Palmetto Past

South Carolina on the Move: Archives Month 2011

2011-10-04T16:30:00.013-04:00

By Jessica Childress, State Historic Preservation Office graduate assistant

October 2011 is Archives Month in South Carolina and the theme for this year is "South Carolina on the Move". (To learn more about Archives Month go to http://scarchivesmonth.palmettohistory.org/.) The following blog post highlights some of the tranportation-related resources in South Carolina listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

From plantation agriculture and coastal shipping to the expansion of the railroad and air flight, the transportation of people and goods has played a crucial role in South Carolina’s history. Methods of transportation not only connected South Carolinians and their products to each other and the North but were also targeted during the Civil War as resources worth capturing or destroying. Many of these resources in South Carolina’s transportation history have been preserved and are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The road has been a basic unit of transportation since the pre-colonial era. The Cherokee Path in Calhoun County and Nation Ford Road in York County were Native American trading footpaths and were later used as blueprints for highways. Colonial roads in Charleston County include the Wescott Road on Edisto Island (part of the colonial King’s Highway) and the Ashley River Road (see above), which was crucial in troop movement in the Revolution and has been in use since 1691. The stage coach institutionalized travel on these roads and required stops along the way. Vaughn’s Stage Coach Stop in Fairfield County from ca.1820 provided respite from the highway between Columbia and Winnsboro, and the ca. 1841 Cornwell Inn in Chester County was a stop on the main road from Charleston to Charlotte.

Sometimes the roads encountered rivers or swamps and required ferries or bridges to get across. Eighteenth century ferries include Gallivant’s Ferry in Horry County and Berkeley County’s Cainhoy Historic District, which was a ferry landing and prosperous river port. The brick John Seabrook Plantation Bridge was part of a system that connected Charleston to the coastal islands, and the wedge-stone 1820 Poinsett Bridge in Greenville County was part of the State Road from Charleston to North Carolina. The only remaining covered bridge in the state is Greenville County’s 1909 Campbell’s Covered Bridge (see below). Modern bridges such as the 1935 metal swing bridge in the Socastee Historic District in Horry County helped complete the Intracoastal Waterway, while the 1937 Waccamaw River Memorial Bridge in Horry County and Gervais Street Bridge (1926-28) in Columbia represented the rapid growth of highways and modern bridge engineering.

The canal was also a major development in extending water transportation. Berkeley County’s Santee Canal from the 1790s was created as a shorter and safer water route to move cotton to Charleston from inland plantations, and the ca. 1823 Landsford Canal in Chester County was also a part of the water navigation system from the upcountry to Charleston. The Columbia Canal, completed in 1824 as part of a plan for cheap, efficient transportation, has remained an important source of hydroelectric power and commercial and industrial development.

Boats were required for navigating waterways and have been part of South Carolina’s shipping industry and transportation since the colonial period. The Georgetown County wreck of the Brown’s Ferry Vessel dates from the early 1700s and represents the earliest evidence for local commercial shipbuilding. The Paul Pritchard Shipyard in Charleston County was one of South Carolina’s first shipyards and was later used to convert these merchant ships into military vessels during the Revolution.

Coastal ships needed lighthouses as navigation beacons. The Georgetown Lighthouse dates from around 1800, was a Confederate observation point before it was captured by the Union Army, and operated until the late 1980s. The Cape Romain Lighthouses (see below) , Morris Island Lighthouse, Hunting Island State Park Lighthouse and Rear Lighthouse of the Hilton Head Range Light Station were also part of the system to guide shipping vessels around the coast and were valuable to maritime navigation and transportation in the nineteenth century.

The nineteenth century saw the biggest development in transportation when the railroad came to South Carolina in 1827. The William-Aiken House and Associated Railroad Structures in Charleston County represent an antebellum railroad terminal, serving the first railroad to use only steam engines, an American locomotive and to carry state mail. The Southern Railway Passenger Depot at Branchville is at the site of the oldest railroad junction in the country, and its trains sent cotton to the coast. The incomplete Oconee County Stumphouse Tunnel was begun in the 1850s as part of a Mississippi-Atlantic shipping route that would have been the longest railroad in the country, but was discarded due to a lack of funding. Many of the state’s railroad tracks were targeted for destruction by Union troops during the Civil War. In the last decades of the 19th century the development of rail lines spurred the development of new towns and the construction of many related buildings. The 1911-12 Great Falls Depot in Chester County is a turn of the century rail station, and featured a segregated waiting room typical of the time. Numerous other depots have been preserved and reused in South Carolina.

Other major twentieth century transportation developments include air travel and the automobile. The Curtiss-Wright Hangar at the Columbia Owens Downtown Airport was built in 1929 to accommodate passenger flight and airmail and was later used for civilian flight training. Automobiles brought a new efficiency to roads and highways expanded. Columbia’s Greyhound Bus Depot from 1938-39 represents the transition to bus travel and the Art Moderne style typical of the Great Depression era.

Developments in transportation over the centuries have strengthened the economy, promoted industry and have kept South Carolina “on the move” since its earliest days. To learn more about any of these properties visit http://nationalregister.sc.gov/nrlinks.htm

Training Opportunity for Records, IT, and Emergency Management Officials

2011-09-13T15:28:00.004-04:00

The Essential Records (ER) Webinar is one of two courses developed by the Intergovernmental Preparedness for Essential Records (IPER) project. Teams in each state and territory will be delivering these webinars to state and local governments and now is your chance to participate!

Who should take this course? State, local, territorial, and tribal employees who are responsible for creating and maintaining government records of any kind and in any format, both paper and electronic.

What is covered in this course? This course prepares participants to:

Identify an agency's essential records

Analyze and prioritize records, assessing risks and identifying protection strategies

Specify time frames for essential records availability in emergencies

Develop proceedures to ensure access to and security of essential records

Outline an essential records plan for inclusion in COOP

Become familiar with federal, state, and local regulations and procedures

The Essential Records Webinar is a 7.5 hour course delivered in four sessions, is offered as an instructor led webinar with content specific to your state, and is offered FREE of charge!

The South Carolina Department of Archives and History and the Council of State Archivists (CoSA) are offering a great opportunity for South Carolina state and local records officials, county emergency management personnel, state or local IT staff, and other interested officials to take the online FEMA approved webinar– Essential Records. Essential Records are a component of the Continuity of Operations Plans created by state and local agencies.

The four-part course will be offered on September 21, 23, 28 and 30th from 10:00am -12:00pm and will include participants from South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. This is an online webinar format that involves accessing the course slide show on the internet at iLinc and listening to the audio via your telephone. This course will use a toll free number so there will be no costs associated with these sessions for attendees. Several staff members from an agency may participate using one internet and one phone connection but each must register separately.

To register for the course, please go too http://rc.statearchivists.org/. Each participant will need to create an account (this is FREE) by selecting “Setting up Your Course Participant Account” under the “IPER Courses” tab. The page will instruct you on how to create your account. Once you have your account established, select the course titled ESS-ZZ-0001: Essential Records Webinar [Southeast region: AL-GA-SC-TN]. You will receive an email message confirming your registration.

For additional information on this FREE training, contact Heather South at 803-896-6112 or southh@scdahstate.sc.us

Summer Interns at the SHPO: Part 2

2011-09-02T12:33:00.009-04:00

Much like the summer blockbuster movies this year, the State Historic Preservation Office has gone 3D! With help from summer intern Desmond Johnson, a native of Columbia and an architecture student at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, the SHPO explored ways to use 3D models to document historic buildings and to enhance SHPO training programs for local design review boards. Desmond created models using free Google Sketchup software that allows architects and novices alike to create virtual built environments to scale in 3D. Desmond used measured drawings of historic buildings in the SHPO files to create the 3D models. Each model took, on average, 18 to 20 hours to construct.

Desmond first created a model of the historic Ridgeway Town Hall (based on drawings by Camden architect J. Stephen Smith). The Town Hall’s bell tower and arcaded corner entrance can be experienced in accurate detail and fully manipulated by the viewer to appreciate the building’s unique architecture from any angle. (see below)

Desmond also created a model of Darlington’s Carnegie Library (based on drawings by architect Benjamin Whitener of the Charleston firm of Cummings & McCrady). Recently renovated by the City of Darlington, the historic library is one of only a few surviving Carnegie Libraries in South Carolina. Sketchup allows the viewer to explore the architectural features of the old library, including its distinctive windows. (see below)

Not only was Desmond able to create stunning models of existing historic buildings, but he was also able to bring back to virtual life the historic Bethel A. M. E. Church in Laurens (based on drawings by Spartanburg architect Martin Meek) that, unfortunately, suffered catastrophic structural failure and partially collapsed in 2009. The church was forced to demolish the rest of the structure, but the architecture of historic Bethel A. M. E. Church can be experienced again thanks to the 3D model Desmond created. (see below) Desmond’s final 3D project this summer was to create a series of simple models that can be used to vividly illustrate concepts in design guidelines used by local historic design review boards and commissions. The models can be used by local officials and historic property owners to help in applying their local design review ordinance to proposed projects in their local historic districts. (see below)
This summer our interns helped us accomplish tasks and goals that otherwise would not have been possible with our staff focused on core duties. The SHPO appreciates their hard work and we look forward to working more in the future with this next generation of historic preservationists to preserve, promote, and protect South Carolina’s historic places.

Double Shipwreck in South Carolina by Caleb Miller

2011-08-22T15:01:00.002-04:00

South Carolina is already known for a particularly famous wreck. The Hunley was the first submarine to sink a ship and its wreck was raised on live TV. However, this state also is the site of two ships lying at the exact same spot as the other. The SS Georgiana was a Confederate ship that tried to get into Charleston on March 19, 1863 during the American Civil War. Federal ships attacked it and the ship was scuttled and burned by her crew in shallow waters, who than promptly abandoned it. On August 31, 1864 the Confederate blockade runner Mary Bowers tried to run the Federal blockade into Charleston. She ran right into the wreck of the Georgiana, which tore into her hull. The crew and passengers abandoned ship. The Mary Bowers sank to rest right on top of the Georgiana, where she remains to this day. E. Lee Spence discovered the two ships in 1965. Due to the shallow water, skin divers are capable of reaching the site easily. Multiple artifacts much have been recovered from the two shipwrecks. These two shipwrecks are a great example of how the sea is full of history.

For more information on these and other shipwrecks- check out the Sea Research Society Web page http://www.searesearchsociety.com/category/shipwrecks/

Summer Interns at the SHPO: Part 1

2011-08-18T13:42:00.007-04:00

The State Historic Preservation Office had the opportunity to work with three college interns this summer. We want to thank them for their contributions and highlight their accomplishments. We feature projects by two of the interns in this post.

The National Register program was supported this summer by Evan Kutzler, a graduate student in the Public History program at the University of South Carolina. With Evan’s assistance, we were able to process National Register nominations for both the Southern Railway Depot in Ninety Six (see below) and the Retreat Rosenwald School near Westminster. Local supporters of the properties prepared the nominations, but it was Evan’s additional research and revisions that made it possible for both nominations to be ready for the July meeting of the State Board of Review. Evan also conducted research and compiled an extensive bibliography that can be used by the SHPO and others to evaluate historic properties from the “Recent Past” (1945-70) in Columbia. This research on the mid-twentieth century development of Columbia will be useful in identifying and evaluating the significance of modern architecture that is, or soon will be, old enough for consideration for the National Register.

Our ongoing collaboration with the City of Columbia’s Planning and Development department to identify “Recent Past” historic resources was further aided this summer by Adrienne Margolies, a history and architecture student from Clemson University. Adrienne conducted research to add information to an inventory of modern architecture compiled for the City by former SHPO graduate assistant Anjuli Grantham (now a graduate of USC’s Public History program). Adrienne looked specifically for residential and commercial properties designed by the architectural firm of Lyles, Bisset, Carlisle, and Wolf (LBC&W), a nationally prominent Columbia firm known for its modern high-rise apartment and office buildings in the 1950s and 1960s. Adrienne conducted research to find the locations of LBC&W projects in Columbia which we previously knew by name only. Adrienne’s research helps the SHPO have a more comprehensive understanding of LBC&W’s work in Columbia when properties are evaluated in the future. Shown below is The Christine Building on Millwood Avenue in Columbia.
Adrienne’s summer internship also resulted in an addendum to our “African American Historic Places” booklet (last published in 2009) that features all National Register listings and State Historical Markers for African American historic sites in South Carolina. Adrienne compiled and produced a companion booklet available on our web site that includes summaries of all the National Register listings and all of the marker texts for African American sites between July 2009 and June 2011.

Doolittle Raiders in South Carolina by Caleb Miller

2011-08-17T17:01:00.004-04:00

America had many memorable moments in World War II. One of the earliest was the Doolittle Raiders’ bombing raid on Tokyo on April 18, 1942. Three airmen died during the flight, three were executed, one died of disease, and four were held captive for the rest of the war. Fifty Japanese died and 400 were injured. Despite the damage being of small concern to the Japanese, this raid gave Americans hope for the coming struggle with Japan. Before they set out, the Raiders trained in this state at the location of the Columbia Metropolitan Airport, which was an air base back then. They practiced at a bombing range. Other B-25 bomber groups notably did practice over Lake Murray. One of the islands was named “Bomb Island” in memory of that. Two of the Raiders came from South Carolina. Lieutenant Horace Ellis Sally Crouch came from Columbia, SC, while Lieutenant William G. Bill Farrow came from Darlington, SC. Lieutenant Farrow was captured and executed along with Sergeant Spatz and Lieutenant Hallmark by a Japanese firing squad on October 15, 1942. Lieutenant Ellis died on December 21, 2005. Today, there are annual celebrations for the Raiders, a fair bit of them in Columbia. A part of down-town Columbia’s streets has been named after them. We remember these brave pilots who trained here and made a mark in history by doing so.

