From the Beaufort Republican, July 24, 1873:
"A band of gypsies have been camping on the vacant lots back of the courthouse for some weeks. They were rather astonished some days ago to get a notice from the United States Collector that they must pay a rent of five dollars for usng the lots belonging to the general government."
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Lost and Found: Voter Intimidation in 1886
William Elliott
Robert Smalls
Robert SmallsBlack men who supported the white Democratic candidate in the 1886 U.S. Congressional election in Beaufort were intimidated by Robert Smalls and his Republican allies in an effort to suppress the vote. Congressional testimony in the contested election between Robert Smalls (1839-1915) and William Elliott (1838-1907), in which Mr. Elliott was determined to have won, provide a fascinating glimpse at the underbelly of late 19th century politics in Beaufort and paints an unfavorable picture of Robert Smalls. The testimony of J. C. Mardenborough is particularly interesting.
J. C. Mardenborough, a black lawyer and graduate of Howard University who was appointed postmaster of Port Royal by President Rutherford B. Hayes, testified that “there have been a great many colored men joined the Democratic clubs, and voted with that party, for the reason that they are satisfied with the Democratic administration, both State and national … that taxes are low … that they get good treatment, in Beaufort County in particularly … and the laws are administered impartially.”
He continued that “the Republican leaders, becoming alarmed lest they should be overthrown, immediately began to devise plans to prevent colored men from joining and voting for the Democratic party; and, whenever there is a party contest, would employ a system of intimidation, violence, threats and undue influence against colored Democrats or colored men wishing to vote for a Democrat.”
Mardenborough noted that Republicans tried to get women to appear at Republican rallies (even though they could not vote) in order to persuade them to influence their husbands. “One instance was at Port Royal, during last October … The leaders made special efforts to get as many women to attend as possible. There were many women there; half as many more as men. The speakers were Smalls, then Congressman and a candidate for re-election; Joe Robinson, then representative; Aaron Middleton, the Republican Congressional chairman. Smalls in his speech spoke of the existence of colored Democrats in Port Royal; could not see how one who had been a slave could vote for a Democrat; spoke of the barbarities of slavery; spoke of slaves being badly whipped; told them about workhouses and stocks; tried to picture to the young men the horrors of slavery; told the women to that their husbands did not vote for a Democrat. He said in these words, ‘If he does, keep him away from your bed; don’t let him enjoy any of the privilege of the bed with you.’ He then addressed himself to the unmarried women. He told them, ‘If the man courting you votes for a Democrat, do not marry him; get rid of him right off; he is not fit to be a husband.’ He told them if he was not elected they would lose many of their rights. "
On St. Helena Island, black Democrats became so numerous “that the Republican leaders became alarmed.” Smalls spoke at rallies and told those who gathered to vote Republican because “the land they owned was sold to them by the Republican party; that the Republican party was their friend and so was he.”
Mardenborough noted that “the opposition to colored Democratic voters is deep and wide; it amounts to social ostracism; he is referred to at all times, in the streets, in the churches, and all public places. It is made a race issue. There is no great objection to white Democrats, but the whole heft of objection and opposition is to colored Democratic voters. Republican leaders have impressed the people – Smalls being the foremost – have impressed the people with the idea that a colored man who votes for a Democrat is betraying his race; is endeavoring to put them back into slavery … The Republican leaders have created such a state of things here that one doing a business and wishing success must call himself a Republican or have no politics at all.”
At a Democratic meeting in Beaufort in October 1886 at which Wade Hampton, Governor Richardson and Col. William Elliott spoke, the Ladies Island Democratic Club arrived “with banners flying, behind drum and fife. On their banner was inscribed, ‘Ladies’ Island Colored Democratic Club.’ Their coming up produced considerable excitement among the Republicans … While Senator Hampton was speaking the meeting was repeatedly interrupted by Smalls and other Republican leaders…”
“After the meeting was over,” he continued, “I was on Carteret street; saw a crowd throwing stones at the Ladies’ Island club. Many of the club went into a house on Carteret street, some ran down the street, others, as they left the house, were stoned and hooted and jeered; no attempt was made to stop it."
