The Model Trains are Back, December 14 - 18, 2021 & Holiday Schedule

Maybe we are getting back to "more" normal as the Beaufort Railroaders return Tuesday, December 14 through Saturday, December 18 at the Beaufort Branch with their model train sets for the twenty-eighth time! As frequent readers of this blog are aware, having the model trains during the Christmas Season is one of Beaufort Branch's most anticipated events each year. There are folks who otherwise never darken the Library's doors but who love to come see the model trains. Unfortunately, like most other seasonal activities, COVID-19 mitigation measures prevented us from hosting the group in 2020. Hours for the 2021 Beaufort Railroaders Exhibit are posted on the Library system's calendar.

Beaufort District has quite a history with regards to railroads - so many that I posted a list of materials about local railroads to the BDC's WordPress blog. The "All Aboard! Railroads in Beaufort District and beyond" post begins with a short history and then includes books you can check out or see online for free at your leisure. So even if you cannot make it down to see the exhibit, you can still learn at least a little something about the significant role that railroads played in America's history. (PS: There are a lot of images from our holdings included in the post.) 

As we enter the waning days of 2021, appointment opportunities are limited by staff on duty and the weekdays that the Research Room is open during December. Reservations are probably more important in December than in most other months of the year. Please make the necessary advance arrangements for a research visit by calling the BDC 843-255-6468 or be sending an email to bdc@bcgov.net. Be sure to allow up to 72 hours before getting a response. With a staff of only 1.75 persons and the fulltime person out on FMLA, it may take some time to respond to your requests.  Please note: BDC staff does not monitor business communications when the Library is closed. 

The Christmas holidays are a bit longer than usual due to the days of the week on which Christmas Eve and Christmas Day fall, usual County holiday policies, and the generosity of this County Council who upon the recommendation of the County Administrator gave employees an extra paid holiday this year.  

Thus, the Library will be closed from Thursday, December 23 through Monday, December 27th. Regular services will resume on Tuesday, December 28th, Wednesday, December 29th, and Thursday, December 30th. 

Cassi will be in the Research Room holding appointments, Tuesday, December 28 - Thursday, December 30th according to the arrangements agreed to by BDC staff on or before December 22, 2021. 

Most years the Library closes early on New Year's Eve, but in 2021, New Year's Eve falls on a Saturday. County policy states that holidays falling on a Saturday are observed on a Friday. Thus the BDC Research Room will be closed on Friday, December 31, 2021 and January 1, 2022 for New Year's Day.

When we re-open on January 3, 2022, most parts of the Library will have slightly extended hours of service. In the case of the Research Room, our first appointment of the day will begin at 9 AM should our customer want to take advantage of the parking meters being free until 11 AM each day. We'll still have three research slots per day but the first customer will have the option of as much as 3 hours of research time. Our morning customer will be asked which of these three options suit them best: 9 AM to 11 AM or 10 AM to Noon or 9 AM to Noon. That's something we'll discuss when you reach out to make an appointment. Again, please be sure to contact us ahead of time: 843-255-6468 or bdc@bcgov.net to make it more likely that we can accommodate your preferred date(s) and time(s). 

Railroad History in Beaufort District, Model Train Exhibit, and Schedule Changes

Every couple of years I try to review previous posts on particular recurring topics for continuing relevancy and currency. Thus I updated the "All Aboard" post on the BDC's WordPress blog originally put up in 2017 to include an overview of the history of railroads in Beaufort District in honor of the Beaufort Railroader's 27th annual visit to the Beaufort Branch this year.

As frequent readers of this blog are aware, having the model trains during the Christmas Season is one of Beaufort Branch's most anticipated events each year.

There are folks who otherwise never darken the Library's doors but who love to come see the model trains. And, invariably, there is someone who shows up expecting to see the model trains after they have come and gone. Though I did get something of a surprise as I was writing this post to hear a very unexpected knock on the locked up tight BDC's door to ask where the trains were! She was disappointed to know that she had come early - but isn't arriving early often much better than arriving to see the model trains after they have left the building? I do so hope that she will be able to visit at some point during the five days that the model trains will be chugging downstairs later this week.

As last week's guest post indicated, the model train exhibit will chug into Beaufort Branch on Tuesday, December 17th and will remain on site until Saturday, December 21st at 4:00 pm this year. Hours are posted on the Library system's calendar.

