Re-cap of BDC Facebook Posts, August 2025

As per usual, most notices about events or schedule changes in the past at the time of this entry have been selectively edited or deleted. I decided to begin with the most recent posts of Facebook this time.-- gmc 

27 August - "Black History Note:" St. Helena Island was in the eye of the Great Sea Island hurricane - and killed many residents. All but 2 of the dead in Beaufort County were African Americans. The QR codes on the flyer link you to photographs, a list of the known dead here, and Rachel Mather's booklet of personal accounts of the storm and its aftermath. Caution: Some people may find the historical records and descriptions disturbing.

26 August - "Women's Equality Day" and "National Dog Day" AM - Today we celebrate the passage of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution on August 26, 1920 and Women's Equality Day - though it is important to note that even with passage of the 19th Amendment some women in the United States were still unable to lawfully cast ballots. Abbie Holmes Christensen was the most prominent of local advocates for the right of women to cast ballots and to have their ballots counted. We have a vertical file of clippings on the topic of suffrage in the Research Room - though as one might suspect South Carolinians of the day were not particularly known for their support of extending the franchise to women. We have multiple copies of Monica Tetzlaff's biography of AHC to share through the Local History sections. The National Archives has more information about this critical document in the history of the United States posted online. PM -- On this "National Dog Day" and given the heat of this summer, I think that Rover has the right idea: I'd rather be hanging out on my porch, too. (This image is part of the Library's Donner Digital Collection hosted by the Lowcountry Digital Library.)

25 August - Today's "Uniquely BDC Materials Monday" highlights our holdings of the short-lived hyper-local newspaper, the Bluffton Eccentric. We have most - but not all - of the issues. And don't forget, there's only two weeks to the "History of Bluffton" with Michael Reynolds at Bluffton Branch Library. A late addition to our Fall 2025 local history schedule is the opening lecture for the "Historically Speaking" series we do with the Beaufort County Historical Society. Leah Roche will present "History on a Stick" about the historic markers along our streets and highways on Thursday, September 25 at Beaufort Branch Library.

23 August - New Deal Art in South Carolina: Government-Supported Images from the Great Depression is a catalog of an exhibit that ran at the South Carolina State Museum June 16 - October 14, 1990. What I found most interesting are the references to the Beaufort Fine Arts Association and its art gallery space called the Beaufort Civic Arts Center that was in the Beaufort Township Library's basement. Funding came from the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA). The catalog contains citations of Beaufort Gazette articles about the local art scene. Beaufort related images included in the catalog are John "Tuscarora Jack" Barnwell, and photographs taken of the area by Walker Evans and Marion Post Wolcott. You have several options available for accessing this item. You can read it in the Research Room or you can download a copy from the State Library's digital library or borrow a copy through the SCLENDS consortium

22 August - Please pencil this upcoming program into your calendars: Barney Forsythe, PhD and Raul Galvan, PhD will provide some background information on the whys behind the construction of local landmark Fort Fremont on September 22. We recently posted a guide to library materials and other information about Fort Fremont in our BDCBCL: Links, Lists and Finding Aids blog on WordPress to guide your research.

21 August - One of the joys of being a librarian is looking at statistics (not). In July, 225 Local History items got checked out from the branch libraries and bookmobile. Customers of Hilton Head Branch were way in the lead with 77 check-outs; Beaufort had 42; Hilton Head Branch and Port Royal Branch tied with 34 check-outs each. Be sure to drop by the Branch Libraries to see all the stock that the BDC shares through the local history sections.

20 August - "Black History Note:" Sam Doyle (1906 - 1985) was a folk artist from St. Helena Island. He used cast-off materials at hand, like house paint, softened plywood and roofing tin, to paint his colorful and vibrant vision of Gullah life on the sea islands. The greater folk art world discovered his work in 1982. Let's honor him and his art during this "American Artist Appreciation Month."

19 August - It's World Photography Day when we celebrate the art, craft, science and history of photography. Here are some ways to honor the day:

1) The BDC has 5 photographic collections posted online through the good services of the Lowcountry Digital Library.

2) Book recommendation: Partners with the Sun by Harvey Teal discusses the history of photography in SC. The BDC has a copy but there are a few copies that can be borrowed via SCLENDS.

3) Peruse the 770s at your local public library for other books about photography.

4) Check out our coffee-table book recommendations.

5) Make a photo that shows your world today and share it with others.

18 August - "Uniquely BDC: Materials Monday:" Were you aware that the BDC collects contemporary posters promoting current events? Given that it's American Artist Appreciation Month, here's one from 2023 celebrating artists working locally.

17 August - No "specials" this week in terms of local history programs. But Cassandra offered some advice on how to protect your personal collections in "Beating Heat and Humidity" that you may find helpful.

16 August - Even though the Library's Summer Reading Program has come and gone for 2025, you still have some time to participate in the AHA 2025 Reading Challenge. I offered some suggestions in a Connections post earlier this summer to help you out.

15 August - On August 10 I posted to Connections what may well have been the BDC's first annual report - mostly for myself as I often just see what hasn't gotten done rather than all that has been done but also for transparency. It's sometimes good to step back and look at the forest. IMNSHO Fiscal Year 2025 was a good one. I am proud of the quality and quantity of the work done by the BDC staff, docent cadre, and our honorary staff person Valerie Lesesne of the Library's Technical Services unit (i.e., the BDC crew) and the depth of the public support we get from you for our efforts to acquire, preserve and share Beaufort District’s long and storied history through a variety of formats, platforms, and ways. Thank you.