Historical Marker Dedicated Near Site of Black Union Soldier's Cemetery on Folly Island

2011-07-19T10:19:00.002-04:00

The newest official state historical marker was dedicated Friday, July 15th, at Folly River Park on Folly Island in Charleston County. It is near the site of a Civil War camp occupied by black Union soldiers (the official term at the time was United States Colored Troops) and the cemetery which contained the graves of their dead. The marker text reads:

CAMP OF WILD’S “AFRICANBRIGADE,” `1863-1864
Folly Beach Community Center, Folly River Park, 55 Center St., Folly Beach
(Front) Folly Island was occupied by Union troops April 1863-February 1865. Gen. Edward A. Wild’s “African Brigade” camped nearby from November 1863 to February 1864. The two regiments in Wild’s brigade were the 55th Massachusetts, made up largely of free blacks, and the 1st North Carolina, made up of former slaves.(Reverse)
WILD'S BRIGADE CEMETERY
A cemetery was laid out nearby for soldiers in Wild’s Brigade who died here in 1863-64. Most graves were removed after the war. In 1987 relic hunters discovered additional graves of U.S. Colored Troops. In 1987-88 archaeologists removed 19 burials and published their findings. These soldiers were reburied with full military honors at Beaufort National Cemetery in May 1989.
Erected by The Friends of the 55th Massachusetts, 2010

The South Carolina Historical Marker Program, with its origins as early as 1929 and formally established in 1936, has approved the texts for almost 1400 markers since that time under the direction of the South Carolina Historical Commission, the predecessor agency to today's South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Sponsoring organizations propose and pay for the cast aluminum markers which stand along streets and highways and interpret the places important to our state's rich history, and work with the Department of Archives and History to ensure that the texts are accurate and appropriate; the department approves an average of about 50 markers each year. J. Tracy Power, a historian in the State Historic Preservation Office at Archives and History, has been Coordinator of the Historical Marker Program since 1995.

For further information on the South Carolina Historical Marker Program, follow this link on the Archives and History website: http://shpo.sc.gov/properties/markers/. You may also contact Tracy Power at power@scdah.state.sc.us or (803) 896-6182.

For access to a searchable database containing the texts of all markers approved by the program since 1929, follow this link: http://www.scaet.org/markers/

For further information on the marker dedication on Folly Island, see:

Edward Fennell, "Salute to Black Union Soldiers," Charleston Post and Courier, Thursday, July 14th http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/jul/14/salute-to-black-union-soldiers/

Edward Fennell, "PHOTOS: Black Union Soldiers Honored On Folly," Charleston Post and Courier, Saturday, July 16th http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/jul/16/photos-black-union-soldiers-honored-folly/

Fort Wagner By Caleb Miller

2011-07-16T12:13:00.005-04:00

July 18th is a special anniversary in the history of our state. On that day in 1863, Union troops attacked the Confederate stronghold of Fort Wagner on Morris Island, south of Charleston Harbor. The Northern forces assaulted the place in an attempt to get through to Charleston. Among the attackers was the 54th Massachusetts regiment, a unit made up of African-American soldiers. This unit led the charge on the fortifications. Their colonel, Robert G. Shaw, cried “forward, 54th, forward!” and climbed onto a parapet and was shot through the heart. Ultimately, the Union forces were unable to capture the fort and suffered many casualties. The casualties were 246 killed, 880 wounded, and 389 captured for the Union and 36 killed, 133 wounded, and 5 captured for the Confederates. Only 315 men were left in the 54th after this battle out of the entire regiment. In addition to Shaw, three other leading officers died in battle or of their wounds. Shaw and his men were highly honored for their courage during the battle. A memorial for them is present at Boston as part of the Boston Black Heritage Trail. This was a significant symbol for the growing tolerance for blacks. Remember the men who fought at that island so long ago.

Image from the Library of Congress Collection- originally published in Courier and Ives

Briggs v. Elliott at Sixty by Rebekah Dobrasko

2011-06-20T09:18:00.004-04:00

Sixty years ago, the United States District Court in Charleston handed down a ruling in Briggs v. Elliott. On June 17, 1951, the court ruled against the plaintiffs in the case, stating that segregation was allowed in public schools as long as the school facilities between the races were equal. Briggs v. Elliott was appealed to the Supreme Court as the first primary and secondary public school case suing for desegregation and the District Court’s ruling was ultimately overturned by the Supreme Court in their decision of Brown v. Board of Education on May 17, 1954.

The Briggs v. Elliott case originated out of Summerton in Clarendon County. African American parents were frustrated with the lack of transportation, the poor school facilities, and the lack of trained teachers in their local schools. After working with the South Carolina National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Summerton pastor J.A. De Laine began organizing local community members to appeal for school equalization. African American parents first attempted to force the school district to provide transportation for their students, but the lawsuit eventually progressed to calling for the equalization of school facilities and teacher salaries and then to suing for the desegregation of schools. The Archives and History Center has a copy of the first Briggs v. Elliott petition that called for school equalization: http://www.palmettohistory.org/exhibits/briggs/index.htm.

Briggs v. Elliott is a nationally significant case, as it was the NAACP’s first lawsuit calling for the desegregation of primary and secondary schools. The commitment of the Clarendon County African American parents impressed the NAACP, as the organization was at first reluctant to support a desegregation case in a Deep South state. Briggs v. Elliott also caused the State of South Carolina to pass its first sales tax of 3% to raise money to build new black schools. South Carolina was intent on providing “separate but equal” schools to prove to the Supreme Court that the state was committed to African American education. Although the Supreme Court overturned Briggs and four other school desegregation cases in their landmark 1954 decision Brown v. Board of Education, schools were not desegregated in Summerton (or in the rest of South Carolina) until after 1963.

The Archives and History Center has a wide variety of documents and sources related to the Briggs v. Elliott case. In addition to one of the petitions filed in the case, which can be found in the Clarendon County Superintendant of Education files, the governors papers of James F. Byrnes has a wealth of letters, correspondence, and other documentation about Briggs. Byrnes was elected governor in 1951 and served until 1955 and was the leader of South Carolina for the majority of the Briggs lawsuit. Byrnes’ papers also hold records of the State Educational Finance Commission, the state commission in charge of building new black schools for equalization purposes. Two of these schools are also listed in the National Register of Historic Places: Mary Wright Elementary School in Spartanburg, SC: http://www.nationalregister.sc.gov/spartanburg/S10817742060/index.htm and Florence Benson Elementary School in Columbia, SC: http://www.nationalregister.sc.gov/richland/S10817740148/index.htm. The South Carolina Department of Education papers are also held at the Archives and History Center and contain information related to the Briggs case.

Some of the places associated with the case are also part of the Archives and History Center records. Summerton High School, the white high school that was significantly better constructed and equipped than the black Scott’s Branch High School, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places: http://www.nationalregister.sc.gov/clarendon/S10817714006/index.htm. Churches associated with African American organizational meetings, such as Liberty Hill A.M.E. Church, Ebenezer Baptist Church, and Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church, all have state historical markers honoring their role in Briggs: http://www.scaet.org/markers/.

Teachers working with the Teaching American History program here at the Archives and History Center have used our documents and other historical sites to develop a multitude of lesson plans for use in the classroom. See:
1. Separate but Equal? A Lesson on Briggs v. Elliott (Grade 3) http://www.teachingushistory.org/lessons/separatebutequal.html
2. “Bus”ting Down the Doors of Segregation (Grade 3) http://www.teachingushistory.org/lessons/BustingDowntheDoorsofSegregation.html
3. Civil Rights Through Photographs (Grades 5 and 8) http://www.teachingushistory.org/lessons/civilrightsphotographs.html
4. School Desegregation in South Carolina (Grade 11) http://www.teachingushistory.org/lessons/schooldesegregation.html

Memorial Day By Caleb Miller

2011-05-27T16:15:00.002-04:00

Next week on Monday we will celebrate Memorial Day. This holiday commemorates US soldiers who have died in military service. It was first created to honor Civil War soldiers who had died fighting. After World War 1, it extended to include all American soldiers who lost their lives. To honor them, American flags are flown at half-staff from dawn until noon. Many people observe the event by visiting cemeteries and memorials. Relatives and friends of the deceased visit their graves to pay their respects. The National Memorial Day Concert is held on the West Lawn of the US Capitol. It is celebrated on the last Monday of May every year. Originally, it was celebrated on May 30. In 1971 the holiday was moved to its current date. It also marks the start of summer vacation. Honor our fallen soldiers by observing Memorial Day, for they gave the ultimate sacrifice for this country.

Putting Order to Chaos: Treasure Discovered in Miscellaneous Collection

2011-05-26T10:12:00.001-04:00

By Craig Glass

Walking into the Department of Archives & History research area
reveals a room filled with indexed cabinets of film in perfect order
and reference desk aides who can point you to just about any official
records that the state has ever kept since it was a Province (not even
a Colony yet!) in 1671. But things weren't always so organized.

In the 1880's and 1890's, the official South Carolina Confederate
Historian attempted to collect and compile service records of all
South Carolina units. Large sheets of paper with standardized rows
and columns were included with letters sent to veterans of the "late
unpleasantness" all across the country, especially to unit Captains
and other officers. These letters asked anyone who had original
Muster Rolls, which were detailed unit rosters, to compile information about his unit and return the large papers, filled-in of course. When
the documents came back, there were some surprises, including several original Rolls from the battlefields, some personal recollections of war stories, and other State and Confederate records. At some point, these documents and others relating to the Civil War period were packed up into fourteen boxes, unorganized and possibly done in a rush, personal letters mixed with compiled Muster Rolls mixed with
General Assembly Resolutions from the era, and more.

Of particular note was a compiled Roll of "Brooks' Battalion of
Foreigners". Inside were listed the officers of the Battalion and a
handwritten letter from one of them, describing the amazing story:

Genl M. L. Bonham, Jr.,
Adjt + Insp. General of So. Ca.
Sir, During the Summer, or Fall, of 1864 when the Confederate forces had been reduced almost to an army of cripples and there were no more old men or boys from whom to get recruits, and when the Federal authorities, after having arrayed against us men from nearly every race of Europe, had armed the negroes and placed them in their ranks, the Confederate authorities conceived the idea of forming battalions from federal prisoners of war of foreign birth who would take the oath of allegiance and join our ranks. On the 16th May 1864 at Drewry’s Bluff, Capt. J. H. Brooks had been wounded in three places and lost nearly all of his Co. “H”, Nelson’s (7th) S.C. Battalion and had been mentioned by Genl Hagood (who regarded him as one of his best officers) in his report of the battle for “Conspicuous gallantry”. After his recovery from his wounds Capt. Brooks was selected to command one of the foreign battalions authorized to be raised and about the 10th October 1864 proceeded to organize the same at Summerville S.C. under the name of “Brooks’ Battalion of Regulars”. The Battalion was composed of men of nearly all European Nations (including an Italian who could not speak English) but the Irish and Germans predominated. A large number of men from the Northern States (some pretending to be Englishmen) escaped the vigilance of Maj. Black, of Genl. Hardee’s Staff, who enlisted them and became, unfortunately, members of the command. During Dec. 1864 Companies A, B, C and D, were ordered to Honey Hill but arriving too late to take part in that fight, were sent to Savannah where, most injudiciously, they were placed on most important outposts.
On, or about, the night of Dec. 16th 1864 this command was stationed on one side of a Rice Field with the Federal troops on the other side, a dam on each side of the Encampment connecting the two. On each of these dams were two militia pickets and at the head of one of the dams there were two field pieces commanded by Captain Simkins. About 7¼ O’clock p.m. a Sergeant of Co. “A” called Capt. Martin into a tent and told him that there would be a mutiny at Eight O’clock p.m., that the men had received a message from Genl. Sherman threatening that they would all be killed if he captured Savannah and found them in arms. Consequently they had planned to go over to the enemy in a body and to buck and gag the officers and take them with them. If the officers resisted (which they expected them to do) they were to be killed and taken anyhow. Capt. Brooks, Capt. Minott and Lieut. Goodwin went for assistance with which to capture the men. Capt. Martin, being officer of the day and Second in Command, for an hour and a half, or more, was left in was left in command of the camp, assisted by Captains Wardlaw and Simkins. Lieut Teuten was sent away as being a useless sacrifice. The men became very insubordinate, one company “B” going so far as to buck the stacks of arms in order to commence the mutiny and desertion. By the coolness and address of the officers, however, the rising was delayed until Col. Brooks and Capt. Minott arrived with militia troops and captured the command. The ringleaders were punished in accordance with the provisions of the army regulations and the men were taken to Savannah but the former officers of the Battalion were given a Guard and put in charge of them. Through the kindness of Maj. Black, of Genl Hardee’s Staff, who knew the danger to which these officers were exposed, on the night that Savannah was evacuated this Body of men was the first who crossed the pontoon bridge and the men formerly composing companies A, B, C and D, of Brooks’ Battalion were taken by captains Martin and Wardlaw back to the prison at Florence.
This will explain why the names of the men are not given but as a this battalion has often been alluded to and was in active service for a short time, in the interest of truth and in justice to the officers who were only providentially prevented from meeting a most tragic end, I hope that you will place the names of the officers above mentioned and the battalion to which they belonged (to-gether with this explanatory note) amont the records of Confederate Organizations now being filed in your offices.
Respectfully,
Vincent F. Martin
Charleston S.C.
Feby 22d 1889

For more information about the Civil War in South Carolina, visit the Sesquicentennial Facebook Page for news, notes, and events.