Kristi has updated the display cabinet to showcase some of the many railroaded materials we have in the Research Room. A fuller list is on the WordPress blog where you can also read the history of railroads. The WordPress blog list includes books you can check out or see online for free at your leisure so even if you cannot make it down to see the exhibit, you can still learn at least something about the significant role that railroads played in America's history.

Reminder about the upcoming holiday schedule changes:
1) The Beaufort District Collection closes at 5 pm on Friday, December 20th and will stay closed through Christmas Day.

2) While Sam has been out, Kristi and I have been tag-teaming coverage of the Research Room. Kristi will be on site to open the Research Room on Thursday, December 26th at 9 AM. Because of staff shortage, the Research Room will close at lunchtime on both December 26th and 27th, Noon to 1 pm.

All units of the Beaufort County Library will close at 5 pm on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2019 and will remain closed until Thursday, January 2, 2020 at which point all units will resume regular hours of operation unless otherwise indicated.

Model Trains Exhibit, December 17 - 21, 2019

Guest post by David Simpson, one of the Beloved BDC Docents: 

Romance of the rails is back at Beaufort Branch! For the 27^th year The Beaufort Railroaders are bringing trains big and small  (gauges: N, HO, G, S and O) to the Beaufort Public Library on Scott Street from Tuesday, December 15^th to  Saturday the 21^st  the  hours are from 10 AM to 5 PM.

There is a dream come true room, of just LIONEL 0 GAGE engines and rolling stock with accessories to complete the lay-out1. It is a 1950’s childhood memory come true!

In a second room you will be fascinated by trains of all types and sizes running the rails through scenic wonder lands. Motive power (engines) of steam, diesel, and electric all pulling their loads.

There is a photo display of the Beaufort Railroaders' recent project of constructing a scale model of the “old swing bridge” over Harbor River connecting St. Helena to Hunting Island which is being replaced at this time. The model will be displayed in the Visitors Center on Hunting Island.  

If the Polar Express and Thomas the Tank Engine are the only named trains you know find out about such famous named trains as: The Twentieth Century Limited, El Capitan, The Owl, The Crescent City Limited, The Sunset Limited and famous rail lines such as the great Pennsylvania, New York Central, Seaboard, C,B&Q Chicago Burlington and Quincy,  BAR Bangor/Aroostook  Railroad, Long Island Railroad (LIRR) “route of the dashing commuter”, Central of Georgia,  Burlington Northern, the Chessy System,  The mighty Santa Fe with its engines painted in the “War Bonnet” pattern, Union Pacific, Southern Pacific, Katy Line, Eriee and Lackawanna, Norfolk Southern.

BCL's "Donner Collection" https://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/lcdl/catalog/lcdl:2084

Finish off your rail visit by going upstairs to the Beaufort District Collection Research Room to see selections from their materials about the history of local railroads.

Hundreds and hundreds of children and adults make this show part of their  holiday activities. After all what is a Christmas tree with out a model train running circles around it!

Contact the Beaufort Branch Library for more details about the model train display: 843-255-6456 or bcl@bcgov.net.

Please note: The Research Room has slightly different hours on Friday, December 13, 2019. Staff will be on hand to assist customers from 9 AM to Noon and again from 1 PM to 5 PM that day.

The Trains, the trains ...

The holiday season is now underway - for real! Beaufort's Night on the Town and Christmas parade was last weekend (though the Beaufort Light up the Night boat parade was rained out) is followed up with the arrival of the Beaufort Railroaders and their wonderful model train sets. 

The model train sets are on display in the Beaufort Branch Library, 311 Scott Street, first floor, for only 5 days: December 11 - December 15. Please note the times above. You don't want to miss it!


In honor of this annual event, the Beaufort District Collection is highlighting our "stuff" about the local railroads in our "Materials Monday" series on Facebook, in our Research Room display case, and in our WordPress blog.  As long as you're at Beaufort Branch looking at the model trains, why not come upstairs to see some of the materials we have about the Port Royal, Charleston & Savannah railroad and other railroads?

As a heads up: All units of the Beaufort County Library will close at the regular time
per unit on Friday, December 22nd and remain closed until Thursday, December 27th at regular opening time per unit. Soon thereafter, all units will close at 5 pm on Monday, December 31 and remain closed until regular opening time per unit on Wednesday, January 2, 2019.