J. C. Mardenborough, a black lawyer and graduate of Howard University who was appointed postmaster of Port Royal by President Rutherford B. Hayes, testified that “there have been a great many colored men joined the Democratic clubs, and voted with that party, for the reason that they are satisfied with the Democratic administration, both State and national … that taxes are low … that they get good treatment, in Beaufort County in particularly … and the laws are administered impartially.”
He continued that “the Republican leaders, becoming alarmed lest they should be overthrown, immediately began to devise plans to prevent colored men from joining and voting for the Democratic party; and, whenever there is a party contest, would employ a system of intimidation, violence, threats and undue influence against colored Democrats or colored men wishing to vote for a Democrat.”
Mardenborough noted that Republicans tried to get women to appear at Republican rallies (even though they could not vote) in order to persuade them to influence their husbands. “One instance was at Port Royal, during last October … The leaders made special efforts to get as many women to attend as possible. There were many women there; half as many more as men. The speakers were Smalls, then Congressman and a candidate for re-election; Joe Robinson, then representative; Aaron Middleton, the Republican Congressional chairman. Smalls in his speech spoke of the existence of colored Democrats in Port Royal; could not see how one who had been a slave could vote for a Democrat; spoke of the barbarities of slavery; spoke of slaves being badly whipped; told them about workhouses and stocks; tried to picture to the young men the horrors of slavery; told the women to that their husbands did not vote for a Democrat. He said in these words, ‘If he does, keep him away from your bed; don’t let him enjoy any of the privilege of the bed with you.’ He then addressed himself to the unmarried women. He told them, ‘If the man courting you votes for a Democrat, do not marry him; get rid of him right off; he is not fit to be a husband.’ He told them if he was not elected they would lose many of their rights. "
On St. Helena Island, black Democrats became so numerous “that the Republican leaders became alarmed.” Smalls spoke at rallies and told those who gathered to vote Republican because “the land they owned was sold to them by the Republican party; that the Republican party was their friend and so was he.”
Mardenborough noted that “the opposition to colored Democratic voters is deep and wide; it amounts to social ostracism; he is referred to at all times, in the streets, in the churches, and all public places. It is made a race issue. There is no great objection to white Democrats, but the whole heft of objection and opposition is to colored Democratic voters. Republican leaders have impressed the people – Smalls being the foremost – have impressed the people with the idea that a colored man who votes for a Democrat is betraying his race; is endeavoring to put them back into slavery … The Republican leaders have created such a state of things here that one doing a business and wishing success must call himself a Republican or have no politics at all.”
At a Democratic meeting in Beaufort in October 1886 at which Wade Hampton, Governor Richardson and Col. William Elliott spoke, the Ladies Island Democratic Club arrived “with banners flying, behind drum and fife. On their banner was inscribed, ‘Ladies’ Island Colored Democratic Club.’ Their coming up produced considerable excitement among the Republicans … While Senator Hampton was speaking the meeting was repeatedly interrupted by Smalls and other Republican leaders…”
“After the meeting was over,” he continued, “I was on Carteret street; saw a crowd throwing stones at the Ladies’ Island club. Many of the club went into a house on Carteret street, some ran down the street, others, as they left the house, were stoned and hooted and jeered; no attempt was made to stop it."
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Scrapbook: Beaufort in 1829
From the Columbian Star, a Philadelphia publication, came this story on August 22, 1829:
"Unfortunate mistake. Two armed parties, one consisting of four, and the other of five persons, from Beaufort, S.C. set out lately in pursuit of a gang of runaways on the Island, for the apprehension of whom large rewards are offered. They encountered each other in the dark on the road, about a mile from town, and as it was unknown to each party that another was out with a similar object, after challenging each other, a gun was discharged on one side, answered by a general fire from the other, which was returned, and both parties retreated -- under the impression that they were engaged with a superior force of runaways! Three persons were wounded on each side, six in all. The wounds we believe are not dangerous, and if no harm had been done, the affair would have been highly ludicrous."
