Display: Beaufort District Women of Courage, Character and Commitment

BDC Preservation Associate Charmaine Seabrook Concepcion designed and installed the "Beaufort Women of Courage, Character and Commitment" display in the Research Room this month. She selected some images from the Byrne Miller Papers and the photo morgue of the Lowcountry Ledger that she's been processing for almost a year. You'll see that she chose some of the book length treatments of the life and times of Byrne Miller, Kate Gleason, the Petigru Sisters, Harriet Keyserling, and Rosalie Pazant, in other words, some of the most significant women in Beaufort's long and storied past. You can check out copies of some of these titles from the Local History sections at the Branch libraries - though you will need to come to the Research Room to see the archival papers, vertical files, obituaries, and other related materials pertaining to the role and impact of women here through the years.

Of course, what you see in the display case is just a small fraction of the women's history-related materials that we hold in trust for the community in the library system's special local history collection and archives. Drop by to visit us Mondays through Fridays, 10 am - 5pm to see the display and learn more about the role that women have played in social, political, and domestic affairs throughout history.  (Please note: We'll be switching over to a Preservation Week display on Monday, April 21st.)  

PS: When the Lowcountry Ledger photo morgue is ready for research, you'll hear about it here first. We appreciate that you continue to read this blog - and for your trust that the Beaufort District Collection will do right by the communities we serve.

Notable Women of 20th Century Beaufort County: Part 1

Last updated: 9 March 2020 All links active as of this date.

Kate Gleason, 1865 - 1933. (Lucille Hasell Culp Collection, cBeaufort County Library)

Each year National Women's History Month employs a unifying theme and recognizes national honorees whose work and lives testify to that theme. The theme for 2013 is "Women Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination.”  Among this year's National Women’s History Month nominees is Kate Gleason, born Catherine Anselm Gleason in Rochester, NY on January 9, 1865.  Although Miss Gleason never earned her engineering degree, she practiced engineering and employed Beaufort County tradesmen during the deepest days of the Great Depression. In fact, Coroner Roger Pinckney called her a "Godsend".  She hired local workers to build and renovate the Gold Eagle Tavern. She converted houses into apartments. For her efforts Kate Gleason was nominated as one of the ten most influential people in Beaufort’s History during the City's Tricentennial celebration. For more information about this amazing woman: 

• Read David Lauderdale’s article "How Kate Gleason turned her Love of the Lowcountry Into Action" in the Island Packet's February 12, 2011 issue.

• The Gold Eagle Tavern, owned and operated for a time by Kate Gleason, was the place to be back in its heyday. Listen and learn about the Gold Eagle Tavern in a Beaufort County Moment video. The videos were joint ventures of the County Channel, Department of Planning, the Beaufort County Library and Coastal Discovery Museum.

• Beaufort Memorial Hospital is built upon land donated by Kate Gleason. Named for her are the Kate Gleason Society that continues her philanthropic support for the local hospital and the adjacent Kate Gleason Park that offers unsurpassed views of the Beaufort River.

•   Read this Beaufort Gazette article and other clippings about her in the “Gleason, Kate (1865-1933)” vertical file housed in our Research Room. 

• Her biography, The Life and Letters of Kate Gleason by Janis F. Gleason, is available in the BDC and all branch our branch library local history sections.

National Women's History Month

March is National Women's History Month.

Each year National Women's History Month employs a unifying theme and recognizes national honorees whose work and lives testify to that theme. The theme for 2012 is "Women's Education - Women's Empowerment." 

Among this year's National Women's History Project honorees is Charlotte Forten Grimke, who taught here in Beaufort County during the early days of the "Port Royal Experiment."  To honor her contribution to education, we have prepared an online list of our library's resources about her, her life, and her family.   


Image courtesy of the National Women's History Project.