All Aboard! (Updated to 2022)

Latest update: 15 November 2022 includes additions about the Model Trains exhibit and library closure schedule for the end of 2022 and New Year's Day holidays.- Grace Cordial 

Today I am going to use "Railroads Once Were Vital to Beaufort's Economy" by Gerhard Spieler from the Beaufort Gazette, August 12, 1997, p. 11A as the base for a brief exploration of railroad history in Beaufort District. I will indicate my editorial remarks and/or supplemental information with red italics  to indicate updated content and sources. 

Railroads once were vital to Beaufort's economy 

Studies are under way on the feasibility of running a tourist train on 25 miles of track between Port Royal and Yemassee. The train would be in addition to the limited cargo service on that line now. 

 
The tourist train idea did not get sufficient traction to become a reality and limited cargo service ceased on November 26, 2003. In 2008 Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority acquired the right-of-way to use as a utility corridor. After years of discussion, efforts to set up a walking/biking "Beaufort Rail Trail" began to flower once the BJW&SA granted a surface easement to Beaufort County to develop 14 miles of the corridor as a recreational trail in January 2011. The tracks were ripped up in stages between 2011 and 2015. The Spanish Moss Trail opened in 2013 and now occupies 10 miles of the former line. The trail is included in the TrailLink system of the Rails to Trails Conservancy. 

BTW: We helped with the historic markers near the Old Depot trailhead. There are  iPhone and iPad apps available for following the Spanish Moss Trail. Newspaper and magazine clippings about the history of the Port Royal Railroad Company and various ideas about what to do with the rail bed are in a permanent vertical file in our Research Room. Please be sure to make an appointment to view the BDC materials: bdc@bcgov.net or 843-255-6468. 

There was a period when railroads were the chief link between Beaufort and the outside world; they provided both passenger and freight service. Freight trains brought commercial cargoes to Beaufort and carried farm produce to Northern markets. Many small Lowcountry towns such as Denmark, Norway, Port Royal, Yemassee and Sweden owe their origin and existence to railroads. 

Lowcountry historian William Whitten has one of the "few remaining passenger coaches" at his home in Port Royal. Whitten wrote in the Hilton Head Report that the 66-foot-long car was" on the round-trip run from Port Royal to Augusta from about the turn of the century to World War II."   

Beaufort's only freight warehouse, located on Depot Road, was retired and later demolished in 1974. 

Built in 1908, it was owned and used last by the Seaboard Coast Line. At one time, according to town historian John F. Morrall, the warehouse was the center of Beaufort's economic life, a place where town merchants met to talk as well as send and receive merchandise. 

Arnsberger Collection, BDC, LCDL

The Charleston and Savannah Railroad, completed shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War, was the first railroad to operate in county limits. Located on the mainland, it was an important link in Confederate military control and in providing quick service between Charleston and Savannah. 

First passengers climbed aboard the C&S Railroad on April 21, 1860. The trip between the two cities took approximately nine hours each way. The train leaving Charleston set off at 7:40 am while the train leaving Savannah left at 9:00 am.

In 2008, H. David Stone, Jr. examined the operation of the C&S RR in his book Vital Rails: The Charleston and Savannah Railroad and the Civil War in Coastal South Carolina. His book is available for check-out through the Local History sections of the Beaufort County Library as well as in the BDC's Research Room. The supplemental information about the date and schedule are from pp. 32-33 of Vital Rails.) 

Gift of Nancy Guthridge, former docent, BDC

In 1869, a memorial of the Port Royal Railroad Co. stated "that the Company is engaged in building a railroad from Port Royal Harbor, in the State of South Carolina, to Augusta in the State of Georgia ... Your petitioner aims not only to construct a railroad, but also build a city." 

We have a copy of Petition of members of the Constitutional Convention of South Carolina, praying aid to the Port Royal Railroad Company in completing its road from Port Royal to Augusta, Georgia [Pamphlet article], 1868. Call # is SC 975.799 PET

The railroad was completed by 1874, and in the same year the new town of Port Royal received its state charter.  Docks were constructed to serve ships from northern states as well as Europe. Ships even furnished passenger service to European ports. The railroad carried truck farm produce to inland markets. 

Parts of the railroad parts of it opened in 1871 as this advertisement from the Beaufort County Republican, December 21, 1871 p. 3 advertisement shown on the left attests. 

Financing prospects for the Port Royal Railroad turned out to be less promising than expected. Directors of the Georgia Railroad agreed in 1872 "to endorse $1 million of the first-mortgage bonds...." 
 After protests and threats of legal action by stock-and bond-holders, the sum was lowered to $500,000 and the board of directors was "paid for its endorsement by the transfer of enough stock to allow it to control the Port Royal Railroad Company."