"Unfortunate mistake. Two armed parties, one consisting of four, and the other of five persons, from Beaufort, S.C. set out lately in pursuit of a gang of runaways on the Island, for the apprehension of whom large rewards are offered. They encountered each other in the dark on the road, about a mile from town, and as it was unknown to each party that another was out with a similar object, after challenging each other, a gun was discharged on one side, answered by a general fire from the other, which was returned, and both parties retreated -- under the impression that they were engaged with a superior force of runaways! Three persons were wounded on each side, six in all. The wounds we believe are not dangerous, and if no harm had been done, the affair would have been highly ludicrous."
150th Anniversary of Hunting Island Lighthouse
Click on the image above to learn more about the upcoming 150th anniversary of Hunting Island's lighthouse in October. For documentary images, click here.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
HBF Achieves Membership Milestone
Historic Beaufort Foundation is proud to announce that we have crossed the 1,000-member mark. 1,004 households are members of HBF, and we are grateful for the faithful support of those who care about historic preservation in Beaufort County.
If you are not a member, join online! With your new HBF membership you will also receive a free one-year trial membership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation which includes a subscription to Preservation magazine.
And if you join at the $50 level or above, you will receive a free copy of our coffee table book Beaufort, which ordinarily retails for $49.95.
Thank you!
If you are not a member, join online! With your new HBF membership you will also receive a free one-year trial membership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation which includes a subscription to Preservation magazine.
And if you join at the $50 level or above, you will receive a free copy of our coffee table book Beaufort, which ordinarily retails for $49.95.
Thank you!
Lost and Found: Beaufort in 1895
After a hiatus of some weeks, I've resumed writing my Lost and Found column. It will be available on this blog as well as at the Beaufort Tribune.
1895 was not a year of prosperity in Beaufort. Nonetheless, the town continued to change with a number of civic improvements and architectural additions which were noted in the newspaper of the day, the Palmetto Post.
In March, the foundation for the E. A. Scheper House at 1411 Bay Street was laid; by May it was reported that work was going well and that "the slate is all on, and the other work going forward rapidly." Later in the year, an iron fence would surround the property. It was Beaufort's most exuberant example of Queen Anne architecture, but was dramatically remodeled in the 1930s into a more conservative Colonial Revival style by Flora Sporborg.
Another important building project in 1895 was the construction of the Female Benevolent Society House, referred to at the time as "The Home." It is located at 308 Scott's Street. Construction was undertaken by Capt. Niels Christensen, and the house consisted of four square rooms on the main floor with lathe and plaster walls, each room having a fireplace and closet. It replaced an earlier, larger antebellum structure that was destroyed by fire in 1883. The newspaper noted that the house was "a credit to the builder."
308 Scott's Street
The spring of 1895 was when the J. M. Lengnick House at 1407 North Street was completed. With its shingled gable front, the house was influenced by the Queen Anne style but continued the tradition of a classical building form that first appeared in Beaufort in the 1850s and was popular through the 1890s.
1407 North Street
When work on the W. E. Boineau House started in the spring of 1895, the owners could not have envisioned that many years later it would be sizeably altered and expanded as the Beaufort Inn. In June the Palmetto Post wrote that it would be a "neat structure." The building stands at 809 Port Republic Street.
1895 was not a year of prosperity in Beaufort. Nonetheless, the town continued to change with a number of civic improvements and architectural additions which were noted in the newspaper of the day, the Palmetto Post.
In March, the foundation for the E. A. Scheper House at 1411 Bay Street was laid; by May it was reported that work was going well and that "the slate is all on, and the other work going forward rapidly." Later in the year, an iron fence would surround the property. It was Beaufort's most exuberant example of Queen Anne architecture, but was dramatically remodeled in the 1930s into a more conservative Colonial Revival style by Flora Sporborg.
Another important building project in 1895 was the construction of the Female Benevolent Society House, referred to at the time as "The Home." It is located at 308 Scott's Street. Construction was undertaken by Capt. Niels Christensen, and the house consisted of four square rooms on the main floor with lathe and plaster walls, each room having a fireplace and closet. It replaced an earlier, larger antebellum structure that was destroyed by fire in 1883. The newspaper noted that the house was "a credit to the builder."
