Those attending: Rodger Stroup, Allen Roberson, Robin Copp, Jannie Harriot,
Fritz Hammer, Steve Wise, Jeff Grigg, Bob Dodson, Marion Edmonds, David Clark,
Sarah Garrod, Armand Derfner, Alex Moore, Randy Burbage, Claude Sinclair, Rick
Hatcher, John Tucker, Steve Longcrier, Tracy Power, Kate Boyd, Abel Bartley, and
Ben Hornsby.
Rodger Stroup called the meeting to order and welcomed everyone and asked
everyone present to introduce himself or herself. He then noted that the
legislation creating the Advisory Board passed the General Assembly. He had been
asked for a fiscal impact statement concerning the cost of the legislation. The
legislation as passed provides no per diem or mileage for members. Stroup also
noted that no political appointees have been made to the Board.
Stroup asked Fritz Hamer to introduce Kate Boyd who is a digital collections
librarian at the University of South Carolina. She told about on-going work
where the library is working to digitize documents around the state. At present
there are four scanning centers around the state. They are Clemson University,
the University of South Carolina, College of Charleston, and Coastal Carolina
University. At this point most of the project work has been to digitize
manuscripts. With the World War I exhibit, map collections and photographs were
used significantly. From the seven statewide citizen meetings, there was a
consensus the Board should undertake collecting Civil War stories, materials,
and artifacts that abound in the state but are unknown. Boyd believes the
digital project would be a good fit for the Board. Boyd also mentioned that USC
was initiating their own Civil War project by digitizing manuscripts,
photographs, and rare Civil War books. She said at the current time the USC
project does not link to other databases. Stroup sees a need to offer
information found on various web sites and to link these while finding a way to
work together. Another possibility suggested is SCIway.
Stroup asked Ben Hornsby who had listened in on two conference calls arranged by
the American Association for State and Local History with states that have some
sesquicentennial efforts under way to report on their progress. Stroup first
noted that Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia are well under way in planning
for the sesquicentennial, as these states have been able to obtain funding for
the effort. Hornsby reported that states currently involved in some degree of
planning for the sesquicentennial are: Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa,
Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. There are some common themes in the
planning efforts at this point; these are lack of funding due to economic
decline, development of web sites, tourism efforts, especially Civil War trails,
inclusive efforts to involve all components of the community, development of
exhibits, both traveling and permanent, symposiums, mission statements and
logos, educational materials, “Under told stories,” and community outreach
efforts. At this time Arkansas, North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina
have web sites.
Stroup asked John Tucker for an update on plans for Charleston sesquicentennial
activities including the signing of the Ordinance of Secession and the firing on
Fort Sumter. Tucker said plans were just beginning to take shape. He mentioned
that groups interested in helping with these observances need to get together
for planning purposes to calculate the cost for these observances. He mentioned
that the SCV camps are particularly interested in assisting with the fireworks
display for the firing on Fort Sumter. He further mentioned that plans were
underway to mark the two hundredth anniversary of Fort Moultrie as a permanent
fort in 2009.
Rick Hatcher noted the National Park Service was functioning on a continuing
resolution
and Bob Dodson noted that the emphasis of the NPS at present was planning for
the 100th anniversary of it, which takes place in 2016. He also noted the agency
would be getting a new director as well as a new secretary of the interior. Both
agree there will be observances for the signing of the Ordinance of Secession
and the firing on Fort Sumter. Another related matter will be the opening of the
Hunley Museum, which is slated to open in 2014.
Stroup then said he wanted to ask the group a tough question. Should the group
continue to meet and work on the sesquicentennial observance? Initially, there
was considerable discussion about on-going Civil War efforts. Some of these
include College of Charleston Lincoln seminar, USC Southern Studies symposium,
the need for the development of a sophisticated web site for sesquicentennial
activities and programming, tourism impact statement, and exhibition by the SC
State Museum and the Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum for the
sesquicentennial.
Various members responded to the question. Tucker thinks it would be appalling
for the state where the Civil War began to do nothing. He points out that the
signing of the Ordinance of Secession and the firing on Ft. Sumter will be
observed in some fashion. Dodson believe the group should continue to meet, as
the observance should be a collaborative effort. Randy Burbage thinks the group
serves as a networking mechanism and there is a need for everyone to work
together. He also thinks that Senator Glenn McConnell wants objectives for the
sesquicentennial spelled out with costs and responsible parties brought to the
General Assembly before there would be any funding. Derfner suggested the group
focus on working to get the political appointments named.
The next phase of discussion was how to tie sesquicentennial activities to
tourism with the hopes of showing how it would help the economy. Marion Edmonds
noted that PRT had taken a 17.5% cut since July 1. There is no money for
brochures and other traditional means of promotion. Edmonds said the new tourism
efforts would be done electronically. Sarah Garrod thinks the sesquicentennial
effort should be focused on a well-done web site and she added the SC Digital
Library project reaching out to find and record Civil War documents and
artifacts found in small institutions around the state would be a significant
step in this development.
There were many other ideas expressed for sesquicentennial involvement and
projects. Among these were the publishing of regimental histories, publication
of the SC House Biographical Directory, biographies of African American
Reconstruction legislators, tours/trails such as USC Beaufort does, and a
sesquicentennial project involving the Gullah/ Geechee Cultural Heritage
Corridor. It was also suggested that the group should work with the SC National
Heritage Corridor and work to involve its director, Michelle McCollum in the
sesquicentennial effort.
Another idea mentioned was the need for education about the period leading up
the Civil War, the War, and Reconstruction. The group was reminded that this was
the top priority that came from the meetings around the state with citizens.
Several suggested that a well-developed web site with much information could be
a legacy of the effort. Harriot noted that education was indeed a significant
goal of the effort, but she wants some publications produced, as the web is not
accessible to many of the state’s citizens. Stroup said he would talk with Don
Stewart about getting the teaching of American history teacher summer institutes
for 2009 and 2010 to focus on the Civil War. Another possibility is the Gullah
Institute at Penn Center.
In summary, Stroup said we need to continue working to record current Civil War
programming and activities and help to publicize these. He also suggested that
the group should be thinking of how it can assist the two major Charleston
events (signing of Ordinance and firing on Fort Sumter). Tucker reiterated the
need to develop a schedule of the major events in the state that should be
observed for the sesquicentennial and the appropriate means for noting them.
Charles Towne Landing was suggested as a possible meeting site for some time in
February.
The meeting adjourned at 12:40 P.M.