American Bike Month By Caleb Miller

2011-05-20T09:53:00.010-04:00

In the month of May, Americans celebrate Bike Month and bike-riding is encouraged. This vehicle is an alternate form of transportation. The first bicycle made its debut in 1817. During the 1870s the first bike to actually be called a bicycle, the high-bicycle, was used. The safety bicycle, the start of our modern bicycles, was successfully created in 1885. Ever since that invention, the bicycle has been used widely. In Portland, Oregon, more people bike to work than just about any other city in the US. Today is bike-to-work day, would you ever consider biking instead of driving? The League of American Bicyclists is the official sponsor of the event. Go out and enjoy this basic two-wheeled vehicle. It is good for exercise and is fun to ride. You can work out your legs, lungs, and heart to a huge degree. There are bike trails all throughout the state. Some trails are hard-core, such as the Swamp Fox Passage of Palmetto Trail in Charleston or others are for leisure enjoyment.

Photos courtesy of the Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/

May is Preservation Month

2011-05-06T14:22:00.005-04:00

Many good causes have a day, a week, or even a month, to raise awareness and celebrate accomplishments. Those who love old buildings, neighborhoods, and downtowns, and work to save the places that matter to them have Preservation Month in May. What a fitting time, with new growth and life all around us during spring, to celebrate the new life and rejuvenation that historic preservation projects can bring to communities. (May is also Mental Health Month....maybe you sometimes need to be a little crazy to try and save historic places.) Preservation is about the past, but first and foremost it is about the present and future, providing folks today with creative and unique places to live, work, worship, and relax, and giving future generations those same opportunities.

The theme for Preservation Month this year is Celebrating America’s Treasures. Here in South Carolina, the State Historic Preservation Office created a poster that features some of South Carolina’s very own treasures that have been recognized as National Historic Landmarks. The poster can be viewed online at http://shpo.sc.gov/. (For more information about NHLs see http://www.nps.gov/history/nhl/.)

So during this most beautiful of months, remember Preservation Month. Take a moment to look around your community to see its historic treasures…both the diamonds in the rough that may need some repairs, and those that are sparkling and well-cared for. Thank those owners and leaders who are dedicated to the good stewardship of these treasures. We are all the richer for their presence…the buildings and the people who care for them.

Civil War Era Currency Auction

2011-04-29T13:30:00.007-04:00

The South Carolina Department of Archives and History is auctioning, in sealed bid format, 317 lots of obsolete currency during the month of May. The Archives had 40 boxes worth of currency (now down to about 36 boxes) dating from the 1820's through the 1860's, all of which was issued by The Bank of the State of South Carlina; the bundles were sealed in 1880 when people redeemed the notes for state bonds, and we have recently started opening the bundles and selling many of the notes at public auction. This auction includes fractionals and whole-dollar notes of every denomination, as well as plate sets, similar note sets, and even uncut sheets, on the back of which are whole railroad bond notes. One $1 note is signed by Confederate General and SC Governor Wade Hampton, and some notes were previously unknown to the numismatic community. All of the proceeds will go to preservation efforts (storage and equipment, non-acidic document folders, etc.); it's a great gift for the agency to have during a budget crisis.

You can check out all the auction details on our website http://www.palmettohistory.org/currencyauction/index.html which includes a PDF file of the entire catalog with color images of every lot being sold. Anyone planning to be in the Columbia area on May 3 and/or May 26 should stop by the SCDAH to actually see the notes live (more details in the catalog), but most bidders will likely use the catalog as their only guide.

Happy Bidding!!!

Written by Craig Glass, SCDAH volunteer and currency auction project team member

Fort Sumter Remembered by Caleb Miller

2011-04-12T23:04:00.008-04:00

On April 12th, the battle of Fort Sumter started. This 34-hour battle was the first battle of the Civil War. This fort was a valuable asset, due to its location in the Charleston Harbor. A group of Union soldiers, led by Major Robert Anderson, were stationed at the fort. Confederate forces fired on the fort from all around the harbor, with Union troops returning the fire as best as they could. Surprisingly, there were no fatalities during this huge bombardment. After the long fight, Anderson finally surrendered the fort. The North was enraged at the attack and the country went into all out war. Thus, the attack was not only the first battle but also a catalyst for creating a war. There had been tensions mounting before this but the Fort Sumter attack sent everyone into battle mode. Fort Sumter serves as a monument to the valor of soldiers on both sides of the Civil War and remains a major tourist attraction today.

Editor's Note: April 12, 2011 is the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War and the nation is engaged in commemoration events until 2015. I encourage you all to visit exhibits, tours, and lectures to soak up history! Come visit the Archives and see documents leading up to the war including the Ordinance of Secession and research South Carolina's role in the war.

St. Patrick's Day By Caleb Miller

2011-03-18T12:29:00.008-04:00

Every year on March 17th, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in many countries throughout the world This holiday honors Saint Patrick, the most recognized of Ireland's patron saints. Saint Patrick worked as a bishop in Ireland and was a key figure in bringing Christianity to the island country. The holiday started as a Catholic holiday in the 17th century and was taken around the world by Irish immigrants. Nowadays both Irish and non-Irish celebrate it. Traditionally, people wear green during the event. Those who do not wear it are teasingly pinched for not doing so. Our state of South Carolina has its own notable way of making its name in the holiday. The fountain in the area known as Five Points is dyed green. This year the parade will be held on the 19th in Columbia since it is the closest Saturday to the actual holiday. Happy Saint Patrick's Day all ye people out there! Hope to see ye at the parade!

South Carolina’s New Deal Murals

2011-03-15T14:31:00.006-04:00

By: Anjuli Grantham, Graduate Assistant

African American laborers deftly pick cotton in a river of soft white, a cloudy blue sky above and peach trees in the rolling hills in the distance. A robust woman holds up her right hand, encouraging the workers, accordion player, and grandmother and child to her right, as she claws at a thief, a prisoner, and a crooked politician with her left hand. Camels carry bags of cotton along a winding road, and donkeys lead carriages laden with white bags. These are descriptions of only some of the extant New Deal era murals within South Carolina. These murals depicted the nobility of ordinary laborers and the state’s predominately agricultural economy that was a point of pride in the early 20th century.

A quick survey revealed that at least 12 murals or reliefs of the 16 commissioned in South Carolina still grace the walls of post offices, private offices and residences. Recently, the Greer Post Office, now the home of the Greer Heritage Museum, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This Colonial Revival post office was completed in 1935. Artist Winfield Walkely created the mural “Cotton and Peach Growing” in 1941, under a commission with the Section of Fine Arts of the Department of Treasury. This mural, the first described above and pictured here, depicts what was envisioned then as an idyllic scene of rural, Southern life. The Greer Post Office joins other National Register-listed properties that contain New Deal murals. These are the U.S. Courthouse in Aiken, Bamberg Post Office with “Cotton the World Over” by Dorothea Mierisch (see below), and Clemson University’s Hardin Hall with “Meeting of the Original Directors of Clemson College” by John Carroll.

While today the murals are prized pieces of South Carolina’s social, artistic and architectural history, the creation of the murals was not always welcomed by citizens in the 1930s and 1940s. For example, Stefan Hirsch’s “Justice as Protector and Avenger” in the Charles E. Simmons, Jr. Federal Court House in Aiken was the cause of public outrage. The bold use of shape and color echoed stylistic elements of the Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. The strong angles and contrasting colors led presiding Judge Frank K. Myers to derisively call it “contemporary art.” But it wasn’t just the modern appearance that made citizens upset, it was the figure of Justice herself. Some believed that she was bi-racial, which was not considered to be in keeping with the “Southern conception of art.” Even though the artist denied that the figure was bi-racial, this un-vanilla representation of Justice in Jim Crow South Carolina was enough for the judge to hang curtains over the mural. Since then, the mural has remained obscured, since it is viewed as being a courtroom distraction.

Happy President's Day

2011-02-21T08:47:00.003-05:00

Happy President's Day! Did you know that the SC Department of Archives and History is a great resource for Presidential history? Not only do the collections have items relating to elections and government, there are more than 20 Presidential signatures. Here is a great example of these wonderful collection items: Return of the Presidential Electors Casting Their Vote for George Washington, 1789.

Iwo Jima's Legacy by Caleb Miller

2011-02-17T18:15:00.007-05:00

On February 19th, 1945, Americans landed on an island named Iwo Jima that would become one of the largest battles in the Pacific. It lasted from that day until March 16th in the same year. This island is quite close to Japan and was thus a promising base. Iwo Jima has an area of 21 square kilometers (approximately 8 square miles) total. A dormant volcano named Mount Suribachi is the highest feature, rising 161 meters into the air. Fierce fighting ensued between the two forces for days. Casualties were huge: the Americans had 6,822 killed/missing and 19,217 wounded while the Japanese had between 17,845 and 18,375 killed /missing and 216 captured. This battle is perhaps best known for the famous "Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima" photograph taken there. The photograph has inspired a statue, book and movie in its image. This battle gave the Allies a place to launch and refuel B-29 bombers that would bomb Japan. Notably, this is the only battle were US casualties exceeded Japanese casualties. It was one of the biggest battles in the Pacific campaigns of World War II and should be remembered well. There are still people alive who fought on that ash covered island so remember Iwo Jima and the great victory. Their service, and the continued service of our armed forces, is an inspiration.

Blogger's Note:

Parris Island Marine Corp. Recruit Depot near Beaufort, SC has been in training recruits since 1915. The Depot has trained enlisted marines (male and female) for every major conflict in the 20th and 21st centuries including over 200,000 during WWII. The base is open to the public. They have a vistor's center, museum, and an Iwo Jima monument commemorating the raising of the flag on Mount Suribachi. The statue, sculpted by Felix del Weldon, was actually the prototype he created for the world famous Iwo Jima Memorial in Washington D.C. For more information on the MCRD Parris Island click here http://www.mcrdpi.usmc.mil/index.asp

Remembering Guadalcanal by Caleb Miller

2011-02-08T15:58:00.005-05:00

February 9th does not seem like an important day in our calendar. However, it is the day that one of the early, bloody campaigns of World War II came to a close. The Guadalcanal Campaign lasted from August 7, 1942 through February 9, 1943. It took place on an island called Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. This island is the biggest i the Solomon Islands and was therefore strategically important to both the Americans and the Japanese. Americans landed on August 7th and a seven month-long fight ensued in which 7,100 Americans and 31,000 Japanese died. Several aerial and water battles erupted as well around the island. The Americans lost 29 ships and 615 aircraft, while the Japanese lost 38 ships and between 683 and 880 aicraft. This battle was the second major offensive by Allied forces against Japan and a key strategic move. Japan had gone from offensive to defensive fighting at this point so this battle marked the starting point of Allied offensive operations against Japan that would help bring its downfall. Conclusively, February 9th is a special date to remember.

Blogger Note: Thanks to all our WWII veterans! For more information on Guadalcanal and the seven month battle waged there, check out the U.S. Army Center of Military History webpage http://www.history.army.mil/

The image included in this post is courtesy of the Library of Congress Photographic Collection

Confrontation to Conflict: SC's Path to the Civil War Exhibit Opening

2010-12-13T13:12:00.005-05:00

Many thanks to The State for publishing Dr. W. Eric Emerson's article on the importance of the Ordinance of Secession. The creation of this document, no matter what your feelings are surrounding the time period in which it was written, changed the nation forever. It is incumbent upon us to "explore exactly how this occurred and to reshape long-held notions regarding
the document's place in our state's past and future." (excerpted from the editorial "How South Carolina Changed the World" by Dr. Emerson that appeared on 12/12/2010)

The 150th commemoration of South Carolina's Secession is a somber occasion to reflect on all aspects of that time in our history and take the opportunity to explore all causes including slaery. We are not dismissing the notion that slavery was the cause. It is our responsibility to recognize that cause as well as the other factors that helped motivate the creation of the document. We are more educated if we look at all pieces of the puzzle and not just the straight edges around the border.

The South Carolina Department of Archives and History's exhibit, From Confretonation to Conflict, depicts South Carolina's path from Nullification to Secession through historical documents. Please join us for the opening of the exhibit on Friday, December 17th at 11 am and check them out for yourself.

We would not presume to expect you to change your opintion on that period of our history, merely to open your mind to historical facts depicted in official state documents. You might be surprised.

To see the full article published in The State, please use this link: http://www.thestate.com/2010/12/12/1600767/emerson-how-south-carolina-changed.html

Flower of the Holy Night By Caleb Miller

2010-12-10T17:10:00.005-05:00

Euphorbia pulcherrima is a flowering plant that grows in Mexico and Central America. It is commonly known as the Poinsettia Flower, named after South Carolinian, Joel Roberts Poinsett. He was the first U.S. Minister to Mexico and found the plant in an area of southern Mexico called Taxco del Alarcon. He sent some samples back home and introduced the flower to the United States. The flower is known in Mexico as the "Christmas Eve Flower." According to legend, a poor young girl had no gift to give at the Christmas Eve celebration. An angel told her that any gift given in love is a wonderful gift. She then picked weeds from the side of the road and wrapped them in a bouquet. She presented her weeds at the celebration and because of her sincerity, the weeds transformed into a beautiful red flower. That's how it became known as the Flower of the Holy Night. Poinsett died on December 12th, 1851 and in 2002 Congress created National Poinsettia Day to honor the poinsettia plant industry to be celebrated on December 12th every year.