308 Scott's StreetThe spring of 1895 was when the J. M. Lengnick House at 1407 North Street was completed. With its shingled gable front, the house was influenced by the Queen Anne style but continued the tradition of a classical building form that first appeared in Beaufort in the 1850s and was popular through the 1890s.
1407 North StreetWhen work on the W. E. Boineau House started in the spring of 1895, the owners could not have envisioned that many years later it would be sizeably altered and expanded as the Beaufort Inn. In June the Palmetto Post wrote that it would be a "neat structure." The building stands at 809 Port Republic Street.
The Beaufort Inn
F. W. Scheper remodeled the old Lucius Cuthbert House at 915 Port Republic Street in 1895. The Palmetto Post reported in its October 31st edition that Scheper was having his "old residence" repaired and repainted and that he would soon move in. Improvements included the replacement of porch columns and the installation of a front door vestibule and rooftop cupola for attic ventilation. This was probably when a number of original 9-over-9 window sashes at the front of the house were replaced with sashes containing 2 panes of glass each. Older, original sashes were retained at the rear.
Letters to the editor outlined a range of civic concerns, from the poor condition of the churchyard at St. Helena's Episcopal Church to the need for electric lights on Craven Street. Civic improvements included the laying of new shells on Carteret Street and on Duke Street. An artesian well at "Stuart's Corner" (corner of Bay and West Streets) was dug deeper to a depth of 62 feet. And the stagnant pond between Duke and Washington Streets known as Weir's Pond was drained.
Some buildings were violently damaged or destroyed in 1895. An August tornado on St. Helena Island destroyed several small farm houses as well as the piazzas and chimneys of Pennsylvania Senator Don Cameron's house at "St. Helena-by-the-Sea" (Coffin Point). A fire destroyed the house of Maria Miller on Adventure Street in Beaufort in August as well. The newspaper took note that Miller's property was subject to litigation at the time, and that all of the furniture had been removed … before the fire.
Several downtown businesses closed due to poor economic conditions, while others relocated to new storefronts including that of Dr. T. O. Hutson. He hired one of Beaufort's "best colored carpenters," James Riley, to construct store fixtures out of "hard pine."
Shutters Going Up on the Verdier House
The long-awaited period shutters for the Verdier House have been hand-built, primed and painted. The hardware is being installed and the shutters are going up. The work is being conducted by Richard Marks Restorations, Inc. of Charleston, the same firm that has been restoring the exterior of the Beaufort Arsenal. The shutters are designed based on historic photographs of the Verdier House taken in the 1860s during the Union occupation of Beaufort. Many thanks to the over 125 private donors who have been making the exterior restoration of the Verdier House possible. Next step: the roof.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Making a Plan for the Northwest Quadrant
After about an hour of articulate comment from the preservation community, City Council unanimously agreed to create an ad hoc panel to develop a revitalization plan for what is known as the "Northwest Quadrant" of Beaufort's Historic District. Councilman Sutton withdrew his motion to transfer final demolition review powers from the Historic District Review Board in favor of City Council. This speaks loudly of the importance of historic preservation.
Now the challenge is ours to meet as part of this ad hoc panel. Two representatives from HBF will join two members of the city redevelopment commission, two residents of the neighborhood, and one member of the Historic District Review Board to develop a vision and a plan. We have 120 days to complete this effort, and it is the last great hope for laying out a roadmap for neighborhood improvement that builds on the small successes that have been happening throughout the neighborhood.
Thank you to all who voiced your concern about the proposed ordinance and support for sound preservation planning practices both at the meeting and through e-mails to members of council.
Now the challenge is ours to meet as part of this ad hoc panel. Two representatives from HBF will join two members of the city redevelopment commission, two residents of the neighborhood, and one member of the Historic District Review Board to develop a vision and a plan. We have 120 days to complete this effort, and it is the last great hope for laying out a roadmap for neighborhood improvement that builds on the small successes that have been happening throughout the neighborhood.
Thank you to all who voiced your concern about the proposed ordinance and support for sound preservation planning practices both at the meeting and through e-mails to members of council.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
This Building Is Not On the City's Vacant and Abandoned List
If city-funded bulldozers start anywhere, they should begin their work here, not on contributing historic structures.
