TOUR HISTORIC FORT MITCHEL

The Coastal Discovery Museum and the Heritage Library are pleased to announce a new tour offering on Hilton Head Island.  Beginning June, 8^th 2012, guided tours of Historic Fort Mitchel will be offered each Friday morning at 10 AM.

Visit a well preserved example of a Civil War Era coastal artillery battery. Learn about what life on Hilton Head Island was like for northern soldiers during the Union occupation 1861-1866.

Popularly known as “Fort Mitchel” and located on a bluff overlooking a bend in Skull Creek, about a mile or so below its entrance into Port Royal Sound, is what remains of a coastal defense, field artillery battery position.  The battery was constructed in 1862, as part of the outer defenses for Port Royal, South Carolina, headquarters of the Federal Department of the South and the Union Army X Corps.

The tour covers the origin, construction, and operation of the works and describes something of the life of the garrison during the Union occupation of Hilton Head Island and surrounding islands of the Low Country throughout the War Between the States.  Tours take slightly less than one hour.  Guides are from the all-volunteer staff of the Heritage Library, the Genealogy and History Center on Hilton Head Island charged with the preservation this historic site. The year 2012 is the 150^th anniversary of the construction of Fort Mitchel.

Reservations are requested for this tour.  Please contact the Coastal Discovery Museum at 843-689-6767 to register.  Or, visit www.coastaldiscovery.org.  Adults: $12 per person, Children ages 6-12: $7, no children under 6, please.

May 17: African American Civil War Lecture at the Hartsville Memorial Library

African American Civil War Lecture at the Hartsville Memorial Library
The South Carolina African American Heritage Commission is proud to announce that its Foundation has been awarded a $7,000.00 matching grant from The Humanities Council SC for the "African American Civil War Lecture Series". The goal of the lecture series is to enlighten the general public to the roles of African Americans during the American Civil War, moreover the series will provide opportunities for much needed dialogue about one of the most pivotal events in United States history. The series is timely and appropriate because through 2015 this nation will be commemorating the sesquicentennial of the war.

"The Civil War was the defining moment in American history," says Dr. Abel Bartley, Director of the Pan-African Studies Program at Clemson University. "It split the nation in two before and after slavery," he adds. "It is an event which continues to separate Americans," he concludes.

The following venues, dates, presenters and subject matters will be addressed:

The Hartsville Memorial Library, 147 West College Avenue, Hartsville, SC / These lectures will be held on Thursday, May 17, 2012 from 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm.
* Dr. Bernard Powers: "Black Charlestonians"
* Attorney Billy Jenkinson: "Lieutenant Stephen Swails"
* Donel Singleton: "Resistance, Runaways and Slave Revolts"
* Dr. Larry Watkins: "Black Confederates"
　
Upcoming Lectures:
The Spartanburg Regional History Museum, 200 E. St. John Street, Spartanburg, SC / These lectures will be held on Thursday, August 23, 2012 from 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm.
* Dr. Veronica Gerald: "Grapevine: How African Americans Communicated During the Civil War"
* Dr. Eric Emerson: "The Ordinance of Secession"
* Nicole Green: "Slavery in South Carolina"
* Dr. Abel Bartley: "The Causes of the War"
　
The South Carolina Department of Archives and History, 8301 Parklane Road, Columbia, SC / These lectures will be held on Thursday, October 2, 2012 from 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm.
* Dr. Veronica Gerald: "Grapevine: How African Americans Communicated During the Civil War"
* Ernest Parks: "The Battle of Sol Legare"
* Dr. Larry Watson: "Black Confederates"
* Jeannie Cyraique: "The Men at the Meeting with General Sherman

"With particular but not exclusive emphasis on the South Carolina experience, this multifaceted lecture series will delve deeply into the daunting issues that propelled the nation into an unprecedented fratricidal conflict, the myriad roles played by African Americans and the lasting implications for our time," says Dr. Bernard E. Powers, Jr., Professor of History and Associate Chairman at the College of Charleston. "Given the nature of the subjects, I expect many lively, frank and enlightening discussions to result ; it will be a welcome and needed educational opportunity," adds Dr. Powers.

All lectures are free and open to the public. Anyone needing additional information on the lectures should contact Joseph McGill, Commissioner for the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission and project coordinator. He can be reached at 843-408-7727.

The mission of the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission is to identify and promote the preservation of historic sites, structures, buildings, and culture of the African American experience in South Carolina and to assist and enhance the efforts of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. The 15-member commission includes representatives from all regions of the state.

This event is free and open to the public. The Penn Center is located on Martin L. King, Jr. Drive, St. Helena Island, SC.

For more information, contact the Penn Center at (843) 838-2474 or Joseph McGill at (843) 408-7727 or email: joseph_mcgill@nthp.org