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The Island News covering northern beaufort county
www.yourislandnews.com
IN HONOR OF MLK
januarY 17-23, 2013
WHAT’S INSIDE?
Did you know Martin Luther King Jr. came to Beaufort? By Lanier Laney
Have you been watching“The Abolitionists” on PBS this past week? It starts off with the moving story of the two Grimke sisters, Sarah and Angelina, two teenage daughters of one of the most prominent and powerful white families in Charleston who, driven by faith, spoke out against the evils of slavery and eventually had to move to the North because of their beliefs. What you may not know is that the two girls used to spend their summers in Beaufort at their uncle’s home, which is the present day historic home of Nell Smith at 901 Prince St. (seen at bottom). That house is across the street from the Sons of Beaufort Hall at 607 West St. where Martin Luther King Jr. visited 130 years later. (When they were restoring the building, a polaroid fell out from the wall slats that showed Dr. King in front). Perhaps someday there will be an historic marker at the corner of West and Prince Streets regarding this history near the hallowed ground where these freedom fighters tread — not to mention Harriet Tubman and Robert Smalls also surely walked there too.
Did you know that Dr. King wrote his famous “I Have A Dream” speech on St. Helena Island? Penn Center, as well as being the first school for freed slaves in the South, was an important refuge for Civil Rights leaders fearing attacks in the “Jim Crow” south. Started by Quakers, Penn Center was run by a Quaker family in the 1960’s who allowed Martin Luther and other leaders to meet there in safety. I am told that Beaufort Country has more important African American historic sites than almost any county in America! Including the first place the Emancipation Proclamation was read, first schools for freedmen, first black regiment in the U.S. military, first black congressman, and on and on. Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Robert Smalls, the Grimke sisters — these are some of the very famous names that have walked our streets. We celebrate their bravery in their commitment to freedom for all Americans this Martin Luther King Day.
For more on MLK, see page 7
City to unveil Tricentennial monuments Fourteen bronze plates affixed to granite markers in the Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park commemorate the history of Beaufort, the series of events celebrating the city’s 300th anniversary and the names of those who helped pay for the Tricentennial memorial. A public unveiling of the privatelyfunded markers is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 20, 2 p.m. The markers are in a landscaped area at the river end of Scott Street, near the playground. “It took 300 years to build the Beaufort we know and love, and it took us a year to get these monuments designed and built, and we are thrilled to unveil this newest addition to the Waterfront Park and to the city,” Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling said. “It’s also nice that we are doing it very near our city’s 302nd birthday.” The ceremony will include musical entertainment, an invocation by Bishop
Alden Hathaway, and readings of the markers by area school children. Admission is free. More than 300 individuals, families, businesses and non-profit groups joined “Beaufort 300,” investing a minimum of $300 each, said Kevin Cuppia, a downtown Beaufort businessman and chairman of the Beaufort 300 group. There are 14 monuments set among a circle of palmetto trees. Dr. Lawrence Rowland, Beaufort’s prominent historian, wrote the brief sketches of the different periods of history. In late 2010, Cuppia and a few others
came up with an idea: Find 300 people to contribute $300 each toward the cost of new markers that celebrate Beaufort’s 300th birthday. Corporate and nonprofit contributions also were sought out. The monuments include names of individuals and families and organizations and also serve as memorials to loved ones no longer with us. The Tricentennial celebration ended Dec. 31, 2011 with a Founders’ Night II in the Waterfront Park. A packed park enjoyed music and historical readings, including the actual charter that founded Beaufort on Jan. 17, 1711. A huge fireworks show ended the night and the 300th birthday party. Beaufort was founded Jan. 17, 1711 by the English, although its beginnings date back to Spanish explorers in 1514. Beaufort was named for Englishman Henry Somerset, Duke of Beaufort (1684-1714), one of the Lords Proprietors of Carolina.
ARTS
A preview of the opera from the MET live at USCB Center for the Arts see page 6
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Meet our first Volunteer Spotlight: Charlotte Gonzalez see page 15 INDEX
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