14 August - Read how Beaufort celebrated the end of World War II 80 years ago today in this clipping from the Beaufort Gazette (which was the only newspaper published in Beaufort County at the time). The Japanese military forces accepted defeat on August 14, 1945. Officials announced the surrender of Japan to the Allies on August 15, 1945. This notice appeared in the Beaufort Gazette issue of August 17. The official signing of surrender took place on September 2, 1945, officially ending World War II.

13 August - "Black History Note Wednesday:" Leigh Richmond Miner was an artist, photographer, and Director of Applied Art at the Hampton Institute who took some evocative photographs of St. Helena Island circa 1900. Rossa B. Cooley used his images to help fund-raise for Penn School. The glass plate negatives were discovered many years later on the campus, preserved, and published as "Face of An Island" in 1970. The BDC has several copies of the title to insure that one will always be available in the future. You can borrow Face of An Island from one of the Local History sections too.

12 August - You can celebrate "World Elephant Day" by reading tales about elephants and other creatures in Gullah folklore. In particular we recommend "De Rabbit an' de Elephant tushes," "Buh elephant an buh rooster," "Buh rabbit and buh elephunt," "Buh Rabbit fools B'Olifaum an Buh Whale" from Gullah Animal Tales from Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, Gullah Folktales from the Georgia Coast and Afro-American Folk Lore.

11 August - "Uniquely BDC: Materials Monday" - It's "Play in the Sand Day" - and this activity just so happened to get the highest number of votes in our most recent poll. It's many a person's favorite summertime activity. This is one of the more than 350 postcards in the Library's Arnsberger Postcard Digital Collection.

10 August - Though we have no "specials" this week, I thought that I'd share Sydney's latest selection for the BDC's registration station. Poet, Clover Club member and local resident Elizabeth Bannister Dowling composed "August in Beaufort" in commemoration of South Carolina's Tricentennial anniversary in 1970.

Dear winter residents, and moved Marines,

Who have not summered Beaufort's summers through,

To whom our eighth imperial month is new,

Here's what you'd find, in gluey dog-day scenes:

The dogwood blossoms -- gone; firedogs, firescreens,

Atticed, or basemented; a kind of dew

Stuck to our hands, and heads; the zinnias, true

Last heroes, withering, and all gray their greens.

But, you'd find more: an informality,

Warm, heat-engendered, sweeter than other times;

A shimmering laziness, a brave esprit

Rebounding from the haze, and laced with limes,

And, most of all, that famous, craved Cool Spell

In August -- lovelier than a Bay Point shell!

Included in A Patchwork of Poems by Edith Bannister Dowling, p. 31.

9 August - Book lovers, bookworms, and bibliophiles celebrate National Book Lovers Day today. What are you reading? [Answers included: Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon; Slave Counterpoint: Black Culture in Eighteenth Century Chesapeake and Lowcountry by Philip D. Morgan; Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis; Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch [This one is a series with lots and lots of installments]; Theo of Golden by Allen Levi; Party of Liars: A Novel by Kelsey Cox [This one I expected to be non-fiction about either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party but ...] ; and The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness by Robert J. Waldinger and Marc S. Schultz. Only one title related to local history, but that's okay. At least folks are reading books.]

8 August - AM - "Finding Aid Friday:" The BDC has archival collections from all sorts of organizations, including some dedicated to the arts. The Beaufort Art Association was established in 1957 to promote and support the visual arts and local artists. In 2019 the association donated their archives to the Library. Let the Finding Aid be your guide to determine whether or not you'd like to set up an appointment to review the collection's contents: bdc@bcgov.net; 843-255-6468. PM - Pencil this BDC local history program at Bluffton Branch with Michael Reynolds about the history of Bluffton into your calendars for next month.

7 August - We're celebrating National Lighthouse Day this afternoon.

6 August - "Black History Note:" Because it’s American Artist Appreciation Month, learn about the art of Garden’s Corner Native son, Jonathan Green. The Library has lots of books for you to borrow – or you can visit the Research Room to see our BDC vertical file on this important lowcountry artist. Appointments are strongly encouraged – to make sure that someone will be here to assist you: bdc@bcgov.net; 843-255-6468.

5 August - How the BDC cooperated with Summer Reading Program 2025 in June and July: I started off being somewhat discouraged by the theme "Color Our World" but Sydney decided that the display would be "'Color Our World' with History" which started us on the path to make our contribution fuller than I originally expected:

• The BDC held two "color" themed local history programs: one about the true-blue friendship of James Monroe and General Lafayette on July 2nd and colorful local public art projects on July 28th. Attendance was a bit above what we expected from a summertime local history program.
• Staff researched and wrote 9 Connections articles about "colorful" topics and formats in the Research Room - some of which were linked to Facebook posts.
• I uploaded 32 "color" related posts on Facebook.
• Cassandra researched and wrote a Finding Aid for the "Cows on Vacation" photographic prints.

4 August - "Uniquely BDC: Materials Monday" features the book that Ted Panayotoff wrote. The Beaufort County Library system has all 9 copies of Up Here: The Hunting Island Lighthouse and Lightkeepers within the SCLENDS consortium of 20 county libraries and the State Library that have agreed to share resources and circulating materials.

3 August - The week in the BDC, we have two "specials" [both of which have now passed].

2 August - It's National Coloring Book Day - and the BDC has some! We just don't let you color in them.

1 August - The monthly overview.

Moo-Fort, Mermaids, and More​: Public Art Programs in Beaufort County by Cassandra Knoppel

Nearly 25 years ago, Beaufort County started a trend that continues into the present: community-wide public art projects. After being inspired by a growing number of successful public art events in other cities, Beaufort decided to get in on the action to increase the community's access to art and to enhance our public spaces. What started as a short "vacation" for non-local art became multiple community-wide efforts to create our own permanent public art pieces. Here at the BDC, we have collected a quite a few resources which help to create a timeline of some of the most fun and impactful public art projects in Beaufort County's recent history.