   

The railroad had found itself in financial difficulties from the start. After staring service March 1, 1873, the company defaulted on interest payments on its bonds by November. The railroad was sold at a foreclosure sale on June 6, to be succeeded by the Port Royal & Augusta Company. 

1899 Sanborn Insurance Map, Beaufort Sheet 8, BDC, USC

The best explanation of the financial problems involved with the PR & A RR is "'Black an' Dusty, Goin' to Augusty:' A History of the Port Royal Railroad" by John Martin Davis, Jr. in the South Carolina Historical Magazine, vol. 105, (2004), pp. 198-225. Read it in our Research Room where we have the complete run of the magazine.

 

Arnsberger Collection, BDC, LCDL

By 1915, the Charleston-to-Savannah Railroad began laying a railroad spur to connect Jasper, Bluffton and lower Beaufort County to the main line.

"Cotton, corn, beans and potatoes... would have been useless without a way to get them to market in the early parts of this century," according to Fran Smith in a 1982 article in The Island Packet. 

Culp Collection, BDC, LCDL

I wish that Spieler had said what issue this article was in but newspaper articles seldom provide such citations. It would have been particularly helpful because we do not have an index to our newspapers.  If you'd like to come into the BDC Research Room we'll be happy to set you up with the microfilm reader/printer and the reel of the 1982 Island Packet issues so you can locate the precise article. 

 The line was operated later by the Seaboard Coastline Railroad, but by 1973 the company sought permission to abandon that stretch. Many of the cargoes once carried by the railroad now came and went by trucks, over new highways and bridges. 

In 1978, the last freight shipments on the railroad spur were unloaded at Levy Station in Jasper County. 

Capt. Charles N. Barnum, in a 1967 paper presented to the Beaufort County Historical Society, described passenger service from Beaufort in 1929: 

There were two trains a day both ways at the Beaufort station. Going to Charleston would take about three hours. Going to Savannah took about four. Going either way required a change of trains, and the time taken was only an hour shorter than the normal running time of the regular boat to Savannah. 

He shares very interesting historical tidbits about ferries, bridges, and the railroads. For example: The boats to Savannah left from a wharf on Bay Street. The railroad accommodations were coaches. Fresh air came in the open windows during the summer only. You can read Barnum's "Records of Public Transportation in Beaufort County" in the BDC Research Room.

Through the years, first the Palmetto Post and then The Beaufort Gazette, recorded railroad news in their pages. A 1911 story in The Gazette reported a new through train from Port Royal to Augusta, Georgia. A November 1914 article headlined "Seaboard Railroad from Charleston to Savannah." An April 1918 story told of "Dale Station on Seaboard Air Line Doing Good Business."

 
Earlier, in August 1896, the Palmetto Post reported the "Sale of the Port Royal and Augusta Railway." In 1915, The Gazette reported "Seaboard Air Line Puts Beaufort County on its Main Line" and in October 1917, "Service on the new Seaboard Air Line Begins." 

Look at the "All Aboard! Railroads in Beaufort District and beyond" post on the BDC's WordPress blog for additional links and materials.  

We are thankful for our decade long partnership with the Lowcountry Digital Library. They provide technical assistance, preservation, and hosting of the digital images to make some of our materials available over the internet. 

Note well: The eagerly anticipated model trains exhibit will be at Beaufort Branch from 13 December through 17 December in 2022. Contact: library@bcgov.net or call 843-255-6456 for details.

Note as well: The "Pouring on the Steam" cartoon is from the 1951 Beaufortonian, the Beaufort High School yearbook. We have a good collection of yearbooks in the Research Room. 

Third note, this one about holiday schedule: All units of the Beaufort County Library will be closed December 23 - December 26 on account of County policy regarding holidays falling on weekends. Christmas Day and New Year's Day both fall on a Sunday this year. Thus the Library will be closed on Monday, January 2, 2023.