City Ordinance Should Remain Unchanged
A proposed ordinance change would take the power to approve or deny the demolition of vacant and abandoned historic properties away from the city's Historic District Review Board and give the power to City Council. With this new layer of bureaucratic review, applicants will need to go before BOTH the HRB and City Council to tear down a house, and then go back to the HRB to get a new structure approved - potentially dragging out a 2-month process into a 4-month process or longer.
Reasons to oppose the change include:
1) The HRB has been prudent in its handling of demolition requests. It has approved 12 of 13 demolition requests in the Northwest Quadrant since 2007, so it is impossible to argue that the HRB is an impediment or obstacle to demolition.
2) According to city planning staff, no one has appealed the denial of a demolition request, which strongly suggests that the process has been fair.
3) The house that triggered this ordinance change at 1110 Greene Street was approved for demolition last week and the applicant is said to be happy with the process.
4) City Council meetings are not an appropriate forum for weighing the merits of demolition of structures in the historic district.
5) There is no electoral mandate for Council to take this power from the HRB.
6) There is no known open process by which properties are added to or deleted from the “Vacant and Abandoned” list, which raises serious procedural questions.
7) The HRB would still have final decision on properties not on the vacant list which begs obvious questions.
8) Vacant and abandoned buildings will be safer if all trash, weeds and combustble materials were removed from the houses and their properties. This is a first, simple step that will reduce the threat to health and public safety of vacant buildings until such time that preservation plans can be developed and implemented with the support of HBF, the Review Board and the City.
First reading will take place tonight at the City Council meeting at 6:00 in the County building at Ribaut and Boundary.
Reasons to oppose the change include:
1) The HRB has been prudent in its handling of demolition requests. It has approved 12 of 13 demolition requests in the Northwest Quadrant since 2007, so it is impossible to argue that the HRB is an impediment or obstacle to demolition.
2) According to city planning staff, no one has appealed the denial of a demolition request, which strongly suggests that the process has been fair.
3) The house that triggered this ordinance change at 1110 Greene Street was approved for demolition last week and the applicant is said to be happy with the process.
4) City Council meetings are not an appropriate forum for weighing the merits of demolition of structures in the historic district.
5) There is no electoral mandate for Council to take this power from the HRB.
6) There is no known open process by which properties are added to or deleted from the “Vacant and Abandoned” list, which raises serious procedural questions.
7) The HRB would still have final decision on properties not on the vacant list which begs obvious questions.
8) Vacant and abandoned buildings will be safer if all trash, weeds and combustble materials were removed from the houses and their properties. This is a first, simple step that will reduce the threat to health and public safety of vacant buildings until such time that preservation plans can be developed and implemented with the support of HBF, the Review Board and the City.
First reading will take place tonight at the City Council meeting at 6:00 in the County building at Ribaut and Boundary.
Students Document 710 and 712 Charles Street
13 students in Daves Rossell's vernacular architecture class spent Friday and Saturday documenting five at-risk historic properties in the Beaufort Historic District (710 Charles, 712 Charles, 1012 Congress, 1408 Greene, 1010 Church). Four of these properties are on the city's "Vacant and Abandoned" list. The students will produce measured drawings as part of their classwork.
In this picture, students are working on 710 and 712 Charles street while the SCAD photography department documents their efforts. Later, Holly Bounds visited the site with her WSAV camera and the story aired on Savannah's NBC news.
1703 King Street
We can find no record of the owner of the house at 1703 King Street having been denied permission to demolish his house in recent years. Today's Beaufort Gazette article is not accurate when it quotes the owner as having been denied permission until this month. The HRB has not been unreasonable in handling demolition requests, having approved 12 of 13 such requests in the Northwest Quadrant since the beginning of 2007. It should be noted that only two of those sites have new structures on them - the rest are vacant lots or have yet to be torn down.