Editor's Note: For more information on Joel R. Poinsett, there is a great biography of him available in "A History of the War Department of the United States; With Biographical Sketches of the Secretaries" by Lurton Dunham Ingersoll published in 1880 by F. B. Mohun. It is available on google books: http://books.google.com/books?id=mAsSAAAAYAAJ

Pearl Harbor by Caleb Miller

2010-12-07T00:00:00.002-05:00

December 7th marks the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii in 1941. Six Japanese aircraft carriers launched a total of 414 aircrafts to attack the harbor. Five midget submarines were sent as well. The aircraft had a total surprise advantage in the first wave, which was led by Commander Mitsuo Fuchida. Fires quickly erupted on ships and explosions rang through the air. A second wave of aircraft added to the damage. The cost for the Americans was high. Four battleships, two destroyers, and one other ship were sunk. The old battleship Utah, which had been commissioned as a target ship, capsized, which killed six officers and fifty-two other men. Eighteen planes had been destroyed and 155 were damaged. Casualties were high for the US military, with 2402 dead and 1,247 wounded. Civilians were also caught in the fire with fifty-seven dead and thirty-five wounded. The Japanese were not unscathed. Twenty-nine planes were shot down and all five submarines did not return. Fortunately for the US, most of the ships would be raised and/or repaired. Sadly, the battleships Oklahoma and Arizona would not serve again. The Oklahoma was capsized and was sold for scrap while the Arizona was broken by an explosion and left on the bottom of the harbor. She is still there today. The battleship Utah could also not be raised and is still at the harbor. Americans were outraged at the treacherous attack. Ironically, Japanese diplomats had been talking to the State Department thirty minutes before the attack. There are theories that the US Government had advance-knowledge of the attack, but we are still unsure. The President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a famous speech about the attack, where he called it "a date which will live in infamy." We honor those who died in this infamous attack on its 69th anniversary.

SC Legislators Look Back to Move Forward with Secession, 13 November 1860

2010-11-12T16:53:00.003-05:00

As the state of South Carolina prepared for secession, this General Assembly Resolution, dated November 13, 1860, revealed that the state’s leaders felt it wise to review the records of the state conventions considering Nullification (in 1832-1833) and secession (1852), as well as relevant acts and resolutions from those times.

The document seen below authorized the State Printer to print and bind 500 copies of these key records.

Citation: Resolution to Authorize the State Printer to Print and Bind 500 Copies of the Acts and Resolutions off the Current Legislative Session Together with the Proceedings of the State Conventions of 1832, 1832, and 1852. 13 November 1860. Resolutions of the General Assembly, 1779-1879. S165018. SC Department of Archives and History.

To view more records like this online, click here.

Resolution to Call Lincoln's Election a Hostile Act, 9 November 1860

2010-11-09T07:59:00.008-05:00

[The South Carolina Department of Archives and History contains many records documenting the Palmetto State’s experience during the Civil War. As we approach some key dates marking the Civil War Sesquicentennial, we hope to provide a regular series of posts based on the records in our collection.]

On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States. This news left the nation on edge as all eyes looked to South Carolina to see if the Palmetto State would actually make good on its threat to secede from the Union. This General Assembly Resolution of November 9, 1860 (see below) may be the state's first official response to Lincoln's election. South Carolina's decision to “dissolve her connection with the government of the United States” led to the most profound constitutional crisis and bloodiest war in our history.

Written by John Winsmith of the House of Representatives of the General Assembly, this resolution was introduced before the House on November 9, 1860. It directly addressed the concerns and fears of white South Carolinians about the election of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln’s election, as this resolution states, was “based upon principles of open and avowed hostility to the social organization and peculiar interests of the slaveholding states.”

Immediately after Winsmith’s resolution, George A. Trenholm introduced another resolution regarding the election of a “Black Republican President.” His resolution outlined how Lincoln’s victory was a detriment to South Carolina and other slaveholding states. Additionally, South Carolina ought to preserve her sovereign rights by raising supplies and preparing a plan to arm the state. Due to the similarities of these two resolutions, Winsmith’s resolution was added as an amendment to the Trenholm resolution. On November 10th, 1860, the resolution was discharged as a Special Order. This resolution served as a harbinger of what ultimately came to pass on the evening of December 20, 1860, at the Institute Hall in Charleston, the Ordinance of Secession.

The document featured above is but one example of the many records that can be found on the state archives Online Index. A search for “Lincoln, Abraham” reveals five records, one of which being the resolution featured above.

Happy Birthday Lady Liberty

2010-10-28T15:55:00.002-04:00

A ceremony of dedication to a famous monument was held 124 years ago on October 28th. This monument is none other than the Statue of Liberty. It was made in France as a gift to the people of the United States. The French artist Frederic Bartholdi designed the statue after being inspired by a comment said by Edouard Rene De Laboulaye. It is a universal symbol of freedom, democracy, and international friendship. The statue represents Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom. She holds a torch in one hand stretched upward, a tablet in the other that is inscribed with the date of the American Declaration of Independence, and a broken chain lies at her feet. President Grover Cleveland presided over the Dedication Ceremony. The statute was installed near Ellis Island, which has ever been in its shadow. Immigrants who went through the gates there felt hopeful as they looked at the inspiring monument. It was designated a national monument in 1924 by President Calvin Coolidge. Ever since, it has been one of America's most famous symbols.

We're the Best, We're the Top...

2010-10-14T14:57:00.007-04:00

Family Tree Magazine has published a "Best State Websites 2010" list and the South Carolina State Archives was picked as one of the best across the country! The magazine mentions our online records index with over 300,000 records (many with images) including state land grant plats, Confederate veteran records, criminal court records, and so much more. They even talk about our section dedicated to maps of how our counties were formed. We are thrilled to be part of this list and are excited to have the years of work our staff have put in be recognized. We hope you continue to utilize our site for research, we are adding to it all the time!

Seeking Rosenwald Schools

2010-10-11T11:12:00.028-04:00

by Haley Grant, USC Public History Graduate Student

This summer, I had the opportunity to survey Rosenwald Schools as part of my graduate internship in the State Historic Preservation Office at Archives and History. I looked in Allendale, Barnwell, Chester, Chesterfield, Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield, Hampton, Lancaster, Laurens, and Union Counties—of those eleven counties surveyed three Rosenwald Schools were found standing. Canebrake School in Saluda County, Black Creek School in Chesterfield County, and Mt. Calvary School in Allendale County (above left) have now been confirmed and further documented. SHPO staff members Brad Sauls, Jennifer Satterthwaite and even Tracy Hayes from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Southern Office tagged along as their company and driving skills made concentrating on navigation a great deal easier.

The surveys were conducted using topographic, satellite, and Google Street View maps. Fortunately, many rural roads are in Street View! Unfortunately, this does not mean that all rural roads shown in Street View are nicely paved the entire distance needed to search for a particular school (I’m talking to you, Red Point School in Union)! Street View helped in narrowing down possible existing schools versus schools that were simply not standing. Counties were chosen if surveys had not been conducted, to follow up on past surveys, or if the possibility of a standing school looked promising. In total, forty-three schools were site-surveyed. Along the way, several possible Equalization Schools were spotted, and many wonderful historic buildings were ogled.

But more on what we found! The Canebrake School in Saluda County (left) is currently in use as a residence and has been owned by the same local family for over fifty years. Originally, the school was a Two-Teacher Tuskegee Plan and has had minimal additions over time. No construction date is given. Black Creek School in Chesterfield County (below) is also currently used as a residence. This school follows a typical Two-Teacher Rosenwald Plan and was built in the 1925-1926 budget year.

Mt. Calvary School (pictured at top) 1920-1921, in Allendale County was the last found. The school sits across from a church in a very rural setting. In poor condition, this school is overgrown both with greenery and political election signs. The Allendale Historical Society has been made aware of our findings and will hopefully spur on some community action. For more information about Rosenwald Schools see http://www.shpo.sc.gov/rosenwaldschools.htm and
http://www.preservationnation.org/travel-and-sites/sites/southern-region/rosenwald-schools/region/rosenwald-schools/

Celebrating Archives Month

2010-10-01T14:24:00.006-04:00

Did you know that October is National Archives Month? South Carolina Archives have lots of great events and exhibits planned and we hope you'll join us in celebrating the wonderful treasures we preserve! The theme this year, Documents Can Change a Nation, focuses on the importance of the records archives have. We don't just have paper, we have records that resonate and mark significant state and national historical events! We encourage you to visit our 2010 Archives Month website for all the latest event and exhibit happenings in South Carolina. http://scarchivesmonth.palmettohistory.org

Arrgh, there be a holiday to celebrate

2010-09-17T13:07:00.006-04:00

September 19th is the international holiday "Talk like a Pirate Day." This holiday was created by John Baur and Mark Summers, alias 'Ol' Chumbucket' and "Cap'n Slappy" in 1995. It causes people to talk like pirates, villainous theives and cutthroats who preyed upon ships and settlements around the world centuries ago. Pirates are famous in the world today for their deeds and speech. The state of South Carolina has be subject to pirates as well, including two famous ones. Blackbeard (Edward Teach) and Stede Bonnet both did crimes around the future Palmetto State. Charleston was blockaded by Blackbeard in the spring of 1718, with Bonnet among Blackbeards crew. The town gave into the demands eventually. Bonnet and Teach both got pardons fro the government in North Carolina. However, both reverted to piracy before long. Blackbeard died fighting the crew of the HMS Pearl on November 22, 1718 just off the coast of Ocracoke Island, NC. It took five shots and twent sword wounds to kill him. His head was cut off, hung on the Pearl's bowsprit and his body thrown overboard. Coincidentally, Bonnet was captured and put on trial in Charleston, SC. He pleaded for his life which convinced many of the ladies to support his request. Although his sentence was delayed many times, he wa hung on December 10, 1718. So... a vast ye swabby landlubbers! Give it your best shot, or you'll walk the plank!

Want to know more about Pirates off the coast of South Carolina? Seek and plunder through the informational treasures here at the state archives like the Records of the Register of the Secretary of the Province 1714-1719 (see excerpted image) or microfilm of records from the British Public Records office.

Constitution Day Approaches

2010-09-13T14:31:00.004-04:00

Hey everyone, did you know that Friday, September 17th, is Constitution Day? One of our fabulous volunteers is going to be a guest blogger letting us know about cool facts like this one. He's seventeen and has aspirations of being a writer and we thought blog posts would be a great way to practice and help us out. So here is Caleb's first posting all about Constitution Day:

On September 17, 1787, the US Constitution was signed by the delegates of the Constitutional Convention at Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed. On the anniversary of that day we celebrate Constitution Day. The holiday was established in 2005 as part of a new law. South Carolina sent four delegates to the convention, where 39 out of 55 delegates signed the document created to give America fair laws and a stronger federal government. These men were Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Charles Pinckney, John Rutledge, and Pierce Butler. Rhode Island did not send any delegates to the convention. The youngest signer was John Drayton at age 26, while the oldest was Benjamin Franklin at age 81. This year is the 223rd anniversary of the signing of the document. Be sure to celebrate it this week on Friday!

For more information on the US Constitution, check out the National Archives website http://www.archives.gov/

Annual Civil War Symposium is Approaching

2010-09-02T17:54:00.007-04:00

This December marks the 150th anniversary of South Carolina secession from the Union. Happy Sesquicentennial South Carolina! And what better way to celebrate this anniversary than to register for our Annual Civil War Syposium, September 24th and 25th. You'll meet great people, see original documents, and learn about South Carolina and her role in the Civil War. The line up so far has some phenomenal speakers including featured speaker, Dr. William W. Freehling. Dr. Freehling has been teaching, researching, and writing about the Old South and the Civil War for over forty years so you don't want to miss a chance to hear and meet this award winning historian. Registration information can be found at http://civilwarsymposium.palmettohistory.org/ and we hope to see you all there!

Danger from the Air

2010-08-31T13:21:00.002-04:00

The popular Historical Marker program sees all kinds of interesting tidbits and facts about South Carolina history. Two recent historical markers tell stories that may make you look to the sky to avoid more unexpected falling objects.

The first details an 1861 balloon landing (yes, that’s right, a balloon!) in Union County just days after the Civil War began. Can you imagine the surprise felt by both local residents and the pilot? Here’s the text:

On April 20, 1861, only days after the Civil War began at Fort Sumter, scientist and aeronaut T.S.C. Lowe (1832-1913) landed the Enterprise, a large gas balloon, on a nearby farm. Lowe was on a test flight in preparation for a trans-Atlantic attempt. Southeasterly currents had carried him 800-900 miles by air from Cincinnati to Union District in less than nine hours. Many locals assumed that Lowe was a Yankee spy, and it was difficult for him to convince them that he was not. He was taken to Union and spent the night there under guard. Taken to Columbia, he was allowed to return north by train after several gentlemen vouched for his reputation as a scientist. Lowe later founded and directed a balloon corps in the U.S. Army in Virginia 1861-1863.

Erected by the Union County Historical Society, the marker is located at 657 Pea Ridge Hwy. (S.C. Sec. Rd. 44-13), Kelton vicinity in Union County.

The second records another falling object with potentially much more deadly consequences (thankfully avoided) nearly 100 years later at Mars Bluff in Florence County. Here’s the text:

In 1958, in the midst of the Cold War, the U.S. Air Force accidentally dropped an atomic bomb near here. The unarmed 7,600-lb., 10’8”-long bomb was aboard a B-47E bomber on a training mission headed for England. Its high-explosive trigger detonated on impact, making a crater as large as 35 feet deep and 70 feet wide./ (Reverse) The bomb landed in the woods behind the asbestos-shingle-sided home of railroad conductor Walter “Bill” Gregg (d. 1921). Gregg, his wife, their three children, and a niece were injured by the concussion, which destroyed the house and outbuildings and did slight damage to buildings within a 5 mile radius.

Erected by the Florence City and County Historical Commission, the marker is located at E. Marion Hwy. (U.S. Hwy. 301/76) near the Francis Marion University Campus, Mars Bluff. A nearby trail leads to the crater site.

These stories are now recorded in durable cast aluminum for travelers to see, and in digital bytes for anyone in the world to read via the South Carolina Historical Markers database http://www.scaet.org/markers/.

The Never-Ending Document!