Woohhhh! Wwoohhh!: Annual Display of Model Trains

The Beaufort Railroaders are ready to open their wonderful scaled train display on Tuesday, December 16th at 10 am. Do drop by the Beaufort Branch Library between  December 16th and December 20th at the times below. Please note that the schedule changes over the five days:

·         Tuesday, December 16: 10 am - 6 pm

·         Wednesday, December 17: 10 am - 6 pm

·         Thursday, December 18: 10 am - 6 pm

·         Friday, December 19: 1 pm - 5 pm

                                            ·         Saturday, December 20: 10 am - 4 pm

For those you want to learn more about railroad transportation in Beaufort County, we suggest that you come to the Beaufort District Collection to see these items:

SC 333.7313 SOU Prospectus: South Carolina Land and Improvement Company of Port Royal; Acts incorporating the South Carolina Land and Improvement Co., and South Atlantic Railroad Company, South Carolina Land and Improvement Company, 1877.
SC 385 DER Centennial history of South Carolina Railroad by Samuel Melanchthon Derrick, 1975, c1930.
SC 385.54 FER Argent: last of the swamp rats by Mallory Hope Ferrell, 1994.
SC 385 FET Logging railroads of South Carolina by Thomas Fetters, c1990. (BDC, BEA, HHI)
SC 385 SOU South Carolina rail plan, 1980 prepared for the Federal Railroad Administration; pursuant to 49 CFR part 266.15; submitted by the South Carolina Public Service Commission; prepared by Wilbur Smith and Associates, 1980.
SC 975.7 WIL Railroads and sawmills: Varnville, S.C., 1872-1997: the making of a Low Country town in the new South, compiled and edited by Rose-Marie Eltzroth Williams, 1998 (BDC, HHI)
SC 975.799 PET Petition of members of the Constitutional Convention of South Carolina, praying aid to the Port Royal Railroad Company in completing its road from Port Royal to Augusta, Georgia [Pamphlet article], 1868.
SC 975.799 WHI A brief history of Beaufort, S.C. and vicinity, [Pamphlet]: its advantages as a winter and summer resort by Joseph W. White, c1879.

While you're in the Library system's special local history collection and archives, plan on reviewing  the contents of our vertical files on Railroads and on the Port Royal Railroad Company.

See more photographs of the "Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company,” “Railroad Stations,” and “Trestle” in our digital “Phosphate, Farms, and Family: The Donner Collection.” Images contained therein are copyrighted by Beaufort County Library.

If you're particularly interested in the history of the Charleston & Savannah railroad during the Civil War, we suggest:

973.7757 STO Vital rails: the Charleston & Savannah Railroad and the Civil War in Coastal South Carolina by H. David Stone, Jr. (ALL)
SC PRINT #27 Firing into a train on the South Carolina railroad: narrow escape of the passengers: Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, March 12, 1859 from a sketch by our special artist taken on the spot.
SC PRINT #28 The Federal troops, under Generals Brannan ad Terry, driving the Confederates, under General Walker, across the Pocotaligo Bridge, near the Charleston and Savannah Railroad, October 22d, 1862 from a sketch by W.T. Crane.

SC MAP #154 Map of the seat of war in South Carolina, and Georgia by Evans & Cogswell, [1861].

We have a number of maps in the special collections department that indicate railroad tracks and stations. We'll be happy to show them to you during our regular hours of operation, Mondays through Fridays, 10 am to 5 pm except as otherwise noted. 

SC MAP #118 Port Royal Railroad, National Archives, inaccurately dated as [186-?]. Copy of a hand-drawn map, showing the Port Royal Railroad as it bypasses Battery Creek, Cedar Grove Plantation, Battery Plantation, and School Farm (sold to S. C. Millett) and ending at the wharf. "This series consists of township plats for St. Helena's Parish, South Carolina, showing certificate numbers and names of landowners. Also, there are land survey and ownership maps."--NARA Web site.
SC MAP #615 Map of the Okeetee Club lands, Hampton & Beaufort Counties, South Carolina, 1900. 
SC MAP #659 The Geographical Publishing Company's Premier Map of South Carolina, 1931?.
SC MAP #664 South Carolina railroads. Rand McNally and Company, 1898, c1895.
SC MAP #674-A The Rand McNally new commercial atlas map of South Carolina: 1914.
SC MAP #674-B The Rand McNally new commercial atlas map of South Carolina: [1916].
SC MAP #690 Rand McNally Black and White Mileage Map South Carolina: 1921.
SC MAP #771 Rand McNally standard map of South Carolina, 1949?
SC MAP #732 South Carolina History Series: SC 8, Physical [map], 1989.

And don't forget to use our SCLENDS catalog to find many other railroad related materials here in Beaufort County Library.  A quick search on the term "Railroads" as a subject got almost 500 hits! If I extend the search on "Railroads" to the Consortium, I got over 2000 hits. In other words, there are loads of factual railroad books for adults and children and there are loads of railroad and train stories for all ages at the Library.