"Historically Speaking" Lecture Series Continues November 21, 2019

The second lecture in the new Beaufort County Historical Society / BDC's "Historically Speaking" series features the recently (twice) retired Executive Director of the Historic Beaufort Foundation, Maxine Lutz. To say that Beaufort's historic houses have been occupied by some interesting personalities through time is putting it all quite mildly. Her challenge has most likely been winnowing out the crowd to just a few key individuals. Though she could probably talk for days, we give her only about an hour to cover her topic.

There are no reserved seats and no getting past our Librarian's motto: "Be equally mean to everybody." Therefore, it is important to note that this is a free, first come, first seated local history program. We will open the Beaufort Branch Meeting Room doors promptly at 11:30AM to seat folks who want to attend what is sure to be an informative and entertaining presentation. The BCHS and BDC do so hope to see you at "'Not Just Gossip:' Who Dwelt in Beaufort's Historic Houses?" with Maxine Lutz | Thursday, November 21, 2019 | 2 pm | Beaufort Branch Meeting Room!

Heads up: All units of the Beaufort County Library will close at 5 pm on Wednesday, November 27, 2019 and will remain closed on Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29. Regular hours will resume on Saturday, November 30th.

 In the case of the BDC Research Room, we will close at 5 pm on Wednesday, November 27th and will re-open for business on Monday, December 2nd at 9 AM.

Happy 150th Birthday, Frank Lloyd Wright! (revised 2025)

Whenever anyone thinks of American architects, the first person who comes to mind for many is Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW). As the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation proudly proclaims "Frank Lloyd Wright changed the way we build and the way we live."

Frank Lloyd Wright, 1954

FLW was born on June 8, 1867 to William Carey Wright, a preacher and musician and Anna Lloyd Jones, a teacher in Richland Center, Wisconsin. His parents divorced when he was 18 years old. He attended the University of Wisconsin but not graduate. He moved to Chicago in 1887 in search of work. After short stints at the Joseph Lyman Silsbee and Beers, Clay, and Dutton firms, he apprenticed at the highly respected Adler and Sullivan firm in 1888. Following a dispute with Louis Sullivan, FLW opened his own practice in 1893. He died on April 9, 1959 in Phoenix, AZ at age 91.

He designed over 1100 structures in a career lasting 70 years. 532 of the designs were built. The Prairie Style with which he is closely associated is mostly horizontal in shape with one story low-pitched roofs, deep overhangs, and generally long rows of casement windows. The goal of his architecture was to be "organic," a physical manifestation of buildings in harmony with the natural environment in which they are placed. The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust provides information about and access to some of the structures FLW built in Chicago. Buffalo, NY has seven of his houses dating from its days as an industrial hub as the 1800s gave way to the early 20th century. FLW designed and built two houses in South Carolina: "Auldbrass Plantation" here in Beaufort County near Yemassee and "Broad Margin" in Greenville.

FLW's domestic life was often chaotic. Wright was known for his disinterest in traditional family life and had more than a few extramarital alliances, some which ended in matrimony, and some which did not. He married Catherine Lee "Kitty" Tobin on June 1, 1889. Together they had 6 children before they divorced in 1922. Perhaps the most notorious of the acknowledged relationships was Mamah Borthwick Cheney who would be killed along with two of her children and  four Taliesin workers by axe-wielding arsonist Taliesin servant, Julian Carlton, in 1914. Wife #2 was a morphine addict, Maude "Miriam" Noel. His third wife was Olga Lazovich Hinzenburg, a dancer whom he met in 1924 and married in 1928. Together they had a daughter and he adopted her daughter from Olga's marriage to Vlademar Hinzenberg, a Russian architect. Olga died in 1985. 

Aspects of his personal life has spawned fictional treatment and a real crime story of murder: 

• Death in a Prairie House : Frank Lloyd Wright and the Taliesin Murders by William R. Drennan, 2008.
• The Women : A Novel by T. C. Boyle, 2009. Olga is the main character in The Women.
• Loving Frank by Nancy Horan, 2007.
• Murder in Perspective : An Architectural Mystery, 1997.

Note: The image of Frank Lloyd Wright above was by New York World-Telegram and the Sun staff photographer: Al Ravenna [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. Latest revision: 8 May 2025-gmc

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.

Brooker on "Tormenting, Dissatisfied People"

Join us Tuesday, March 2nd for "The Most Tormenting, Dissatisfied People on Earth" with Colin Brooker at the Hilton Head Branch Library from 3:00 pm – 4 pm.