2010-07-12T12:35:00.007-04:00

One of the volunteer projects we've been working on around the archive is rehousing the Charleston Equity Court Bills, and we found a very interesting one last week. The clerks actually pasted pages together to create a longer document, which we've seen before. However this particular one was 88' long! Yes, feet. We unrolled it in the lab to measure and we had never seen anything quite like it before. Ergo, it merited photos to share. (This is in the conservation lab, one of our very long rooms, containing fancy humidification chambers, book presses, document spas, and lots of other fabulous things for making your treasures last a long time. Shameless plug.)

And in case you're thinking of doing this yourself, know that eventually that glue will break down and the pages will separate, and no, they are not numbered. Which is why you should bring it in for us to fix up for you. =)

Thanks to our wonderful volunteers - we need you more than ever now!

....

2010-06-23T15:35:00.003-04:00

A sad day today as we bow to the ugly reality of budget cuts and say farewell to some of our faithful staff. A lot of our faithful staff, actually.

There just aren't enough words - .

Sanford vetos could close the doors at SC Department of Archives & History

2010-06-11T12:58:00.001-04:00

Dear friends:

The SC Department of Archives and History needs your help. Yesterday, Governor Sanford announced his vetoes of the state budget. Among them were three cuts to the SC Department of Archives and History budget, totaling $980,945. (The House and Senate had approved a budget of the $2,445, 764 in state funds plus $200,000 in stimulus funds for the agency for FY 2010-2011.) A link to the Governor’s veto is below.

http://www.scgovernor.com/NR/rdonlyres/1F1ECBAF-9D5D-4C9A-9BEF-136EDBC7F128/35706/H4657AppropriationsAct1.pdf

Veto 29: Administration and Planning – Other Operating Expenses $635,445

Veto 30: Old Exchange Building -- $145,500

Veto 104: Stimulus Funds -- $200,000

These cuts will make it impossible for Archives and History to continue to fulfill its mission.

If the services and programs of Archives and History have been helpful to you, would you consider letting your local legislator know today, as well as Representative Dan Cooper, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Representative Chip Limehouse, Chair of the House subcommittee dealing with Archives and History. The legislature will be in session on Tuesday (June 15) to consider the Governor’s vetoes. Our ability to continue to serve you and the citizens of South Carolina depends upon your support.

To find your local legislators you can use this search page from the South Carolina Legislature Online. http://www.scstatehouse.gov/cgi-bin/zipcodesearch.exe

Rep. Daniel T. Cooper (R)
District No. 10-Anderson County
525 Blatt Bldg.
Columbia, SC 29201
803-734-3144

Rep. Harry B. "Chip" Limehouse III (R)
Dist. No. 110-Berkeley & Charleston Cos.
326 Blatt Building, Columbia, SC 29201
803-734-2977

On behalf of our director, W. Eric Emerson, staff, and countless patrons, thank you for your support.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth M. Johnson

Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer
SC Department of Archives and History
8301 Parklane Road
Columbia, SC 29223
phone: 803.896.6168 fax: 803.896.6167
E-mail: emjohnson@scdah.state.sc.us Website: http://shpo.sc.gov/

Collect Your Own!!

2010-06-04T13:21:00.003-04:00

Did you like the currency in the last post? Now you can buy your own - REAL - collection!

SC Civil War Era Bank Notes on Sale in Memphis

The SC Archives has been selling individual bank notes issued by the Bank of South Carolina during the Civil War on eBay but we are now announcing a new auction opportunity. Heritage Auction Galleries, the World's Largest Collectibles Auctioneer, is offering large lots of the notes in their June Signature Auction in Memphis, TN.

For information about the auction, bidding, and owning a piece of South Carolina history, check out the Heritage Auction web site: http://currency.ha.com/common/auctions/?ic=Tab-Auctions-041408

The proceeds from the auction sales are used to help pay for the preservation and conservation of our collections. Good luck with your bidding!

Ye Olde Currency

2010-05-18T10:15:00.002-04:00

Some bits and pieces lying around hither and thither...fractionals used as "change" back during one of those many war-time metal shortages, and a gem of SC currency from the Civil War era.

Remember the Robert Mills Atlas?

2010-05-13T10:40:00.003-04:00

He's that guy, who drew those maps...yeah. Well, here's his petition to the Senate of South Carolina regarding the pricing of his forthcoming atlas of the state, circa 1825.

Money, money, money. (Isn't that an ABBA song?)

More Saturday Hours!

2010-05-06T11:25:00.003-04:00

This Saturday - May 8th - the archives will be open from 8:30am-5pm. Don't miss out!

Canals, anyone?

2010-04-16T15:20:00.002-04:00

Found: the plan appended to the petition of Richland County residents asking for an extension to the existing Columbia canal, circa 1836.

[Will eventually be cross-posted to facebook.]

What's Up Now

2010-04-16T12:48:00.002-04:00

Why the dull times around FB and the blog? Well, the archive staff are busy moving offices - internal-only, making room for renting office space out. So most everyone's been more or less sucked into some kind of office-cleaning-out-packing-unpacking-sorting-files-equipment-computer-moving black hole. I'm sure they'll be back later.

Unless they get buried in their cubicles. That would be unfortunate.

Saturday Hours!

2010-04-09T13:42:00.001-04:00

The archives will be open tomorrow from 8:30-5, on one of our rare open Saturdays. Come on by and see what you can discover!

Dinner on Wheels

2010-03-29T16:50:00.005-04:00

Remember that train lecture series presented at the Archives in January and February? It concluded with a real dinner on a real dining car (although the food was catered, because the actual dining car has problems with lead in the kitchen). Behold, some photos from the event - and the sharp-looking fellow in the hat is lecturer Rodger Stroup:

The Photo Policy

2010-03-29T14:34:00.005-04:00

Since we've had some photo & image questions, we're going to interrupt today's posting of evil paper clip damage (also viewable on our facebook page) to clear up the photo policy for our viewers. It's pretty simple:

1. Technically, this blog has nothing to do, officially, with SCDAH. It is run solely in volunteer capacity. Ergo, SCDAH (the agency) does not own the blog content, but it tolerates it, and can - and does - object at any time when it feels misrepresentation has occurred. Any objected-to content is removed, because we're a friendly blog, and a friendly facebook.

2. Photos and images posted are posted by permission of their respective owners. SCDAH does not own the images unless they are actually borrowed from their image repositories. The images are deliberately not meant to be professional, high-quality reproductions, because that's not what we exist for. If you would like a high-quality reproduction of any document image you see, you'll need to go to the archives and request a copy for personal use. If you want a copy of any photo you see, you'll need to contact that photo's owner. This applies to facebook as well.

3. If you see yourself in a photo on either the blog or our facebook page, and object, or find your photos used without permission (for example, someone forwarded it along without your knowledge and it ended up here or on facebook), simply let us know (email the moderator) and it will be removed.

'Nuff said. Now y'all behave yourselves out there.

Stealth Reconstruction

2010-03-02T12:39:00.004-05:00

There's a book tour/signing going on March 9 for Glen Browder's book, Stealth Reconstruction: An Untold Story of Racial Politics in Recent Southern History. That's 5:30pm at the Statehouse, and if you're interested in modern southern history, it looks to be promising. There's more to it than just that, so the flyers will be posted either here or on our Facebook site, or both, so you can see the rest.

Of note: despite the flattery printed on all the ads, the South Carolina Department of Archives & History is *not* a sponser of these events. It's nothing personal against the author or anyone else, we just don't want y'all thinking we're spending money we don't have on things we can't afford, no matter how interesting they may be.

Updates! and Notes on the Zen of Archiving

2010-03-01T15:31:00.005-05:00

So it's been a while. Busy couple of weeks. Not a lot of good news floating around the archives, but on the up side, March 13 is the first Saturday of four that we'll be open with extra hours (8:30-5pm). Take advantage while you can!

It's contest season for those of you who are interested in the National History Day program, and for those of you who want to participate, they always need people to volunteer, whether as judges or simply to post signs. Odds are that there's a contest in your region, going on now. Or very soon. And of course, there's the state contest here in April. Start looking here.

Now, onto the zen of archiving. "Zen" being used loosely here, of course.

I've been chewing over the dichotomy of archival work, specifically that of public history. On one hand, as a professional, you're obligated to protect and defend, as it were, the records that constitute the known history of said particular locale (in this case, a state). On the other hand, you are summarily required to provide access to these records. Very often, these two demands are at odds - excess handling, copying, usage, etc. tends to destroy documents over time. But locking them away in a climate controlled, sterile environment for all eternity is (while perhaps best for preservation) contrary to everything the historical community stands for (knowledge and truth seeking), and in this case, possibly illegal (hence the public in public records).

Trying to find a happy medium, then, is the best one can presumably achieve. But how does one define balance between destruction and preservation, access and exclusivity? At what point is the line drawn, and a decision made: to prioritize preservation over access, or knowledge over future existence, or worse yet, that no one cares? Is there a way to do it all?

Go see Richard tell 'em how it's done.

2010-02-22T14:47:00.003-05:00

Are you interested in archives, library and information science, or just wondering how we keep track of it all here? You might be interested in this upcoming talk given by our own Richard Harris on the USC campus March 22!

Dr. Jennifer Marshall's SLIS 750: Information and Records Management and the Archival Students Guild will be hosting a guest speaker!

Who: Richard Harris, Manager of Records Services at the South Carolina Dept. of Archives and History

Topic: Administering/managing a records management program for state agencies and local governments, including SCDAH’s electronic records management activities.

When: Monday, March 22 at 5:00 pm

Where: Room 112 in Davis College

Everyone is welcome! Come join us!

Light refreshments will be provided!

Sorry, We Left the TP on the Tracks in Gainsville

2010-02-16T13:37:00.007-05:00

Queen Victoria saw her first train in 1836. What does that have to do with South Carolina's history? That's an excellent question for some grad student who needs a thesis topic.

Tomorrow's lecture at the archives starts at 5:30pm. Topics include the development of railroad stations (hey, we couldn't ride nonstop like cattle forever, and someone's got to take care of the train), logging and phosphate railroads (mmm, phosphates, so tasty...), and the Piedmont and Northern railroads.

Come one, come all, get munchies beforehand, and if you missed last week's discussion on when exactly real toilets became standard equipment on trains (the 1970s; prior to that date, think outhouse dropping onto the tracks), you missed a seriously ripe reality check.

Who wants to go on a tour?

2010-02-10T15:20:00.005-05:00

As our agency is co-sponsoring this event, I can pass this along - bus tours! For the Civil War buffs out there, there are available tickets for 3 different Sherman's March Bus Tours with The Greater Columbia Civil War Alliance as part of Columbia's Longest Days: February 1865.

In commemoration of General Sherman's March to Columbia, SC, and the burning of the city in February of 1865, a full day of educational and fun activities will be held on
Saturday, February 13, 2010

Schedule of Events:
Re-enactment of Cannons Firing on State House • 8:45am
Gervais Street Bridge, West Columbia, South Carolina
(Alexander at Meeting Street)
The day begins with Union canons firing once again upon the South Carolina State House. This very popular re-enactment features period cannons and Union soldiers following the command of General Sherman. The event takes place at the exact time of day and location of the original firing, the West Columbia side of the Gervais Street Bridge.

Civil War Expo • 9am - 4pm
The Atrium of the South Carolina State Museum
301 Gervais Street
Columbia, South Carolina
This expo includes artifact displays, performances by living historians of Mary Boykin Chesnut and Wade Hampton III, as well as living history demonstrations of spinning and needlepoint in the atrium and artillery demonstrations on the lawn. Entrance to the atrium activities is free. The S.C. Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum admission will be reduced to $2 for adults and free for those under 21.

Sherman's March Bus Tours • 9:30am & 2:30pm
Tickets ($20 per adult/per tour) must be purchased in advance. Tours will leave from the parking lot of the South Carolina State Museum and each will last approximately 3 hours.

The Congaree Creek Bus Tour (9:30am) includes first hand accounts of Union soldiers, reporters and Columbia residents; visits the original earthworks built for the Confederate defense, remains of one of the largest textile mills of the early 1800s, and the bridge abutments of the Gervais Street and Saluda River Bridges burned by Confederates to slow the Union troops.

Kilpatrick's Occupation and the Burning of Lexington (9:30am) will follow the path Union soldiers took upon entering Lexington; tell the story of Union troop occupation and the burning of the town; pass Historic homes used by Union and Confederate troops; and end at St. Stephen's Church that was ransacked by Union troops.

Sherman's Left Wing Bus Tour (2:30pm) will visit skirmish sites, where dismounted Confederate cavalry and artillery disputed the Union army's crossing the river; local re-enactors will make these skirmishes come alive; visit campsites of the Union army and numerous sites.

Bus tour tickets can be ordered by contacting Bri Jackson at (803) 217-0071 or GCCWA@knappagency.com.

Old Skool

2010-02-09T12:26:00.004-05:00

Since we're experiencing some problems adding files to our facebook photo album "Buried Treasures", you get to view here the following rules for the Yorkville Female Academy, dated 1820. My favorite part is the cost of tuition.

So Popular!

2010-02-09T10:08:00.004-05:00

Guess who else made it in the news? Rebekah Dobrasko from the State Historic Preservation Office, in an article about mid-century school construction in response to "separate but equal". Props to Rebekah, too!

The State article is here: Segregation Spurred SC School Building Spree.

Props to Steve!

2010-02-05T13:20:00.004-05:00

Did you miss it? Our very own Steve Tuttle was on WIS TV last night (at 6 and 11, and I watched both just to make sure) giving commentary about the difficulty in tracing African-American family history. He did an excellent job of representing the archives, and we're proud to call him our own.

And a shout out to a dedicated researcher, Urica Pope. May you easily find exactly what you're looking for, as in every genealogist's dreams. We admire your perseverance.

If you truly missed it, the article and interview with Judy Gatson is here. The suggested links on the related page are here, and the WIS TV series on Black History Month is here. Enjoy!

ARCHIVE SATURDAY HOURS!