Cows on Vacation

We recently finished processing a small photograph collection on one of, if not THE, very first public art projects in Beaufort: "Cows on Vacation." According to materials found in a BDC Vertical File on the topic, "Cows on Vacation" was a Beaufort County-wide public art event held in 2000. The 28 painted fiberglass cows originated as part of a Chicago public art project of 1999, called “Cows on Parade,” where over 300 fiberglass cows were created and placed throughout the city that summer. Chicago was inspired by a similar Art Cow program in Zurich, Switzerland. 

Following the success of the Chicago project, the Arts Council of Beaufort County (ACBC) and the Lowcountry National Bank partnered with the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs to loan the cows for display in the Lowcountry. The effort was financially supported by numerous local businesses, organizations and families. A blank cow was gifted by the City of Chicago as an addition to the “vacationing” collection, becoming the “Cowolina (from Moofort)” by local artist Del Holt. A miniature of one of the cows, “Merci Henri” by Joyce Martin Perz, was gifted to Beaufort as well and remains at the Beaufort County Library Beaufort Branch. Staff often dress this little guy up for the seasons, so stop by and see him some time!

When I first moved into Beaufort from Ridgeland, my mother told me to keep an eye out for the cows - but we were a bit too late to see them! The cows only vacationed in Beaufort from April to July of 2000, but could have been found all across the County. While most were located within the City of Beaufort, some could be spotted on St. Helena and even as far as Point South.

Excited locals began writing into the Beaufort Gazette with their experiences of road tripping to see every cow, taking photographs at each stop and enjoying the excursion with their family and friends. While the cows are long-gone these days, you can recreate the excitement by visiting the BDC and taking a look at our archival collection of photographs, exploring the clippings in our vertical file, or examining one of the two posters we have on the Cows.

As a complimentary project, Beaufort County Schools in partnership with the Arts Council of Beaufort County, along with assistance from Art & Soul Gallery and Beaufort Art Supply, launched the "Surf and Turf" project. Students decorated plywood shrimp to display publicly, first at Waterfront Park and then in local businesses. The plan was to send some of the shrimp to Walterboro for display while others were to be sent back with the Art Cows to Chicago, later to be auctioned off. A photograph of one of the shrimp can be found in the Cows on Vacation Photograph Collection, and more information is available in our newly created vertical file on the subject.

River of Art

Have you ever heard of the "Nightmare Witch?" Or of "Zephyr," the "Heisman Medusa," or the Port Royal mermaid? All of these names refer to the same metal-and-rubber sculpture of a warrior woman who once stood watch over the intersection of Paris Avenue and Ribaut Road behind the main "Port Royal" sign. Many locals, myself included, had no idea where she came from or what she symbolized as she towered over the entrance sign. The sculpture, officially named "Mother of the Rubber Trees" by artist Dessa Kirk, actually depicts a forest spirit who is said to protect the Amazon's rubber trees from greedy harvesters. She came to Port Royal from Chicago through another public art exhibit program in the Spring of 2001.

After seeing the community excitement of the "Cows on Vacation" project, the Town of Port Royal and ACBC partnered to bring over a dozen sculptures, mosaics, and paintings to their public spaces. The art selected had been part of the "River of Art" exhibit which also hailed from Chicago, this time coming from the city's Shedd Aquarium and depicting aspects of the Amazon River and Rainforest. Mike Lash, the director of Chicago's Public Art Program, was quoted in a Carolina Morning News article (dated April 18, 2000) referring to Beaufort as Chicago's "unofficial cultural sister city" due to the success of "Cows on Vacation" and was eager to continue the relationship through the installation of the "River of Art" exhibit in the Lowcountry. However, unlike "Cows on Vacation," the 16 pieces were to permanently remain in Port Royal after being paid for by the town with the help of ACBC and community sponsors. A brochure within our River of Art vertical file gives details on the conception and creation of each piece, along with their original locations in Port Royal.

As I flipped through the brochure, I was able to recognize some of the art - though they had moved over the years. Sensing the potential for a low-stakes adventure, I strong-armed Sydney into spending an evening with me to try to find as many of the remaining pieces as we could. One of the pieces was "Mother of the Rubber Trees," which was first placed in front of the Shed Center for the Arts in 2001 before being relocated to the intersection, eventually being moved again in 2021 to make way for the display of historic flags that now greets visitors to the town. According to a 2021 Island Packet news article, she is now housed in a town storage building while a decision is made as to where she will be displayed next. I called the City of Port Royal to confirm the locations of the art pieces but have received no response. 

Sydney and I were able to find two other sculptures while driving around Port Royal and another one by walking through the Naval Heritage Park. The adorable "Concrete Catfish" by the Town Hall is still standing, along with the abstract "Source of Life" sculpture at 1613 Paris Avenue. The rusted metal sculpture "High River," which shows a tangle of river and forest creatures hidden in and amongst each other, was once in front of the Port Royal Fire Station but now calls the Naval Heritage Park home. 