About the Presenter:
Colin H. Brooker, of Brooker Architectural Design Consultants, Beaufort, South Carolina, heads a small consortium of specialists engaged in the excavation, recording, conservation, and publication of historic architectural and archaeological resources. Today, his practice is largely oriented towards historic structures of the southeastern United States and The Bahamas. He has helped preserve tabby-built plantation structures on Dataw, Spring, Daufuskie, Callawassie, and Hilton Head islands and at the c. 1780 Barnwell Gough House in Beaufort.

BDC programs are free and open to anyone over age 12 with an interest in our local history, culture, or environment. Contact Grace Cordial, 470-6525 or gracec@bcgov.net for more details.

The image was taken on Sea View Plantation, Crooked Island, The Bahamas.

Upcoming BDC Sponsored Local History Programs

Just a reminder for educational opportunities at your Library:

22 February

Mike Coker on "The Battle of Port Royal," [1861]

1 pm - 2 pm Hilton Head Branch Library

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm 2nd Floor, Paul Siegmund Room, Beaufort Branch Library building

2 March

Colin Brooker on "The Most Tormenting, Dissatisfied People on Earth"

3:00 - 4:00 pm Hilton Head Branch Library

All BDC programs are free and open to the general public. Anyone over age 12 is welcome to attend. Hope you can join us.

"The Most Tormenting and Dissatisfied People on Earth" Lecture - March 2nd

Many folks who reside in our area have little idea of just how far reaching an impact our forebears have had on the national, and even international, stage. Colin Brooker, Architectural Historian and Archaeologist, intends to change that on March 2nd at Hilton Head Branch Library.

Brooker's upcoming lecture, "The Most Tormenting and Dissatisfied People on Earth: Lowcountry Planters in the Bahamas and the Development of Sea Island Cotton, 1780 - 1800," will examine Beaufort's direct influence on the development of The Bahamas. He will illustrate his presentation with images taken during his field work surveying architectural and archaeological sites for the National Museum of The Bahamas. Emphasis will be drawn to those coastal South Carolina planters who relocated to The Bahamas in the aftermath of the American Revolution.

As you will discover, life was never the same for the relocated planters, the slaves, or the native Bahamians.

BDC Programs are free and open to anyone over age 12 who is interested in Beaufort’s local history, culture, or our environment. We hope that you can join us for what is sure to be an illuminating presentation.

“The Most Tormenting, Dissatisfied People on Earth:” Lowcountry Planters in the Bahamas and the Development of Sea Island Cotton, 1780-1800, Colin Brooker, Tues., March 2nd, 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Hilton Head Branch.

The image is from Sea View Plantation, Crooked Island, The Bahamas.

Holme on a Home: Feb. 18th

Penelope W Holme will be presenting her recent research on Beaufort’s Elizabeth Barnwell Gough House on Thursday, Feb 18th at 12:00 pm during the Beaufort County Historical Society Meeting. The meeting will be held at the Beaufort Yacht & Sailing Club located at 30 Yacht Club Drive. An optional light lunch will be served at 11:30 for $10. RSVP, please.

For further information or to RSVP about lunch, contact: Pamela Ovens-President at sail@singlestar.us or call 843-785-2767.

Thompson, "Architecture & Slavery" Tomorrow

We are pleased to have Evan Thompson, Executive Director of Historic Beaufort Foundation, present our 2nd program of the Archaeology Month series. Thompson's talk is “Architecture & Slavery: Sites & Stories from Beaufort in the Mid-19th Century.” He will highlight the African American contribution to the built environment within the National Historic Landmark District and beyond. As Maxine Lutz has pointed out:

"His research always illuminates little-known facts about and connections between the people and places associated with Beaufort’s history."

Join us Thursday, Oct. 8th to experience his presentation. Please note: This session is being held in the Beaufort County Council Chambers, 100 Ribaut Road, 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

This year our Archaeology Month series is co-sponsored by Beaufort County Library, Beaufort County Planning, Historic Beaufort Foundation, and USC-Beaufort.

Uses of Carnegie Library Buildings

Andrew Carnegie was a great builder of libraries between 1886 and 1916, including the former Beaufort Township Library, on the corner of Craven and Carteret Streets. Like many of the former Carnegie Library buildings, the Beaufort Township Library has been adapted for use. When the Beaufort County Library moved across Craven Street in 1964, the the City of Beaufort took over the building. Given that the City has new quarters at the head of Ribaut Road, what should be done with the Carnegie Library now? A number of ideas have been floated. A recent AL Direct electronic newsletter carried a short article about bed and breakfasts. I wonder if anyone has given thought to having another bed and breakfast in town?