Gazette Article Misses the Point
Today's Beaufort Gazette article about demolition of historic properties misrepresents what I said to the reporter. After a 15 minute discussion about the problems with the proposed ordinance, the difficulties of preserving vacant houses and the lack of communication between the city, HRB and HBF, I was asked how the demolition of a small old, cottage at 1703 King Street helped preservation. I said that it did not - that any time a historic property is demolished it is the antithesis of preservation. But I added that the best that can come out of such a situation is that a new house might be constructed that is appropriate to the district and in that way the neighborhood can be revived. In no way did I convey to the Gazette that our goal is to demolish houses so that new buildings can be constructed. Demolition should always be the last resort, not the first objective.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Fifth Program Added to Spring Series
May 11th in the Friends Room, Beaufort Arsenal, 12:00 p.m.
Tania Simmons, Curator of Decorative Arts, Telfair Museum and Owens-Thomas House
“Gaming Tables for Whist, Chess, and Other Amusements”
This program will be led by the curator of decorative arts at Savannah’s Telfair Museum of Art and Owens-Thomas House. Tania Sammons has recently curated the exhibit "Gaming Tables for Whist, Chess, and Other Amusements" that will be open April 18 – August 23, at the Telfair. The exhibit draws from the museum’s permanent collection. The card table was one of the most common articles of furniture imported to Savannah following the American Revolution. Her program will address related issues such as why card tables became so popular, and how, when, and where games took place.
Tania Simmons, Curator of Decorative Arts, Telfair Museum and Owens-Thomas House
“Gaming Tables for Whist, Chess, and Other Amusements”
This program will be led by the curator of decorative arts at Savannah’s Telfair Museum of Art and Owens-Thomas House. Tania Sammons has recently curated the exhibit "Gaming Tables for Whist, Chess, and Other Amusements" that will be open April 18 – August 23, at the Telfair. The exhibit draws from the museum’s permanent collection. The card table was one of the most common articles of furniture imported to Savannah following the American Revolution. Her program will address related issues such as why card tables became so popular, and how, when, and where games took place.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Four Public Programs Announced
April 20th in the Friends Room, Beaufort Arsenal, 12:00 p.m.
John Sherrer, Director of Collections and Interpretation, Historic Columbia Foundation
"Fancy and Fine, Plain and Simple: Furniture in Columbia and Richland County, SC, 1800 – 1860”
In 2002, Sherrer, along with a consortium of museum and history experts, took the first steps to identify, research and interpret the historic material culture, including furniture, of South Carolina’s Fall Line region. In this study, the Fall Line refers to the area within South Carolina at which the rivers cease to be navigable from the Lowcountry to the Backcountry because of waterfalls and rapids.
The nature and impact of mid-state furniture making is just beginning to be understood and the complete story awaits discovery. Few accounts offer insights and Sherrer and the Fall Line Consortium are finding the best information in area archives, museums and private collections.
April 27th in the Friends Room, Beaufort Arsenal, 12:00 p.m.
Dr. Valinda W. Littlefield, University of South Carolina - Columbia
“South Carolina Women: Their Lives and Times”
This illustrated presentation by Dr. Littlefield, co-editor of the first of three volumes on South Carolina women, published this year, will look at the importance of women in South Carolina's history from the 16th century through the Civil War. The work of Littlefield and her co-editors challenges notions about the slave South and the significance of women to the state’s economy. Littlefield will profile four centuries of women lives from the head of an Indian chiefdom to the well-known women of all four centuries to poor white farming women and freed slaves.
May 4th in the Friends Room, Beaufort Arsenal, 7:00 p.m.
Evan R. Thompson, Executive Director, Historic Beaufort Foundation
“The Development of Beaufort, South Carolina (1711-1861)”
This evening presentation will show how Beaufort’s neighborhoods evolved during the colonial and antebellum periods, and how this information helps us better understand the evolution of Beaufort’s architecture. Historic maps and photographs will illustrate the program. Complimentary coffee will be served.
Thompson began his research in preparation for the 2007 Vernacular Architecture Forum conference that was held in Savannah and included a tour of Beaufort. Since that time, continued architectural investigation and historic research has refined the story of Beaufort’s built environment.
May 18th at 10 Burton Hill Road, 12:00 p.m.
Eric Drugge, Trailerworks
"The Restoration of Airstreams and Vintage Trailers"
Reservation Required.