The Big Pig Gig

That same year, another farm animal invaded the Lowcountry - the pig! Cincinnati, Ohio's art pigs first debuted in the Summer of 2000 thanks to ArtWorks, a public art nonprofit from the city. A poster from their original run in Ohio can be found in the BDC, depicting twenty of the original 400+ art pigs that rendezvoused in Cincinnati and even crossed the Ohio River to invade parts of Kentucky. Thirty members of this herd of pigs were brought to the market Beaufort, Jasper, and Colleton Counties in the Summer of 2001 thanks to ACBC, local governments, and community sponsors. The BDC has preserved one of the promotional brochures for the "Big Pig Gig" in our vertical files. It lists all of the pigs on display with accompanying photos and a map of where they could have been found. 

The art pigs included eccentric pieces like the "Ham-leich Maneuver" (a pig choking on an apple by Lynn Judd), the "Big Nutcracker Boy" (a pig dressed in a traditional nutcracker doll outfit by Chris Payne), and ~my personal favorite~, the "Cured Ham Sandwich" (a pig pinned between two giant slices of bread by Steven McGowan). Others were even more avantgarde, taking the form of a pig and merging it with buildings and even boats, like GBBN Architects' "Swinescraper" and Chris Reiff's "Paddle Squealer." Additional pigs were made and decorated by locals, including the "T.I.G. Pig" at the Triangle Ice & Gas Co. made by local artist Del Holt, and the "Dirty in Art" pig designed in part by Lady's Island Elementary School Art Campers.

The Big Pig Jig street party took place on Labor Day weekend in Port Royal, ending the pig's summer vacation with a night of dancing before the little piggies were sent all the way back home.

The Big Swim

There was a brief pause following the local public art craze of the early aughts, but the activities resumed in the Fall of 2006 when ACBC began planning their next big public art project. But, unlike the others, this one was completely homegrown! In the Fall 2006 issue of ACBC's quarterly magazine Art News, it was revealed that "The Big Swim" was a fundraiser for ACBC but was also "...an opportunity for artists to show off, for non-artists to test their skills, for neighbors to see art in public spaces, and for organizations to contribute to Beaufort's vital cultural tourism." BTW: We have a few issues of Art News in our holdings.

"The Big Swim" Mermaids began their earth-side occupation of Beaufort in the Fall of 2006, after a summer spent designing, assembling and decorating their forms. ACBC outlined the process in ART News. According to the Fall and Winter Art News issues of 2006 and 2007, the form of the mermaids was designed by Kevin Palmer and manufactured in his Ridgeland studio, with each fiberglass mermaid arriving at ACBC's office split in half. Volunteers then spent over 10 hours per mermaid, bonding them together with "expandable foam," attaching a support pole or base, and then smoothing the seams with bondo, fiberglass cloth, and resin. After all of that, the 31 assembled mermaids were finally ready to be bedecked, bedazzled, bejeweled, and beloved by local artists and the community. 

I had the opportunity to participate in creating a mermaid as a second grader at Port Royal Elementary School. That year, we were brought into our art class, led by Mrs. Merchant, and asked to glue a button onto the mermaid sculpture our school was submitting as part of the project. This mermaid became the "Cute as a Button" mermaid. Another personal favorite was the "Miss Beaufort" mermaid, a beauty queen with auburn hair, an unamused expression, and multicolored jewels adorning her tail. Miss Beaufort was created by local artists and sisters Charlene Perry-Dohmann and Lee Perry, who uploaded photographs of the creation of the mermaid and her original installation at Bellamy Curve to their blog, Miss Beaufort Mermaid. In October of 2007, the mermaids were auctioned off, with some even being sold on Ebay, though many remained in public spaces. 

Slowly, the mermaid sculptures began to disappear from Beaufort's public spaces, some with cause and others under mysterious circumstances. In 2007, shortly after the mermaids were installed around town, the Sea Island Quilters' "Sadie the Sea Quilter" mermaid statue was stolen from Bay Street, though she was quickly located and the culprit charged for the theft. Clippings of this kidnapping can be found in the Sea Island Quilters Records collection housed in the BDC. While she was initially "retired," after her theft, Sadie was placed in Morrall Park on Craven Street where she can be seen standing tall amidst the boxwoods and dogwoods that make up the first stretch of the Beaufort Tree Walk. 

It appears that Sadie took the place of another mermaid named "Auntie Bellum" who had mysteriously disappeared from Craven Street circa 2014. Then, in January of 2015, the "Mermaid de Libert" [sic] sculpture went missing from its residency at Logan Park. This statue actually has a Library connection - long-time cataloger Brenda Beasley-Forrest (and a Statue of Liberty aficionado) was the artist who created the statue using stamps, fishnets, and shells. Unfortunately, these two mermaids were not recovered.

Public Art Fund of Hilton Head Island

Now is a good time to take a quick break and discuss one of the big issues of public art: funding. 

Funding for public art, either large-scale projects or one-off pieces, can come from community organizations, sponsorships by local businesses, grants, and more. However, some community governments have established public art ordinances to fund the operations. An anonymous opinion piece from July of 2000 that ran in the Beaufort Gazette raises the issue of funding public art projects and makes the case for doing so through ordinances, something which no city in South Carolina had done at the time but was seen as successful in cities elsewhere. The author states that "good public policy and public art can go hand in hand. The dividends could be a more rewarding cultural scene...." According to an Island Packet article from 2015, there was a short-lived Public Art Commission for the City of Beaufort that was created in 2003, wherein "...1 percent of any capital-project cost would be allocated for public art," but that has since ended. While I could not find a specific public art ordinance on the books for Beaufort County in the present, it does appear that many of the public art projects I touch on from Beaufort did have at least partial funding from county or city government, many through ATAX grants. [Competitive ATAX grant monies are based on the collection of accommodation taxes each year by the county and respective municipalities.] Hilton Head, however, has had an arts funding mechanism for nearly twenty years.

