhibit will be on display at the historic Verdier House, located at 801 Bay Street, Beaufort, SC 29902 from February 2 – May 31, 2013. Fee. Call 843-379-3331 for more information.





Penn Center  has “Civil Rights Through The Lens of Cecil Williams” on display in the York W. Bailey Museum, February 4-28, 2013.  Fee. 

The opening reception, lecture and book signing is set for Monday, Feb. 11th, 6:00-8:00 PM.  (His book of photographs of the Civil Rights Movement entitled Freedom & Justice just so happens to be on display in the BDC Research Room case.)

Heads up:  The Civil Rights Movement at Penn Center” Youth Day Program is scheduled for Thursday, February 28th 9:00 AM-2:00 PM.  Registration for the youth day programs ends at 3:00 PM on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14th.  Fee. 

Contact Penn Center at 843-838-2432 or info@penncenter.com for more information about its plans to celebrate Black History Month 2013.

151st Anniversary of the Battle of Port Royal

Civil War anniversaries continue.  Celebrate the 151^st Anniversary of the Battle of Port Royal with Historic Beaufort Foundation’s unveiling of the USS Wabash model on Wed., November 7^th.    The following Monday, November 12^th , USS Wabash model maker Dennis Cannady will talk about the Union invasion, the ship’s history, his building of the model and the features of the ship in a presentation entitled “The USS Wabash and the Day of the Big Gun Shoot”. The event begins at 5:30pm.  Fee.  Call HBF at 379-331 for details and reservations. 

The Library has a list of materials and links to online information about the Battle of Port Royal in the “Virtual BDC.”  Check it out!  Our local history sections have copies of When Gun Shoot by Eva Verdier (call number: 398.2 VER) to borrow.  We also recommend the Beaufort Middle School student produced Nov. 7 1861: Crossroads in Beaufort history (call number: 373.75799 NOV) to understand the sea change caused by the results of the battle, for the enslaved as well as their former owners.  

As we near the arrival of Gilder Lehrman’s “Civil War 150” traveling exhibit in September 2013, you’ll be hearing a lot more about how the Beaufort County Library will commemorate the Civil War’s Sesquicentennial. Stay tuned!

Note:  The Beaufort County Library system will be closed Monday, November 12th in observance of Veteran's Day.