2010-02-04T13:19:00.004-05:00

(Hey, we're excited. We used to have Saturday hours, but we can't afford them anymore without outside help.)

Have you been wanting to drop by the archives and see if you can't find your grandfather's draft card? Or poke around and see what else you can find? Maybe you have a paper for school and would like to use our resources, or you're a panicky graduate student with a term paper recently assigned, or a teacher looking to integrate more actual sources with your lessons. Maybe you're just curious about what we have here, but haven't found our normal hours convenient.

Thanks to a grant from the SC Archives & History Foundation, SCDAH will be open on four Saturdays (and four only, right now) from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, so mark your calendars:

Saturday, March 13
Saturday, April 10
Saturday, May 8
Saturday, June 12

We hope to see you there!

"Blood Be Upon Your Head"

2010-01-29T14:22:00.002-05:00

Here's an event invitation that looks promising, but note that the registration cost increases after Monday, Feb. 1.

"Blood Be Upon Your Head"
Tarleton and Buford at the Waxhaws
February 27, 2010
Lancaster, South Carolina

Andrew Jackson State Park, Southern Campaigns of the American Revolution, the American Revolution Association, the Friends of Andrew Jackson State Park, and the Friends of the Medford Library invite you to attend a one-day program: "Blood Be Upon Your Head" - Tarleton and Buford at the Waxhaws" on February 27, 2010. The conference will be held at the University of South Carolina-Lancaster with an afternoon tour of Buford's battleground. Examine the research and the myths surrounding this clash between units of British cavalry and American infantry to understand why scholars have been debating about this battle for 230 years.

Presenters include Todd Braisted of The On-Line Institute for Advanced Loyalist Studies, Dr. Jim Piecuch of Kennesaw State University as well as David McKissack and Scott Miskimon who are both well-versed in the history of the Virginia Continental Line. Lee McGee will present on the tactics and training of Revolutionary War era cavalry and Bill Anderson will map the daily movements of the troops involved. Archaeologist Scott Butler will explain his research on the archeology of the battleground.

The registration fees are $50 per person and $85 per couple until February 1, 2010. After February 1st, the rates increase to $65 per person and $120 per couple. Conference registration opens at 8:30 am and the program will begin at 9:00 am in the Bradley Building on the USC-Lancaster campus. Lunch is included. For more information and registration, contact Andrew Jackson State Park (803) 285-3344 or andrewjackson@scprt.com

We History Types Call This The Romantic Period

2010-01-28T15:46:00.006-05:00

That is, the period of history in which "romanticism" took over, which is basically a classical revival in nearly all works of art stretching from literature to fashion to painting to architecture. (And by classical, we mean classical, as in, it was trendy to revisit the imagined lifestyles of the Greeks and Romans.) Newspaper columns were not immune, as evinced by the heading of this clipping from 1861*, where Lady Liberty is perched with a cupid-cherub in a natural, out-doorsey scene:

*Why is there handwriting that says 1863? It was filed with a group of legal papers in 1863, and thus dated to its filing date.

2010-01-27T12:40:00.003-05:00

I promised a review of the Railroad Lecture Series, so here it is: Last week's lecture on the history of the railroads to the Civil War by former SCDAH director Rodger Stroup was an enjoyable experience that I found to be, at an hour's length, not long enough. For those who fear speeches, I can assure you it was not a bit dull, and filled with Ye Olde Photos, sketches of various locomotives, Nifty Antique Maps, and even a little model of the Best Friend of Charleston on display. (Plus, if you looked carefully, I was there, taking notes while quietly bleeding from slicing my hand open right before the lecture began.)

Attendance was healthy with a good-humored, intelligent crowd offering feedback and interaction with our lecturer; Director Eric was perched in the back; refreshments were provided; and if I'm not mistaken, our much beloved Rodger was wearing a dapper red train tie.

Fun fact from Lecture #1: the construction of the original "Southbound Railroad" running from Charleston to Hamburg - built to capture the cotton trade heading down the Savannah River - cost about $950,000 in 1830s dollars to build. Playing with various currency inflation converters will get you an equivalent of approximately $28 million in today's value. And the original track began to require extensive repairs within a few years of construction. Oh, what we could do with that money around here!

See you at tonight's lecture - trains from the Civil War to 1900.

Path to the Stacks

2010-01-21T14:48:00.007-05:00

Or, Wait, I Can Do What With My Degree?

Graduate school at a large research university exposes one to the peculiar variety of faculty temperaments found at an institution where the phrase “publish or perish” is bandied about over coffee. On the one hand, it brings in excellent faculty, trotting around waving their Ivy league doctorates, their prestigious awards, fellowships, committees, obligations, and, in a few cases, demanding entourages. There’s the group that loves to research their field, and resent having to teach at all. There’s the group who loves to teach, and is annoyed by the pressure to publish profusely or be replaced. And largely, there’s a group trying frantically to balance it all and have a real life, too, you know, one with a mortgage and kids and a lawn to mow and maybe the time to see a movie once in a while.

In the perfect world, grad students are expertly trained in their field of study and properly prepared for a career path, whatever the path may be in their chosen field. Choosing a career path is dependent on student motivation, and also on advisor willingness to make the student aware of options they may be overlooking. And this particular balance has been the subject of freak-outs by those in the archival profession for decades. Research and presentations on the subject of archival awareness and training date back at least 40 years in the trade journals, such as the Journal of American Archivists. Who are these students? How many are there? Are there enough to support and expand the field as people retire? Are they getting the right education to be ready for employment without too much investment on the part of their employers? Do they even know that the archival profession exists and is a viable option? How do we recruit more? Etc.

If (sigh) only (alas) those were the problems nowadays. Budget cuts have closed archival training programs at major universities (and for that matter, at least one also suspended its history teaching & certification program, creating a history-major crisis among students and setting the stage for an entirely new set of problems in the future [No history teachers!]). Archives themselves have been the subject of enormous cuts across the country. Some close, some dissolve, some are “restructured” into nonexistence or folded into sister institutions or libraries that are also facing red tape. Now the opposite problems face the archival profession – too many cuts, not enough money, a too-tight job market, no hope, general despair, and the concerning problem of what will happen to these priceless documents if all the archives are gone.

Trains, Planes, and - no, just Trains

2010-01-15T13:36:00.004-05:00

Just a reminder - if you're going to the 2010 Railroad Lecture Series beginning Wednesday, January 20th, registration starts at 4:45 pm at the Archives. See you there!

Where's MY Quill Pen?

2010-01-12T14:27:00.004-05:00

I ran across this today among our online petitions. Now, this is only a couple of pages from a Nov. 1860 petition from the parish of 'St. John's Berkeley' about reestablishing an old road, but the cool thing is the scribe is, it appears, a leftie, which you don't see much of back in the day. Can you tell who's right- or left-handed?

I Love Me A Good Railroad

2010-01-08T13:47:00.002-05:00

Trains are fun. They're cool. They're old, they're new, they're antiques and modern at the same time. You've got light-rails, you've got coal-burning monstrosities in museums. My father likes trains because as a child, he would sit on a fence by the tracks and watch them go by. I like them because they're an economical way of transporting goods. And yes, riding in an open car on a coal-powered train is truly a filthy experience: soot everywhere. Once you have that experience, you understand why people wore travelling clothes.

The SC Archive and History Foundation is holding a lecture series here at the archives on trains, and it promises to be fascinating. Plus, I've heard you get a reproduction 1827 map (ok, it's actually here on a table behind me). Looks pretty spiffy, train routes and all. Yes, spiffy.

You can see the schedule and topics - orphan trains, anyone? - and register for the Railroad Lecture Series at the Foundation site!

Mapping the Archive Gift Shop

2009-12-21T13:03:00.011-05:00

Perfect for all your last minute holiday needs,

as well as for teachers, students, and history lovers of all kinds.

Come meet Dutch, and he'll give you a real special deal.

And if you like maps, check out the online gift shop,

where you can purchase books and maps like these:
Reproduction 1825 mills atlas Maps In Color
28 districts available:

Abbeville, Barnwell, Beaufort
Charleston, Chester, Chesterfield, Colleton
Darlington, Edgefield, Fairfield
Georgetown, Greenville, Horry
Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington
Marion, Marlborough, Newberry
Orangeburgh, Pendleton, Richland
Spartanburg, Sumter, Union
Williamsburgh, York

SCDAH Gone Global

2009-12-11T11:49:00.005-05:00

Well, in the spirit of holiday giving, thanks to you, our audience. Recent reports of traffic across our blog is promising, with visitors from 333 cities and 29 countries around the world - hello Hong Kong! - and over 1700 hits in the first three months alone. Not bad for a baby blog getting off the ground.

Now if only y'all would learn how to use the comment function!

Thanks, to everyone who's reading, and to everyone who's contributing. We couldn't do it without you.

Holiday Party 2009

2009-12-10T18:58:00.016-05:00

The holiday party has come and gone, so let’s address the pressing concerns first:

Contrary to all sartorial expectations and hopes, SCDAH director Eric did not, in fact, wear a bow tie. Instead, he chose a normal tie, red with blue stripes.

And the food was excellent.

Also, the beautiful table decorations, hand-made by our own Ben Hornsby, garnered high praise. The gift baskets were lovely, the crowd congenial, the guests appreciated, the punch divine. If you missed it, we probably talked about you in your absence, because after all, we wished you could be there.

Many thanks to our overworked committee, and to those who helped bring food, and to those who suffered fools for the camera in accordance with the recent Directorial Coercive Digital Photography Policy of Dec. 2009, which was contrived at the last moment to compensate for the fact that the archives has no working video camera to record such events. We apologize for the inconvenience, and point and laugh as well.

State library people, we love you. Art people, too. Former employees - you too.

Paul (left) claims to not show up in photos, but he does. Barely.

Also left, our own, rarely spotted, Darlin' Patrick of the Archives.

Gift bags!

Bidding Bon Voyage to a National Historic Landmark

2009-12-03T15:06:00.003-05:00

An important duty of the State Historic Preservation Office is to organize and host meetings for the South Carolina State Board of Review for the National Register of Historic Places. At its last meeting the board voted to recommend the addition of four properties (two plantations and two historic schools) to the National Register. Then in the last item of business, board members considered a request that was extraordinary.

The board was asked to approve the transfer of a National Historic Landmark from one state to another. The landmark in question is the USCGC Ingham (WPG-35), a Coast Guard cutter that served in both World War II and Vietnam, and which had been part of the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant. Patriots Point can no longer afford necessary maintenance on the Ingham, so it wished to transfer ownership of the ship to the Miami-Dade Historical Maritime Museum in Key West. Patriots Point noted that Key West would be a historically appropriate setting for the ship, since the Ingham played a major role in the 1980 Mariel Boatlift.

The board gave its blessing to the transfer, though the ship was already in transit to Key West. We can only guess what would have happened if the board had denied the request. A more pressing question is what will happen when the state is faced with repair bills, which are estimated at over $100 million, on the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown. In the current economic climate, will the state continue to pay to maintain the Yorktown, the destroyer USS Laffey, and the submarine USS Clamagore, or will we bid bon voyage to the remaining floating Historic Landmarks in South Carolina? This is the question of the week for Anonymous, who comments on so many of our blogs. We know that you won’t let us down.

I Come From the Land of Plenty

2009-11-30T11:03:00.004-05:00

Yes, I just quoted Men At Work at you, and no, I don't feel bad about it. Let's kick off the holiday season with a brief talk - not about the strong whiff of retail despair coming from the stores in the mall, but about Revisionist History. Changing the story. Straying from the truth. Embellishing, if you will.

You've all seen those little historical themed holiday villages, right? The kind that come with the inevitable Victorian manor, general store, ice skating pond, and several cute figurines in clothing appropriate for some time between 1880-1930? Iron lampposts, fake snow, a couple of decorated trees - they're everywhere. And yours, my dear friend, is vastly incomplete. Because you don't have a Wal-Mart.

I can't find it online - I keep getting lost in Village People stuff and bread - but at least in stores, Wal-Mart is offering an addition - an historicized Wal-Mart store to add to your quaint village for only $12. Never mind that Sam Walton opened his first Wal-Mart in 1962. Now you can pretend it's always been around. Discount corsets, stiff original gold-rush-era Levis, depression glass, firewood, and cast-iron irons for all!

(Anyone with the time to find this product online and link it would be appreciated.) -AL

An Archival Thanksgiving

2009-11-24T16:27:00.002-05:00

This year, I am thankful for getting back to the simple things in life:

- Money, as in having, as in not having enough, but having barely enough to splurge all out a few months ago and purchase health insurance for the entire family for the first time ever, for at least the next six months.

- The lights are on, at least partially, some of the time, but not in the hallways, and that means we can still pay our power bill, barely, and we’re not archiving by candlelight, which everyone knows is a royal fire hazard, as seen in the Great Fire of Archive #47 back in 1927 when a sleepy archivist forgot to snuff his flame before dozing on his desk, destroying most of the records of the record-breaking Blass-Hoyton merger; the company going up in smoke in the crash of ’29 and both founders ending their lives ignobly selling apples on the corner, singing Disney songs.

- Paper. I can print things, things like recipes that will never actually get made because really, we’re too tired to cook, and who actually has five roasting pans anyway?

- A rolly office chair. It’s fun to scoot around in circles when no one is watching. The chair doesn’t corner very well, so maybe Santa can bring an upgrade. Also, that time I raced a cart down the corridor – good times.

- The last company holiday party I attended, I left with so much swag I nearly fell out of the car. They even splurged on the fancy battery-operated blinky-light trinkets that are not only reusable – the batteries can be replaced – they have actual off switches. (Clearly, this wasn’t an archive event – batteries are not archival material.)