Frank Lloyd Wright's Auldbrass (revised)

Latest revision: 8 May 2025 - gmc

We seldom think of 20th century structures as "historic," but of course, they can be. Take for example, Auldbrass, a southern plantation complex designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW) near Yemassee. Its design and erection had its trials and tribulations. 

The design process began in 1938. The Auldbrass Plantation complex was formally commissioned to FLW in 1939 by C. Leigh Stevens, an internationally known industrial consultant. According to David G. De Long, Stevens "would prove to be one of Wright's more demanding clients." Although spade work started in the fall of 1940, material and labor shortages caused by World War II and its aftermath slowed progress. Design and construction were complicated by fire, divorces, and ownership changes. Stevens who lived mostly near Boston MA became a part-year resident in 1946. Wright worked on Auldbrass alterations until his death in 1959. Stevens died in 1962. By the time of his death in 1962, the original cost estimate of $50,000 had turned into expenditures in excess of $250,000. 

In the mid-1970s, the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism considered buying it to turn the 3000 acres of the 4000 acre property into a state park. That plan did not come to fruition. Auldbrass was formally added to the National Register of Historic Places with a ceremony at the site on November 14, 1976. Stevens's daughter, Jessica Stevens Loring, sold the complex in 1979 and serious neglect took its toll. The buildings remained unfinished until Joel Silver, a successful Hollywood producer who had already rescued another Wright house, purchased the property in 1986 for approximately $148,000. He spent 15 years on Auldbrass's long delayed completion. Auldbrass is featured in Beaufort County Open Land Trust tours from time to time.

The Beaufort Gazette/Island Packet has a short slideshow about Auldbrass Plantation posted on its website. 

To read more about Auldbrass Plantation, we recommend these library resources:

• The BDC has a vertical file about AULDBRASS. 
• Charles N. Bayless Photographs (BDC only) C.N. Bayless Photographs in our Research Room include images taken on Auldbrass Plantation some of which have been digitized in the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) Collection by the Library of Congress. (Please note: The home is in Beaufort County, not Hampton County as indicated incorrectly in the documentation.) HABS documents achievements in architecture, engineering, and landscape design in the United States and its territories through a comprehensive range of building types, engineering technologies, and landscapes, including examples as diverse as the Pueblo of Acoma, houses, windmills, one-room schools, the Golden Gate Bridge, and buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. You can also view photographs of the outlying buildings online through the Library of Congress.
• Auldbrass: Frank Lloyd Wright's Southern Plantation by David G. De Long, 2003. 
• Auldbrass: the Plantation Complex Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright: A Documented History of its South Carolina Lands by Jessica Stevens Loring, 1992. 
• Frank Lloyd Wright: The Masterworks by David Larkin and Bruce Brooks, 1993.
• If This House could Talk...: Historic Homes, Extraordinary Americans by Elizabeth Smith Brownstein, 1999.

FLW built over 1100 houses, commercial buildings and other structures during his long career. We recommend that you review these websites: 

•     List of Frank Lloyd Wright Works 
•     Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy
•     Frank Lloyd Wright's Work  by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation
•     Public Wright Sites by the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust

If you want to read more about the architect and his work, Beaufort County Library has these materials to share with you:

• Frank Lloyd Wright by Meryle Secrest. 
• Frank Lloyd Wright: The Romantic Spirit by Carol Bishop
• Frank Lloyd Wright by Ken Burns [DVD]
• 20th Century America, 100 Influential People by Robert C. Baron
• About Wright: An Album of Recollections by Those Who Knew Frank Lloyd Wright by Edgar Tafel 
• History Makers: 100 Most Influential People of the Twentieth Century by Ian Whitelaw
• Plagued by Fire: The Dreams and Furies of Frank Lloyd Wright by Paul Hendrickson
• The Gardens of Frank Lloyd Wright by Derek Fell
• The Story of Architecture by Jonathan Glancy
• The Wright Space: Pattern and Meaning in Frank Lloyd Wright's Houses by Grant Hildebrand

And, if you have a valid Beaufort County Library card and passwords for the subscription databases we provide through the "Research & Learn" tab on our library's homepage, you can learn more about Frank Lloyd Wright and Joel Silver in the Biography in Context database.

Thompson: Architecture of Beaufort, 1711-1861

Evan Thompson, Executive Director of the Historic Beaufort Foundation, will speak on "The Architectural Development of Beaufort, SC (1711-1861)" Monday evening, May 4th in the Friends Room at the Arsenal at 7 pm. He will share what he's learned from his research about the built environment of the town within historical documents, newspaper accounts, maps, and photographs. For more information, please see the HBF website or call 379-3331.