The second annual Beaufort History Museum board of trustees meeting will be 6 p.m. Jan. 23 at Beaufort City Hall, 1911 Boundary St. Trustees will present the 2013 budget and business plan, and members will vote on officers for the year. While nominations will be accepted during the meeting, the proposed slate is Libby Holloway for secretary, Harry Chakides for treasurer, Gwen Myers for vice president and Katherine Lang for president.

Six months after opening, the Beaufort History Museum is preparing its first special exhibit. The “Goin’ Down the River” display, which focuses on the Lowcountry tradition of fish camps, was inspired by a new book of the same title by local author and photographer Janet Garrity. The display opens with a reception Dec. 13 at the museum, housed on the first floor of City Hall.

The Beaufort History Museum invites you to a Fish Camp Celebration at City Hall on Thursday, December 13! Janet Garrity’s new book, Goin’ Down the River has sparked an interest in a low country lifestyle that is almost as old as Beaufort. This interest can be seen up close and personal (and realistically closer than you’ll get to a real “smelling the pluff mud” fish camp) at a new exhibition that opens Thursday, December 13, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Beaufort History Museum at City Hall.

History Museum opens in Beaufort City Hall
Published 05/22/2012, WTOC.com
Beaufort is over 300 years old and has a lot of history. To help keep the city’s history alive, there’s now a Beaufort History Museum in City Hall. After a lot of hard work, volunteers recently opened the doors to the museum. Inside, they have photographs and artifacts, including pottery and tools dating back to the Native Americans.

Beaufort’s museum escapes from musty clutter, formaldehyde
Published on 05/17/2012, The Beaufort Gazette
If at first you don’t succeed, get rid of the shrunken heads. The Beaufort History Museum, minus the oddities … find home at Beaufort History Museum thats051812 …

Forgotten artifacts find home at Beaufort History Museum
Published on 05/11/2012, The Beaufort Gazette
For years, a collection of historical artifacts lay tucked away and forgotten. Time and improper storage took a toll on many of the items, while other pieces disappeared.

Beaufort Gazette

By ERIN MOODY emoody@beaufortgazette.com

Published Friday, May 11, 2012  

Roger Steele hangs an American flag at the Beaufort History Museum inside City Hall Thursday afternoon. A crew of volunteers were on hand putting the finishing touches on the museum. (Photo: Jonathan Dyer)

The Beaufort History Museum at City Hall. (Photo: Jonathan Dyer)

For years, a collection of historical artifacts lay tucked away and forgotten. Time and improper storage took a toll on many of the items, while other pieces disappeared.

What remains, however, is about to go on display at the Beaufort History Museum at City Hall, thanks to the efforts of a small group of residents.

The museum will celebrate its grand opening May 19 with six weeks of free admission, so visitors can wander through the exhibits that trace the area's history chronologically from the time of early American Indians to modern times.

"This is a work in progress, and it will continue to be a work in progress after it opens," said museum board president Katherine Lang, gesturing Thursday toward display cases filling with artifacts and images being prepared for hanging.

The museum effort started in early 2011, and volunteers worked with preservationists and archeologists to identify and care for the items in the collection. The group is raising money to restore items like a large-wheeled antique bicycle and for digitizing images so originals can be kept in light- and temperature-controlled storage while copies are put on display, Lang said.

"The most valuable part of our collection is probably our documents," she said. "They really tell the story of Beaufort."

The grand opening celebration will be from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. May 19 at 1911 Boundary St. The museum will be staffed by volunteers, so hours are not set, but Land said it will be open two or three weekdays from about 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and most Sundays from 1 to 3 p.m. Days and times will be updated on the museum website: www.beauforthistorymuseum.com.