Hilton Head established the Public Art Fund with the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry in 2006, which, according to the program's website, was designed to "...[host] a biennial exhibition, [commission] sculptures and [work] with donors to permanently install large scale sculptures on Hilton Head Island." The Public Art Fund was able to install 11 unique sculptures around the Island by 2020, as well as hosting 4 public art exhibitions over the 14 years it operated. 

I was able to find an article and advertisements for the public art exhibition in the November 2018 issue of Hilton Head Island & Bluffton Local Life magazine we have in our collection. The article details the process of organizing that year's Public Art Exhibition, including the creation of a committee a year in advance, and the selection of the art based on criteria like thematic connection, relation to their mission, and logistics. Similar to prior public art programs in the County, the 2018 Public Art Exhibition would last only through the winter, before all but one of the 20 pieces of art would be sent back. The one remaining piece would be purchased by the Public Art Fund for permanent display in Hilton Head. While the exhibition does have a general theme, there is not a required subject or form like in prior public art projects in Beaufort County, and the artists who created the sculptures are not always local artists; some of the artists are from as far away as California, Illinois, and New York. Much of the art though could be considered abstract or avant-garde.

In 2020, the Office of Cultural Affairs for the Town of Hilton Head, led by Natalie Harvey, took full responsibility for supporting public art on the Island from the Community Foundation after working jointly since 2017. The Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) took this role seriously, including a Public Art Master Plan in their strategic plan for 2022-2024. Their plan includes a 6-point selection criteria for future art along with a statement on their funding source: "Base funding shall be included in the Town general operating budget..." and any additional funds coming from the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry (p.27). Since then, they've added more sculptures to their collection and opened the Shelter Cove Sculpture Trail which features both permanent and temporary works of art for the community to view. Outside of the trial, their sculptures can be found all over the island; the OCA has a map of cultural sites on their website with public art marked in yellow. The OCA has also partnered with the Island Writers Network to launch the Poetry Trail of Hilton Head Island, where some of the Island's sculptures (and other viewscapes) have been paired with poems, readable by scanning a QR code at each location. 

The Lowcountry Oyster Trail's Shell Art Trail

In the summer of 2018, Bluffton artists began making 4-foot tall sculptures of oyster shells, painting or otherwise emblazoning them with images of the Lowcountry's natural environment, nearby businesses, and beyond. This effort was organized by the Lowcountry Oyster Trail to celebrate one of the most important cultural and environmental features of our coast - the mighty little oyster. The Lowcountry Oyster Trail (LOT) was launched in 2017, according to a blog post on their website, and was created to "highlight the region’s famous oysters, and their growing role in the red-hot “sea-to-fork” culinary movement." Inspired by the Virginia Oyster Trail, the creators of LOT wanted to celebrate the quality of oysters in our region and encourage visitors to immerse themselves in our coastal culture through "packages" and other experiences offered by participating local businesses. The LOT Shell Art Trail was formed as part of this mission.

In another blog post titled "heART of the Lowcountry: How Being a Part of the LOT Shell Art Trail Can Bring People, and Business, Right to Your Front Door," LOT encouraged local businesses and community organizations to sponsor a fiberglass oyster sculpture for $670. LOT would then have the oyster decorated by a local artist, then installed in a location near the business to encourage art viewers to stop into the business as well. To encourage participants, a scavenger-hunt style model is used, where the chance to win prizes is offered as an incentive for those who take a photo with each shell sculpture and post it online with their hashtag. In total, 21 oyster sculptures were commissioned and placed in front of a local business or other community buildings and the trail was officially unveiled at the Bluffton Arts and Seafood Festival in October of 2018.

Art Benches

If you were here and able to get out a little bit during the Pandemic, you may have noticed painted benches popping up in Downtown Beaufort in 2020. The Art Benches were created as part of an effort to merge two interests: adding more public seating areas in the city and increasing public interest in local art and cultural history. This is art you can sit on! The project, managed by the City's Cultural District Advisory Board, brought together members of the community in the creation of these art pieces. With the help of local organizations and business sponsoring the project, Lowcountry Habitat for Humanity built the benches while local artists painted them with identifiable Lowcountry motifs. The first round of the project brought twelve benches to the streets of Beaufort in 2020, and the second round added five more in 2022.

On my way into work, I often pass the Art Bench on the corner of Craven and Scott Streets depicting the "Second Founding of America," the Reconstruction era, in Beaufort. Created by Ginger Noah Wareham, the bench depicts a group of men, women and children standing in a tidal creek in front of a background of red and blue stripes, likely rejoicing over their new-found freedom. There are other benches that I see when I am out-and-about too. Linda Silk Sviland painted the facade of a typical hall-and-parlor style house alongside a blueprint layout and bushes of red camellias on a bench which stands at the entrance to the Waterfront Park by the Marina. Reverend Johnnie Smith's bench at Tabernacle Baptist Church depicts places of deep spiritual meaning to Gullah people, including the Tabernacle Church, a river baptism, and a praise house. There's even a Forrest Gump-themed bench in the Arsenal's yard, which shows snippets from the movie along with the iconic quote "Life is like a box of chocolates...." And there are over a dozen more to find around town! 

In 2025, the City's Cultural District Advisory Board began discussions on how the Art Benches could be repaired, as the wind and rain has led to the fading of some of the paint. This may be why, as of late May 2025, the "Second Founding of America" bench is missing from its usual spot, though the informational placard still remains. You can come to the BDC in the meantime to take a look at the newly-created Art Benches vertical file, which includes photos of some of the benches, as well as news articles. I even found an article in one of our original issues of the Lowcountry Weekly which discusses the creation and placement of the Art Benches!