This on-site tour to TrailerWorks, a Beaufort firm dedicated to the restoration of vintage trailers, will be led by Eric Drugge and offer a limited audience an opportunity to see how vintage Airstreams and other mid-20th century trailers are restored.
Drugge’s Beaufort operation has been featured on The History Channel program, “Back to the Blueprint,” and has a worldwide reputation and client base. The design and craftsmanship of these early trailers, sometimes called land yachts, have created nostalgia for the simplicity of mid-20th century travel. The trailers are particularly popular in Great Britain, and Drugge regularly exports restored and restorable trailers there.
All programs are free of charge. Call 379-3331 with questions and to make reservations for the Airstream program. A small contribution in support of research and programs would be appreciated.
John Sherrer, Director of Collections and Interpretation, Historic Columbia Foundation
"Fancy and Fine, Plain and Simple: Furniture in Columbia and Richland County, SC, 1800 – 1860”
In 2002, Sherrer, along with a consortium of museum and history experts, took the first steps to identify, research and interpret the historic material culture, including furniture, of South Carolina’s Fall Line region. In this study, the Fall Line refers to the area within South Carolina at which the rivers cease to be navigable from the Lowcountry to the Backcountry because of waterfalls and rapids.
The nature and impact of mid-state furniture making is just beginning to be understood and the complete story awaits discovery. Few accounts offer insights and Sherrer and the Fall Line Consortium are finding the best information in area archives, museums and private collections.
April 27th in the Friends Room, Beaufort Arsenal, 12:00 p.m.
Dr. Valinda W. Littlefield, University of South Carolina - Columbia
“South Carolina Women: Their Lives and Times”
This illustrated presentation by Dr. Littlefield, co-editor of the first of three volumes on South Carolina women, published this year, will look at the importance of women in South Carolina's history from the 16th century through the Civil War. The work of Littlefield and her co-editors challenges notions about the slave South and the significance of women to the state’s economy. Littlefield will profile four centuries of women lives from the head of an Indian chiefdom to the well-known women of all four centuries to poor white farming women and freed slaves.
May 4th in the Friends Room, Beaufort Arsenal, 7:00 p.m.
Evan R. Thompson, Executive Director, Historic Beaufort Foundation
“The Development of Beaufort, South Carolina (1711-1861)”
This evening presentation will show how Beaufort’s neighborhoods evolved during the colonial and antebellum periods, and how this information helps us better understand the evolution of Beaufort’s architecture. Historic maps and photographs will illustrate the program. Complimentary coffee will be served.
Thompson began his research in preparation for the 2007 Vernacular Architecture Forum conference that was held in Savannah and included a tour of Beaufort. Since that time, continued architectural investigation and historic research has refined the story of Beaufort’s built environment.
May 18th at 10 Burton Hill Road, 12:00 p.m.
Eric Drugge, Trailerworks
"The Restoration of Airstreams and Vintage Trailers"
Reservation Required.
This on-site tour to TrailerWorks, a Beaufort firm dedicated to the restoration of vintage trailers, will be led by Eric Drugge and offer a limited audience an opportunity to see how vintage Airstreams and other mid-20th century trailers are restored.
Drugge’s Beaufort operation has been featured on The History Channel program, “Back to the Blueprint,” and has a worldwide reputation and client base. The design and craftsmanship of these early trailers, sometimes called land yachts, have created nostalgia for the simplicity of mid-20th century travel. The trailers are particularly popular in Great Britain, and Drugge regularly exports restored and restorable trailers there.
All programs are free of charge. Call 379-3331 with questions and to make reservations for the Airstream program. A small contribution in support of research and programs would be appreciated.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
HBF and SCAD to Document Three Vacant Buildings
As part of HBF's efforts to save vacant and abanonded buildings, students from the Savannah College of Art and Design will document three such structures with measured drawings on Friday. This is the second year that SCAD students from Daves Rossell's vernacular architecture class will be working in Beaufort. In total, we're hoping to document nine buildings. Friday's buildings are:
712 Charles Street, a vacant duplex constructed c. 1890.
812 Congress Street, a vacant duplex constructed c. 1870.
1012 Congress Street, a one-story house that is imminent danger yet retains a strong architectural character, particularly on the inside, constructed c. 1870.
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