- Tweed newsboy caps. Why not? Hats should make a comeback, so that we can then bring back manners. As in, take your hat off when you walk inside a building, unless you’re a woman, in which case your hat cost so much and looks so fabulous we may well just bury you in it, and wouldn’t you be the best-dressed person in a coffin at that funeral?

- Worst case scenario, we still have a few personal belongings that could be sold to replace income, such as one car, a television, and possibly my spouse’s cat.

- Dave Barry could be working here. No one would be safe then. -AL

A Noble Profession?

2009-11-13T13:58:00.002-05:00

Do you remember the fuss about a couple years back, when there was a spike in couples marrying on the seventh of July, 2007, all for the auspicious anniversary combination 7-7-2007? Imagine what it will be like on July 7, 7007. Yes, five thousand years from now. All those sevens. And what will these luck-chasing optimists know of us today?

You see, we have records from five thousand years ago, in one way or another. We have archaeological remains of temples and homes, we have bodies and mummies and bones, we have dendrochronology telling of climate change, we have ice cores and pollen counts to tell us what was growing and how far along agricultural practices had developed, we have DNA to trace the domestication of animals, and we have the lasting trails of metals from Copper Age mines - five thousand years ago - showing us clearly that our ancient forefathers, in their ignorance, were subjecting themselves and their families to heavy metal poisoning all in the search for a better axe. We also have records, and languages, and enough to figure out a general idea of population movement and cultural change.

Archivists - and those who work in or with records management - and librarians - all of us - can get buried in the mundane chores, the technical hang-ups, the red tape. We forget that we're all in the same business and on the same team. We're here, every day, doing what we do, for the quiet glory and stubborn persistence enabling the preservation of the records of humanity.

Because one lucky day, a generation that cannot fathom us will stand on the cusp of their future. And some of them will look at brittle papers and ancient bindings, and some of them will ask questions, and some of them will dream of those who came before - us.
-AL

Happy Monday!

2009-11-02T14:21:00.004-05:00

It's November, it's Monday, and you need this:

Eric, at the Robert Mills House, downtown, with one of the many scarecrow entries.

Public Records & A Giant Novelty Check

2009-10-29T15:45:00.002-04:00

Who doesn’t love a giant novelty check? How about with your name on it?

On October 22 and 23, the Archives hosted the 2009 South Carolina Public Records Association (SCPRA) Conference at our facilities on Parklane Road. The theme for this year’s conference was “Dealing with Change in Records Management,” and SCDAH Records Management staff members did a stellar job as both hosts and participants.

The featured speaker on Thursday was South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster, who made a number of kind comments regarding SCDAH and its mission (whoo-hoo!).

In gratitude for the agency’s past contributions, the SCPRA generously contributed a large novelty check to SCDAH for the purchase of a new microfilm reader to be placed in the research room. (Then, because SCPRA is far too kind for cruel illusions, the actual check followed.)

Says the big E: “We are grateful to SCPRA for the “big check” and to the staff of SCDAH for all of their hard work. Once again you hit it out of the park.”

Afternoon Tea, or What Not To Do During A Fire Alarm

2009-10-20T16:38:00.004-04:00

The creatures emerged slowly from the darkness, blinking in the sunlight, trailing slowly from the hulking building and straggling over to the Grassy Knoll,* squinting, stumbling, stalling, and eventually forming a loose conglomerate that in ancient Nordic lands would be called a Thing - a meeting of minds on a great hill.

And that's what it looks like when fifty or some-odd archive employees have to evacuate the building for an unannounced fire drill. Darlin' Patrick, looking sporty in his jacket. Elaine from reference, her hair gleaming prettily in the sun. Paul being chatty, Red congenially waving, Eric dapper as usual. All we needed was afternoon tea.

For the record, here's what NOT to do:
- Note the faint buzzing (different from the buzz of printers, lights, etc) filtering in over the music you're listening to while you work.
- Decide that the flickering light isn't the same flickering fluorescent light you always see, but coming from a new source, henceforth identified as the fire alarm.
- Stand there and try to decide if it could be a drill or a real fire.
- Realize there's probably no viable way to determine if there's a fire in one side of the building from the other.
- Try to gauge the flame susceptibility of your location, and in this case, bet whether the walls would be fireproof enough if there's concrete in their construction. Maybe you could keep working? There's a sprinkler head above your chair.
- Wonder if the sprinklers would go off if it was real, and if so, would it be acceptable to try and save your computer's back-up hard drive?
- Realize you haven't saved the file you were working on; save file.
- Check email, looking for a missed notice of an upcoming fire drill.
- Stick head in hallway, see no one.
- Wonder if everyone is outside.
- Wonder if everyone is managing to ignore the alarm.
- Wonder if you go out the closest door, if you'll be all by yourself.
- Wonder if the security system has an auto-lockdown feature in the event of emergencies, and could you be locked outside for the day?
- Wrap up ipod, pack up bag.
- Close down files on computer just in case.
- Stare at fire alarm in case it stops blinking. Hear a door slamming somewhere.
- Stick head back out in hallway. See person putting on jacket, heading outside. Decide to leave with said person, because at least you won't be the only lame duck in the event it's a joke.

Yep. Not advisable in the event of a real fire. If, that is, you believe it's a real fire, and not a drill.

(*yes, that Grassy Knoll - we have our own, you know). -AL

The Return of "Big Red?"

2009-10-02T14:50:00.005-04:00

No, we are not writing about the Cornell University football team, which beat Yale 14 to 12 last weekend in a game noteworthy for the quality of the caviar and Scotch being consumed by tailgaters. We also are not referring to the cinnamon-flavored gum first introduced by Wrigley in the year of our nation's bicentennial. We definitely are not referring to the soda of the same name, which has been produced in Texas since 1937.

This “Big Red” is the historic banner upon which The Citadel based its current “spirit flag” and an important symbol for the school. According to historical sources, “Big Red” flew over an artillery battery on Morris Island, which was manned by Citadel cadets. These same cadets fired the first shots of “The War” on January 9, 1861, when they fired upon the Union re-supply ship Star of the West and prevented it from reaching Fort Sumter. An account of the incident can be found in the Journals of the South Carolina Executive Council for 1861, which are located at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

Historians at The Citadel believe that they have located “Big Red” at the State Historical Society of Iowa, where it has been stored since being donated by a Union veteran in 1919. Other Civil War flag experts, including a staff member at SCDAH who conducted research on the banner, are somewhat skeptical that the flag located in Iowa is the same flag that flew over Morris Island. Regardless, The Citadel hopes to receive the flag from Iowa on long-term loan. The episode makes for a great story that ties the past to the present. You can read more about the flag at www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/oct/02/historic-find-in-a-storage-closet/. Enjoy the article and remember that nothing excites/inspires/provokes/angers/incites South Carolinians more than a flag related to “The War.”

Building Great Schools (For All the Wrong Reasons)

2009-09-29T11:39:00.006-04:00

Sung to the tune of Johnny Lee’s Country classic “Looking for Love”

Pop Quiz: Which Southern state passed its first sales tax (3%) and spent $124 million dollars on new schools and buses between 1951 and 1956 with the expressed purpose of keeping the state’s children segregated?

A. Georgia
B. Mississippi
C. South Carolina
D. Maryland
E. All of the above

If you answered C, you are correct. If you answered A or B, you get partial credit, since Georgia and Mississippi enacted similar programs. If you answered D, you, like many of that state’s residents, are under the delusion that Maryland is still considered a “Southern” state.

In 1951 South Carolina passed its first general sales tax in order to fund a statewide program of school construction in response to Briggs v. Elliott, a lawsuit based in Clarendon County, which challenged the state’s constitutional “separate but equal” education provision. This “equalization” program was intended to construct new African American elementary and high schools across South Carolina to circumvent a potential desegregation ruling by the Supreme Court. The multi-million dollar school building campaign utilized modern school design, materials, and architecture to build new rural, urban, black, and white schools in communities throughout the state.

SCDAH staffer Rebekah Dobrasko has done an outstanding job of documenting this fascinating, bizarre, shameful, and yet beneficial period in our state’s history through her research and the creation of a website entitled South Carolina’s Equalization Schools, 1951-1960 at http://scequalization.schools.officelive.com. The site is an example of the stimulating research being conducted by members of our busy and intellectually curious staff. Take a look at the website; you won’t be disappointed.

Teaching American History (Instead of "Sports 101")

2009-09-25T15:03:00.005-04:00

“History is like an amusement park. Except instead of rides, you have dates to memorize.”

Marjorie Bouvier Simpson

Flash back to the 11th or 12th grade, and you and your classmates are sitting before your high school's assistant football coach. On this day, he is your “history teacher,” and he is supposed to lecture on the causes of World War I. You have read Barbara Tuchman’s The Guns of August to prepare for the lecture. Your “history teacher,” however, is so excited about Friday’s game that he breaks out the projector and shows grainy film footage of a night, ten years before, when he blew out his knee. He rewinds the film again and again to show the exact moment a white helmet crashed into his leg and negated a scholarship offer from a “big time college program” (if you can call Mars Hill a “big time college program”). The bell rings and you stumble to your next class wondering if Austria-Hungary would have been better served by an emperor with the attention span of your history teacher/coach.

Sound familiar? Well there is a program designed to ensure that budding young historians do not suffer at the hands of poorly-prepared teachers. For the past three years, SCDAH has been a co-sponsor of the Teaching American History in South Carolina program, which provides professional development support to teachers by offering a series of 10-day summer institutes, which take place in the Pee Dee, Upstate, and Midlands. A history professor, or master scholar, leads the course, and provides content instruction in American history. Participants also take part in master teacher workshops and cultural institution presentations. Classes are held at local museums, libraries, and historic sites across South Carolina, and all activities utilize local primary source materials or objects relating to the periods or themes being studied. Participants conduct primary-source research and create original lesson plans.

The program’s goal is to ensure that our state’s history teachers offer accurate and engaging curriculum to their students, instead of regaling them with tales about how they “won the big game” (which is more than Kaiser Wilhelm II could say). For more information about Teaching American History in South Carolina, please contact Don Stewart at stewart@scdah.state.sc.us or 803-896-6224, or visit the website at www.teachingushistory.org.

This Day in SC History: September to Remember

2009-09-15T10:46:00.011-04:00

May you find what you are looking for. Chinese proverb (curse)

Charleston, September 15, 1752-South Carolina is suffering through the hottest (and driest) summer in memory, with temperatures consistently over ninety and often over one hundred degrees. Conditions are so severe that Governor James Glen declares July 24, 1752, a day of “fasting humiliation and prayer” with the hope that God “may be graciously pleased to send rain for the preservation of the Earth” (see the Wednesday, September 2, 2009 blog for the complete prayer).

On September 14 Charlestonians witness high clouds forming overhead and increasing winds, both signs that the drought will end soon. On September 15 the city is battered by the most devastating hurricane of the colonial period, with the worst of the storm taking place between eight and eleven in the morning. The storm surge is nine feet above record high tides, and Charlestonians flee to the upper floors of their homes, which were quickly engulfed in water. Fortunately for the city’s residents, the winds shift three hours before high tide, thus saving Charleston, and its frightened inhabitants, from even further destruction.

Charleston, and the coastal regions of the colony, are devastated (think Hugo, but without the 24-hour news coverage). The colony is in political and financial turmoil for months afterwards. Governor Glen, no doubt remembering the wildly successful day of “fasting, humiliation and prayer,” declares “a day of general and Public Thanksgiving,” this time thanking God for not destroying the city with the rain for which the colony has so diligently prayed.

By his Excellency James Glen Esq.r Govern.r in Chief and Captain General in and over his Majestys said Prov.e

A Proclamation

Whereas it pleased Almighty God at whose Command the winds blow and lift up the Waves of the Sea for the Punishment of our Manifold Transgressions lately to visit this Province with a terrible tempest and inundation yet of his infinite Goodness in the midst of deserved wrath to turn from the fierceness of his Anger And to remember mercy by Rebuking the Winds and the Seas and Stilling the rage thereof and thereby saving us from imminent and otherwise unavoidable distruction And whereas it hath pleased him to continue to be gracious to us by send.g favorable Weather since for ripening and gathering in the remaining fruits of the Earth and also by Blessing the Inhabitants with a greater share of Health than they usually enjoy at this Season of the Year and as all Persons in General must have been sinsible of the visible interposition of Providence in our Deliverance and of Gods Great mercies towards us it is the Duty of all to make their general and grateful acknowledgements for the same by paying the Tribute of their joint and just Praises and by offering up the Sacrifices of a General and Public thanksgiving to Almighty God for his Goodness I have therefore thought fit by the advice of His Majestys Council to Issue this my Proclamation for appointing a day of general and Public Thanksgiving to Almighty God throughout this Province And I do hereby appoint Thursday the 23.d Instant for that purpose Willing and Strictly requiring that all manner of Persons to observe the same in the most Solemn and religious manner as they tender the Divine favour and Protection and as they would avoid such Punishment as may be Lawfully inflicted upon all who refuse or neglect to do so.
Given under my Hand and the Great seal of His Majestys said Province at the Council Chamber in Charles Town this 15 day of Nov.r in the 26.th Year of His Majestys Reign.

By His Excellencys Command
W.m Pinckney Dep Sec.y James (L S) Glen

Meet Tracy Power, Story-Teller Emeritus

2009-09-11T13:30:00.000-04:00

That’s Power, not Powers, for as he says, “I joke that we were too poor --- we came to America from Ireland not long before the Revolution --- to afford the extra letter.”

Tracy Power has worked at the archives for nearly 24 years, and he’s got a lot of stories to show for it. In fact, he’ll tell you up front that he probably talks too much, but he’s just being modest.

His interest in the Civil War began early – he was five years old when President Kennedy was assassinated. His kindergarten teacher used the experience to relate the students to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and from there, he fell into the Civil War, never to return. Fast forward a bit, and you’ll learn that Tracy got his doctorate in only seven years, while working full-time, which may not sound impressive until you realize the average time to completion for a history PhD is eight years for a full-time student. If he wasn’t working here, he’d be a professor.