Watermen’s Wave Lowcountry Boot Trail

For those of you who live in Beaufort, you may have seen the most recent Public Art initiative gracing the cover of the Spring 2025 issue of The Beacon, the city's biennial newsletter. Or perhaps you've been to Moe's or the Cypress Wetlands and noticed them - them being the giant, painted fisherman boots. The 11 boots make up the Watermen’s Wave Lowcountry Boot Trail, the product of a partnership between the Beaufort Area Hospitality Association, local artists and businesses. The intent of the project is to celebrate Beaufort's historical ties to the seafood industry, bringing greater attention to artists within our community who decorated the sculptures, while also encouraging tourism and the support of local businesses who sponsored and placed these boots near their businesses.

This recent batch of public art sculptures are a bit different from many prior projects but are indicative of a new style of public art emerging locally: like the Art Benches, they are fully interactive! The intent is for people to not just admire the boots, but to step into them and "wear" them. And like the Shell Art Trail, visitors are encouraged to take a photo and share the art online with their promotional hashtag. Once the visitor has taken and posted a photo with each set of boots, they can return to the Beaufort Visitors Center to receive a prize. 

The boots debuted in January of 2024 during the Beaufort Oyster Festival and can now be found as far north and west as the KOA Holiday Campground off of I-95, east as Hunting Island, and south as Shellring Aleworks, but the largest concentration of them is in Downtown Beaufort. You can often spot tourists wearing the boots while posing for pictures, and Sydney and I recently snapped a picture together in the boots (though we both agreed that it was a bit too unflattering to post here). I even used the "Beaufort" boots as a stop for my niece's Flat Stanley assignment earlier this year, and she and her classmates apparently found the "too big boots" hilarious on her little paper man! The boots have clearly become a well-loved symbol of Beaufort.

You can come to the in-person live presentation of "Moo-fort" at the Beaufort Branch on Monday, July 28 from 5:30 - 6:30 PM. It's free! We do so hope to see you there! - gmc

References:

Angst, M. (2017, November 1). We’re getting a Lowcountry Oyster Trail and here’s what you should know about it. The Island Packet. https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/article182027126.html

Arts Council of Beaufort County. (2000). Cows on Vacation [brochure]. Found in SC Vertical File COWS ON VACATION, Beaufort District Collection, Beaufort County Library, SC.

Arts Council of Beaufort County. (2000, Spring/Summer). Holy cow: Beaufort hosts a herd of historic heifers April 15 through early July 2000. ArtNews, 4–8. Found in SC Vertical File COWS ON VACATION, Beaufort District Collection, Beaufort County Library, SC.

Arts Council of Beaufort County. (2001). Big Pig Gig summer vacation [brochure]. Found in SC Vertical File BIG PIG GIG, Beaufort District Collection, Beaufort County Library, SC.

Artworks. (2013, August 7). Big pig gig. Artworks; Wayback Machine. https://web.archive.org/web/20130807005353/http://www.artworkscincinnati.org/publicart/bigpiggig.shtml

Barnwell, H. S. (2000, June 9). ["Shrimp" email to Beaufort County Library staff]. Found in SC Vertical File COWS ON VACATION, Beaufort District Collection, Beaufort County Library, SC.

Beaufort’s Big Swim. (2007, April 21). The Lowcountry Weekly, 11. Found in SC Vertical File BIG SWIM, Beaufort District Collection, Beaufort County Library, SC.

Big pig gig. (2025). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Big_Pig_Gig&oldid=1281991263

Boddie, T. M. (2018, July 9). Sure, Lowcountry oysters are delicious. But did you know they’ll soon be works of art? The Island Packet. https://www.islandpacket.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article214556460.html

City of Beaufort. (2025, February 19). Cultural District Advisory Board meeting minutes February 19, 2025 2:00 PM. https://www.cityofbeaufort.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_02192025-1826

City of Beaufort. (2025, February 19). [Cultural District Advisory Board agenda for February 19, 2025]. https://www.cityofbeaufort.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_02192025-1826

City of Beaufort. (2025, May 21). [Cultural District Advisory Board agenda for May 21, 2025]. https://www.cityofbeaufort.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05212025-1896

Community Foundation of the Lowcountry. (n.d.). Public art. Community Foundation of the Lowcountry. Retrieved June 6, 2025, from https://cf-lowcountry.org/impact-initiatives/public-art

Community Foundation of the Lowcountry. (n.d.). Public Art on Hilton Head Island collection as of January 2020. https://d33cksekc092z.cloudfront.net/images/Public-Art-Collection-as-of-January-2020.pdf

Dailey, J. (2007, September 13). Beaufort’s mermaids on sale. WTOC11. https://www.wtoc.com/story/7066300/beauforts-mermaids-on-sale

Explore Beaufort. (2022, October 19). New benches around town tell some of Beaufort’s cultural history. Explore Beaufort SC. https://explorebeaufortsc.com/new-benches-around-town-tell-some-of-beauforts-cultural-history/ 

Ferguson, L. (2020, January 25). Looking for a spot to sit, relax in Beaufort? Check out these locally painted benches. The Island Packet. https://www.islandpacket.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article239637138.html

Ford, O. (2001, September 2). Port Royal reunites friends, kin. Beaufort Gazette, 1. Found in SC Vertical File BIG PIG GIG, Beaufort District Collection, Beaufort County Library, SC.

Gigante, J. (2000, August 10). “Mini Merci” represents life-size cow reborn as “Backdraft.” Beaufort Gazette, 6A. Found in SC Vertical File COWS ON VACATION, Beaufort District Collection, Beaufort County Library, SC.

