Beaufort, SC – March 21, 2019 - Beaufort History Museum, in partnership with the Beaufort Branch of Beaufort County Library, will present a lecture titled “History and Tales of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Department and Coroner’s Office”.  The lecture is scheduled for 2 PM Tuesday, April 9, at the First Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall located at the corner of North and Church Streets in Beaufort. Speakers will be Ed Allen, Beaufort County Coroner and Lieutenant Colonel Neil Baxley, Emergency Management Director of the Beaufort County Sherriff’s Office.

         Admission to the lecture is free.  A donation of $5 is suggested and reservations are required.  Registration opens March 26th - click here to register!  Please print  the ticket and bring to the event.     (Lectures sell out.  Those with tickets will be admitted first.)  Funds collected will be used to support ongoing Museum programs and the renovation of the Exhibit Hall currently underway. Phase I of the renovation is now open and planning for Phase II has begun.

            A Beaufort, SC native, Ed Allen graduated from Robert Smalls High School and received his degree in Mortuary Science from Cincinnati College. He became the first Beaufort County Director of Emergency Medical Services, a position in which he served for 33 years.  He was Deputy Coroner of Beaufort County for 28 years prior to being sworn in as Coroner, his first elected position, January 1, 2009. Allen is active in numerous local boards, committees, associations and civic organizations including South Carolina’s Coroner’s Association; Beaufort Jasper, Hampton Comprehensive Health Services; Salvation Army and the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce.

            Neil Baxley joined the Sheriff’s Office in 1983 after a four-year stint in the United States Marine Corps. In 2013 he became the third Emergency Management Director in the history of Beaufort County after the Sheriff’s Office absorbed the Emergency Management Division. As Emergency Management Director he oversees the 911-phone system, the communications system for all emergency responders in Beaufort County, the Central Dispatch Center, the Traffic Management Center and the Beaufort County Hazardous Materials Program.

            Beaufort History Museum 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 16^th Century to the modern era.  

            The Museum’s hours of operation are 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Monday – Saturday. Docents are on duty to provide information and conduct tours. Admission is $7.00 per visitor ($6.00 for Seniors). Children and active military are admitted free of charge.  Please visit www.beauforthistorymuseum.com or BHM’s Facebook page for updates and news from the Museum.