Mr. Power’s official title is Staff Historian of the State Historic Preservation Office. Says Tracy, “My main duties are serving as co-coordinator of the National Register of Historic Places program in the state, coordinator of the Historical Marker Program, and staff liaison to the South Carolina Hall of Fame.” It’s a unique position which combines Tracy’s love of history with, among other things, his love of sports – he and his wife are season ticket holders for USC’s football, basketball, and baseball games.

Still, there’s more to Tracy than that. His most unusual job? “Probably weeding the parking lot at Jack's Hamburgers in Metro Atlanta, in the summer of 1976.” His very first job? “Reshelving books at the Lanier Lake Regional Library in Lawrenceville, Georgia, in 1973, at the age of 15.” Tracy dreams of going back to Rome some day. He feels the defining moment of Beatles history was the day they announced their breakup in the spring of 1970. And in the event of a total suspension of reality, Mr. Power’s backup career plan is to be a clown in the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

So when you see him, say hi to Tracy, or maybe just honk your big red clown nose.

History Detectives R Us

2009-09-09T14:36:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to Patrick McCawley and Tracy Power for their stellar performance and hard work on the latest episode of the History Detectives. SCDAH’s recurring appearance on the show once again proves that this is truly the most sought after state archives in the United States. Really, what other state archives can brag about more appearances than South Carolina? How many times has the North Carolina State Archives been on History Detectives, hmm? They think they’re sooo great, with their ginormous staff, unending state appropriations, and decades old North Carolina Troops, 1861-1865 project. Well, we have a better staff, better collections, and, ummm, a sweet 1999 metallic-blue Ford Taurus Station Wagon with a rebuilt engine and close to 200,000 miles on the odometer. You can't top that pretty puppy with just anything.

Anyways, kudos to Patrick and Tracy. Thanks for making us proud.

Historical Markers are like Animal Crackers!

2009-09-03T16:27:00.005-04:00

Work with me here.

So there you are, driving along, idly wondering if driving a more obnoxious car would get your more (or less?) notice from the police - and you don’t even realize you whiz past one of these:

Welcome to Historical Markers, where history is made not by scholars opining in an Ivory Tower, or politicians fussing in committee, but from the ground up, with all the stories, particulars, idiosyncrasies, and cultural uniqueness that comes with it.

State money doesn’t pay for historical markers, people do. Real people, raising money for real organizations, who think their piece of the world deserves a marker for being significant.

They raise the money, they write the text, and our own Tracy Power, Story Teller Emeritus, vets them. (That’s Emeritus by volume of stories, people, not by age.)

Think of markers like animal crackers – history for the modern age served up in bite-sized stories. And now the markers are all online in the newly launched Historical Marker Database, which is insanely addicting (just like animal crackers). Pick a town – any town! Pick a building – any building! You may get the horse or the elephant, you never know!

Make mine a llama. With pink icing.

Imagine this as a press conference – wigs optional

2009-09-02T10:47:00.002-04:00

We find some interesting things in the records, such as this proclamation made by James Glen, Governor of South Carolina way back in 1752. Tucked among the legal stuff and deeds, a sincere – and desperate - plea for rain.

South Carolina

By his Excellency James Glen Esq.r Govern.r in Cheif and Captain General in and over his Majestys said Province

A Proclamation

Whereas it hath pleased Almighty God to visit this Province with a severe drought whereby the fruits of the Earth are in great danger of perishing and whereas there is reason to fear that we may have offended Heaven by abusing the great Plenty of former years and as it is our duty to humble our Selves before God and to pray that he would yet continue to be gracious to us I have therefore Resolved by the advice of his Majestys Council that a day of fasting humiliation and prayer be observed throughout this Province and that all Ranks and degrees of persons in it may devoutly joint in sending up their Solemn Supplications to the divine majesty that he may be graciously pleased to send rain for the preservation of the Earth And that fryday next the 24th Instant be religiously observed for that purpose:

By his Excellencys Command
Wm Pinckney Dep Sect.

Given under my hand and the great Seal of his Majestys said
province in the Council Chamber at Charles Town this 18 day of
July 1752 & in the 26th year of his Majestys Reign

James (L S) Glen

Meet Eric, Our Delightfully (not) Dull Director

2009-09-01T15:29:00.003-04:00

Eric Emerson, our enthusiastic new director and a fresh transplant from Charleston, aspires to be boring. Deeply, irrevocably boring. If you argue the point, he will vehemently insist that he is, in fact, dreadfully dull.

He loves his family, he loves his job, he loves his football team (U. Alabama), and he loves history. The Simpsons show makes him laugh. He doesn’t collect anything, calls himself a minimalist, claims to have no hobbies, and stands at a loss if you ask him his favorites. He goes fishing just often enough to barely mention it. He doesn’t have cable. If you suggest that he turn the beautiful courtyard outside into a petting zoo to generate additional revenue for the department, or perhaps put llamas on the premises, he will suggest goats would carry smaller start-up costs.

Still, Eric fails at boring, and that’s ok. There’s probably a trophy for that, even.

Eric has lived in Tuscaloosa, Charlotte, Asheville, Baltimore, Columbus (GA), and Kentucky (in his youth), but he swears the sun rises and sets in Charleston - although he concedes it does set, occasionally, in Columbia. He appreciates southern manners and polite drivers, and has been known to wear seersucker suits. (Don’t honk at him. Ever.)

He speaks in military acronyms with ease, and after his time in the army, Eric went to Charlotte for a stint in management at a bakery. Four years later he took his appreciation of the corporate ladder – and crackers - and went back to grad school for history, likely subsisting on the very same crackers he’d helped to make.

Now, Eric hates the disappointment he gets when house-hunting reveals the potential for bad neighbors. His office décor consists of 1940’s architectural drawings from various cities, and a few family photos. He likes jazz, not just the artists everyone likes, but musicians that have a take-em-or-leave-em appeal, like Chet Baker. He also listens to 70’s rock. His tastes run towards mid-century modern architecture, and he likes to reflect on the optimism and promise of the Long Decade of post-WWII America. It’s a wistful sort of reflection, the kind that ends with “and the economy was so strong.”

So here’s a warm welcome for Eric Emerson, our minimalist, professional new face of the agency. Like beauty, local pride, and an appreciation for bow ties, boring is in the eye of the beholder.

For Whom the Bells Toll

2009-08-31T11:43:00.014-04:00

Today in SC History - August 31, 1886, 9:51pm.

The largest recorded earthquake in the history of the southeastern United States strikes Charleston, and is felt as far away as Boston, Chicago, and Cuba. The quake kills more than 100 and leaves hundreds of buildings destroyed.

An eyewitness account and photos from the Charleston Year Book of 1886:

“When the bells of St. Michael’s Church, in Charleston, chimed the third quarter after nine o’clock on the evening of Tuesday, August 31st, 1886, their familiar tones spoke peace and peace alone…There was no whispered warning in the well known sounds, or in any subdued voice of the night, to hint of the fearful calamity so near at hand... Within seven minutes after the last stroke of the chime…Charleston was in ruins.

“The rapid rolling of a heavy body…the rattle of window sashes, gas fixtures and other movable objects… floors were heaving underfoot, the surrounding walls and partitions visibly swayed to and fro, the crash of falling masses of stone and brick and mortar was overheard and without, the terrible roar filled the ears, and seemed to fill the mind and heart…it was only a question of death within the building or without, of being buried beneath the sinking roof or crushed by the falling walls.

“From every quarter arose the shrieks, the cries of pain and fear, the prayers and wailings of terrified women and children...The air was everywhere filled, to the height of the houses, with a whitish cloud of dry, stifling dust arising from the lime and mortar of shattered masonry...a woman lies prone and motionless on the pavement…a man in his shirtsleeves, with blood streaming over his clothing from a wound on his head, moves about…no one knows which way to turn…The reality seems strangely unreal…

“Four severe shocks occurred before midnight. Three others followed…"

Our House, In The Middle of the Storm

2009-08-31T09:15:00.003-04:00

Who doesn't love an old building? The charm, the sense of past, the character, the architecture, the way the drafts just seep in and drive the utility bills sky high - well, everything has its price.

Now you can check out the weatherization guide for historic and older buildings. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has some great tips for energy efficiency and keeping costs down!

Cannons Over Columbia!

2009-08-28T10:16:00.003-04:00

The scent of metal and gunpowder sharpened the air and hung heavily in the muggy stillness of the September noon. Shifting his canteen, Captain McCawley dragged his sleeve across the sweat beading on his forehead, and gazed over to where the cannon was being readied on the Grassy Knoll. The local men and women of the town had gathered below and now shifted about uneasily, speaking in murmurs, holding back nervously. The warning went up, the call went out, and Captain McCawley braced himself for the noise of cannon fire, hoping dearly that the glass windows of the commander’s office would not shatter.

Patrick McCawley, Accessions Archivist and Supervisor of Archival Processing, has fond memories of the 2006 Civil War Symposium, where the Chester Cannon was fired outside the archives. The cannon itself was dug up during a utility project in the county of Chester many years ago. The cannon was cleaned and refurbished, an old artillery shell was drilled out, and it was given a chance to perform on our very own Grassy Knoll.

In the end, the cannon fire did not break the windows of the Archives, the townspeople were greatly amused, the food was good, the walking tours superb, the speakers profound, and much revelry and merriment was had by all. And Captain McCawley, who isn’t really a captain at all, hung up his uniform, traded his canteen in for something eco-friendly and recyclable, went back to his records, and lived happily ever after.

Don’t miss this year’s Civil War Symposium, held September 18-19. Take it from Patrick himself – if you love to wear your period costumes, you won’t be alone. We have a few living historians coming this year!

We insist that you watch TV.

2009-08-25T10:32:00.007-04:00

The Archives & History Center and our very own darling of the archives, Patrick McCawley, will be featured on the PBS series History Detectives on Monday September 7th at 9:00pm. For the fourth time in as many years, PBS' national series "The History Detectives" has found a mystery to solve in South Carolina. And this one might just redraw the maps of the Civil War!

We'll give you a teaser - it's about the true historical location of the Broad River Bridge, the same one that General Sherman would have used to march on Columbia, had the Confederates not burned it to the ground.

David Brinkman, also a featured speaker at our upcoming Civil War Symposium, will show his evidence that the current historical marker is in the wrong location and ought to be moved upstream of the current bridge. If he's correct, the maps will have to be redrawn, so pull out your encyclopedia, and stock up on Sharpies in advance. (We like the pen-style that don't bleed through pages.)

Look for more information about the Civil War Symposium coming soon!

Hope Springs Eternal

2009-08-25T10:17:00.012-04:00

Or at least for a good while longer. Congratulations to the Hope School Community Center!

The Hope School Community Center is the name of a Rosenwald School located in rural Newberry County near Pomaria. This little gem of a building was named for the local family who donated the land upon which it was built. It also represented the hope for a better future of the African American children who attended this two-room school from 1925-1954.

And on Saturday August 22, 2009, “hope” captured the feeling of the many guests who gathered in the recently renovated building to celebrate its new life as a community center. Guests marveled at the natural sunlight flooding through the windows, the freshly painted walls and ceiling, the well-worn but newly shined wood floors, the beautifully restored metal roof. Folks in their 60s, 70s and beyond, told stories of what it was like to attend school in this sturdy building, of the miles walked each day, the fires built on cold mornings, of the discipline and love of their teachers.

The restoration process is a remarkable story of many folks coming together – alumni, children of alums, descendants of the Hopes, students at Clemson, and many others—to make the vision of a restored school possible. And it is through their generosity in donating original school desks and a pot belly stove, the school sign, and oral history interviews to the Smithsonian, that future visitors to the National Museum of African American History & Culture, will learn about and share in this hope as well.

To read more about the Hope School Community Center go to http://www.hopeschoolcenter.org/.
For more information about Rosenwald Schools in South Carolina go to http://www.state.sc.us/scdah/afamer/hprosenwald.htm
For more information about the national Rosenwald School Initiative go to http://www.preservationnation.org/travel-and-sites/sites/southern-region/rosenwald-schools/

Chillin' 'n da Stax

2009-08-21T15:41:00.010-04:00

There is an online article regarding the SCDAH entitled “Historical Gems Should Be Preserved” in today’s South Carolina Statehouse Report. You can also find it off the main page under the commentary section.

Props to Chuck Lesser for giving another of his legendary tours to reporter Andy Brack.

So, have you seen John Locke's signature yet?

And remember, if you're going to the vaults, bring a sweater. Maybe even a down parka.

The Friend File

2009-08-19T15:42:00.006-04:00

Friends are great - they support you, they let you know when you're making mistakes, they come over when something exciting is going on. We at the archives love our friends, and because we're professional collectors, we want even more. We want educators and teachers, students and families, genealogists and researchers, those who do historical reenacting and history buffs, people interested in preserving buildings and landmarks, anyone who likes museums and libraries, and even you who only have a casual, passing interest in history.

The archives has a lot to offer to you, and we want to be your friend, too. Add us to your web page, or follow us using the links and subscription options below. Tell your friends. Tell your kid's teacher. Tell your neighbor's kid's teacher's friend. Email us around the world, and help us collect all our friends in one place!

Twitter Feed

2009-08-18T15:06:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone - got our twitter on, so we're easier to follow!

http://twitter.com/SCArchives (or you can check out our updates feeding at the bottom of this page!)

Past Meets Future!

2009-08-17T11:57:00.005-04:00

The South Carolina Department of Archives and History is pleased to announce that we have a new blog! Content is under development and will be updated soon, so please visit again!

We are also on facebook and twitter as well - look for the links on our homepage, http://scdah.sc.gov/