Hager, T. (2007, May 6). Mermaids splash into Beaufort. Beaufort Gazette, 1–C. Found in SC Vertical File BIG SWIM, Beaufort District Collection, Beaufort County Library, SC.

Harley, C. C. (2000, August 6). Outdoor art: Sponsors, artists needed to raise shrimp colony. Beaufort Gazette, 1C. Beaufort Gazette, 6A. Found in SC Vertical File COWS ON VACATION, Beaufort District Collection, Beaufort County Library, SC.

Island Writers Network. (2023, March 31). Poetry trail. Island Writers Network. https://islandwritersnetworkhhi.org/home/poetry-trail-hhi/

Lowcountry Oyster Trail. (n.d.). Oyster Shell Art Trail [form]. https://lowcountryoystertrail.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/LOTOysterShellArtTrailFormvFILLABLE.pdf

Lowcountry Oyster Trail. (n.d.). Shell art trail – a public art display. Lowcountry Oyster Trail. Retrieved June 6, 2025, from https://lowcountryoystertrail.org/shell-art-trail-a-public-art-display/

lucyrosen. (2018, June 18). Heart of the lowcountry: How being a part of the lot shell art trail can bring people, and business, right to your front door. Lowcountry Oyster Trail. https://lowcountryoystertrail.org/2018/06/heart-of-the-lowcountry/

lucyrosen. (2018, October 17). Lowcountry Oyster Trail set for fall launch. Lowcountry Oyster Trail. https://lowcountryoystertrail.org/2017/08/lowcountry-oyster-trail-set-for-fall-launch/

lucyrosen. (2018, October 17). Shell art trail in Bluffton features giant oyster sculptures painted by local artists. Lowcountry Oyster Trail. https://lowcountryoystertrail.org/2018/10/shell-art-trail-in-bluffton/

Males, C. (2018, November). The 2018 public art exhibition: A stroll through Hilton Head Island’s magical open air art gallery. Hilton Head Island & Bluffton Local Life, 2(11), 138–141.

McNab, M. (2015, April 24). The lady vanishes! Mermaid statue missing from Beaufort park. The Island Packet. https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/community/beaufort-news/article33645612.html

Puckett, K. (2021, July 9). Port Royal’s ‘Nightmare Witch’ has disappeared. How the town plans to replace her. The Island Packet. https://amp.islandpacket.com/news/local/community/beaufort-news/article252641243.html

Reynolds, J. (2025, March 4). Watermen’s wave Lowcountry boot trail. Beaufort Lifestyle. https://www.beaufortlifestyle.com/2025/03/04/watermens-wave-lowcountry-boot-trail/

Robinson, K. (2021, May 13). New Beaufort benches add flair! South Carolina Lowcountry. https://southcarolinalowcountry.com/beaufort-benches-add-flair/

Smith, K. (2000, June 14). Student public art project successful. Beaufort Gazette, 4A. Beaufort Gazette, 6A. Found in SC Vertical File COWS ON VACATION, Beaufort District Collection, Beaufort County Library, SC.

Town of Hilton Head Island Office of Cultural Affairs. (2021). Town of Hilton Head Island Office of Cultural Affairs strategic plan FY22—FY24. https://hiltonheadislandsc.gov/plans/OCAStrategicPlan.pdf

Town of Hilton Head Island Office of Cultural Affairs. (2025, June 6). Hilton Head Island’s public art. Culture HHI. https://culturehhi.org/hilton-head-islands-public-art/

Town of Hilton Head Island Office of Cultural Affairs. (2025, June 6). Public art. Culture HHI. https://culturehhi.org/portfolio/public-art/

August is Artist Appreciation Month

This post was last updated 19 July 2023. - gmc

As Conscious Magazine states: "While the life of an artist is mostly one of solitude, their work is for others, and this is an important month to appreciate those American Artists who are creating or have created works of art intended to inspire humanity." Many artists currently live in Beaufort County these days, some drawn to the area as a result of its natural beauty and growing acclaim for being arts friendly.

The Beaufort Online website (2019) summarized how Beaufort, SC became recognized as a center for the arts in the late 20th and early 21st centuries:

Beaufort has long been recognized as an arts community: we are home to prominent painters, photographers, writers, musicians, art galleries, performing arts centers and various art associations. In 2005, John Villani rated Beaufort as one of America’s top 100 art towns in his book The 100 Best Art Towns in America: A Guide to Galleries, Museums, Festivals, Lodging and Dining. In 2008, American Style Magazine rated Beaufort as the number 14 Small City Arts Destination. Southern Living Magazine listed Beaufort at number 12. Historic houses and gorgeous marsh river views have served as the subject for thousands of oil paintings. Being a college, military and retirement community, Beaufort is a melting pot of diversity when it comes to artistic influence. Art organizations include the Beaufort Art Association, the University of SC-Beaufort Performing Arts Center and ARTworks: Community Art Center, Theater, and Gallery.

A great many artists and the general public appreciate the art of Garden's Corner's Jonathan Green. Read more about this Beaufort County native painter, printmaker, and book illustrator in the South Carolina Encyclopedia. His work is well represented in the holdings of the Library. He's made something of a side career illustrating the books of others. 

For example, a re-issued children’s book Freedom Ship of Robert Smalls by Louise Meriwether (1971, 2018) contains his wonderfully vibrant paintings about one of the most important persons in Beaufort’s long and storied past. 

The award-winning but publicity-shy Aldwyth of Hilton Head Island creates collages and assemblages. You can see examples of her work in a book we have in the Research Room Aldwyth work v./work n. (2009). We also a small vertical file about her work and career as well.

