The Beaufort History Museum (BHM) is partnering with the Beaufort County Library to create and present a lecture series that will focus on the fascinating history of the Beaufort District. The series, which is free to the public, runs from September 2016 through May 2017 and features two lectures each month. The September lectures are:
Tuesday, September 13, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm at the Museum: “Beaufort—500 Years in a Capsule” – Docent presenters in the Museum Exhibit Hall will give overviews of four periods: 1.) Early European settlement and the Colonial period 2.) The Revolutionary War – the Antebellum period 3.) The Civil War and the Reconstruction era and 4.) The Great Hurricane of 1893 – World War II.
Thursday, September 29, 2 pm – 3:30 pm – at the Main Library (311 Scott Street) in the Meeting Room: “Ribaut’s Road.” Educator and skilled historic storyteller Beverly Eggert will reprise the adventures of Jean Ribaut, Rene Laudonniere, and Jacques LeMoyne as they make their journey from France to the New World in 1562 and again in 1564. The saga is complete with tales of Indian raids, mutiny, murder, starvation, kidnapping and political intrigue.
Carol Lauvray, BHM Board President, made the announcement of the lecture series. “We are very pleased to be working along with the Beaufort County Library to create this interesting and entertaining lecture series. Our Education Committee has been developing the idea for the series for a while and it seemed that teaming up with the Library and utilizing their many resources would be a perfect partnership,” she said.
“Most of the lectures will take place at the Beaufort Branch Library’s Meeting Room. We have worked closely through the planning stages with Library representatives Grace Cordial and Jan O’Rourke. Their input and generous support are essential to the success of the program.” Cordial is the Beaufort District Collection Manager and O’Rourke is Assistant Director/Planning and Community Engagement.
The BHM Education Committee members are Andrea Allen, Lorrie Burleyknoles, Beverly Eggert (Lecture Series Coordinator), Ingrid Owens and Stuart Heath. They, along with Lauvray, who is also a Docent at the Museum, have initiated, planned and implemented the Lecture Series in partnership with the Library. Some of the future topics include “Historic Homes of Beaufort – The Anchorage and the Elliotts”, “ Music of the Civil War”, “The Battle of Port Royal Sound” and “Native American Myths”. A complete Lecture Series schedule will be posted on the BHM website at www.beauforthistorymuseum.com A monthly preview of upcoming lectures will also be provided.
Beaufort History Museum, located in the historic Arsenal, has evolved to focus specifically on the history of the Beaufort District. It strives to manage and display artifacts and documents held by the City of Beaufort, telling the compelling stories of this area from the early 16th Century until modern times. The Arsenal address is 713 Craven Street. BHM’s hours of operation are 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Monday – Saturday.
The Beaufort County Library System is a free and accessible marketplace of ideas, information, and culture that fosters learning, community, and information literacy. The Library provides open and guided access to a wide variety of media and programs to inform, inspire, and empower all its patrons in their pursuit of lifelong learning, personal enrichment, and cultural understanding. The library system operates five branch libraries throughout Beaufort County and library cards are available free of charge to all county residents and property owners. It offers free access to millions of items through a combined online catalog and digital library.
The Beaufort District Collection (BDC) is the Library’s special local history and archives unit. BDC staff and docents are stewards who collect, protect and share a research collection of permanent value about local history, Gullah culture, the natural southeastern coastal environment, family history and archaeology. For the BDC’s hours of operation, please visit its website at beaufortcountylibrary.org