Capturing Life: The Art of Jack Williamson includes plates of his paintings from 1947 to 2002. After a career in business, he retired to Hilton Head Island around 1990. He includes many scenes from the local area.

Sam Doyle (1906 - 1985) was born and lived his entire life on St. Helena Island. He used cast-off materials at hand, like house paint, softened plywood and roofing tin, to paint his colorful and vibrant vision of Gullah life on the sea islands. The greater folk art world discovered his work in 1982. See our BDCBCL: Links, Lists & Finding Aids WordPress blog for more information about this important folk artist.

Ten percent of the watercolors in A Charleston Sketchbook, 1796-1806 by Charles Fraser (1782 - 1860) are of sites in Prince William's Parish, Beaufort District. His elder brother, Capt. Frederick Fraser owned the Fraser's Place Plantation near Old Sheldon Church. Odds are he painted some of them when he visited.

Art in South Carolina, 1670-1970 compiled and edited by Francis W. Bilodeau and Mrs. Thomas J. Tobias with E. Milby Burton (Columbia: South Carolina Tricentennial Commission, 1970) has Jacque Le Moyne's "Rene de Laudonniere and the Indian Chief Athone visits Ribaut's Column" (1564) gracing the cover. Sections are arranged chronologically and each is prefaced with an introduction about the art and artists featured.

Local artist Nancy Ricker Rhett's family ties to Beaufort District go back many generations. In addition to running a gallery on Bay Street in downtown Beaufort, she has illustrated a number of books that are available through the Library.

 

Diligent research into identifying the artist of one of the most famous paintings of the enslaved led Susan Shames to some ground-breaking conclusions. Read more about John Rose of Beaufort District and his "The Old Plantation"painting. Better yet? Borrow her book and marvel at how Shames figured out which John Rose was the painter. 

Gullah Woodburning Folk Art by Rev. Johnnie F. Simmons [2018], is a delightfully colorful little book (literally little, the book measures 5 inches by 4 inches) of his wood-burned depictions of Gullah culture and life on St. Helena Island. This book is so special that both copies in SCLENDS are held in special collections at the Beaufort County Library.

Called "one of Beaufort's gifted sons whom she has lent to the outer world", James Reeve Stuart (1834-1915) had a long career as a portrait painter and artist. Read more about his life and work in our WordPress blog.

(Beaufort District Collection Archives)

We have other visual art related materials in addition to books. For example, we have a number of vertical files on some specific local artists, on local artists in general, some art installations from the recent past such as the Big Pig Gig and the River of Art, as well as some vertical file materials on the art associations.  Make an appointment to come see the folders about ARTISTS, FOLK ARTISTS, GULLAH CULTURE--ART/ARTISTS, ARTS AND CULTURAL COUNCIL OF HILTON HEAD and/or ARTS COUNCIL OF BEAUFORT COUNTY. (JSYK: The Sirsi-Dynex software that houses the SCLENDS catalog post June 20, 2023 calls vertical files "continuing resources.")

In our Archives section, we take care of at least four art related collections: the organizational records of the Beaufort Art Association; The Madame Murray sketches; the Wales Journal; and the Beaufort Chronicles Portfolio. 

The Beaufort Art Association (1957 - ) donated their papers to the Beaufort District Collection in March 2019. The collection has twelve scrapbooks, two guest books, two binders, ninety-three posters, newspaper clippings, association records, photographs, negatives, exhibit brochures (1976-2013), newsletters (1995-2011) and other miscellaneous material. The Finding Aid has been posted online in our BDCBCL: Links, Lists and Finding Aids blog since August 2021 and a print out is available inside the Research Room. 

(Murray Sketches, reproduction, Beaufort District Collection)

Mrs. Thomas Murray (nee Harriot Despaud) was better known as "Madame Murray". She was the mother of Ellen Murray who taught at Penn School and lived on St. Helena Island with her friend Laura Towne. Madame Murray created these sketches in 1863 while on a visit south to see her daughter.  The Madame Murray Sketches Collection contains reproductions of fifteen of her drawings. 

The Susan Wales Journal, 1887 - 1895 is a charming daily record of her time abroad in Europe. Most pages contain a small sketch or painting of people, places, things she encountered that day.  One of our beloved and dedicated volunteers, Laura Lewis, is hard at work transcribing the journal as we prepare it to be our ninth digital project with the Lowcountry Digital Library. Please note: It was delayed by the COVID-19 shutdowns in 2020 but Laura is doing her best to get it ready for launching by Halloween 2023. 

Beaufort Chronicles Portfolio was a partnership project between the USCB Art Department and the Beaufort Three-Century Project.  The partnership employed a semester-long course to create a limited edition fine art portfolio of 16 original prints based on Beaufort’s history.   The exhibition opening was held in conjunction with the January 17, 2010 Anniversary Event with an estimated 1,000 people viewing the project during the month-long exhibition in the USCB Gallery as it was also in situ during three of the 2010 Tricentennial Lecture Series events.  One of the limited edition portfolios is in the project archive for the Beaufort Three-Century Project.

We also have some Crosscup & West sketches of Beaufort in the late 19th century and numerous posters from local art exhibitions with a concentration on those from the very late 20th to the present day. If Beaufort Branch gets a poster to display, the BDC gets that poster after the exhibition is over for permanent retention.   

Many of our Branch Libraries contain art that was donated to or purchased by the Library Board of Trustees through the years. Be sure to keep your eyes open when you visit one of our locations. Truly, art is all around you in Beaufort County and here in the Research Room.