News


  • Tuesday, October 04, 2016 9:17 PM | Webmaster BHM (Administrator)
    The Beaufort History Museum, in partnership with the Beaufort County Library, will present two lectures in October:
    • Thursday, October 13, 2016 – 2:00 – 3:30 PM - Historic Homes oBeaufort:  The Anchorage - Learn the history of one of Beaufort’s oldest and most famous houses, the Anchorage, and about five generations of Elliotts prior to and following the Civil War. Travel the Road to Secession and learn about the fall of Beaufort to the Union, the Cuban connection to the house, and South Carolina’s Trial of the Century. If walls could talk, this house would tell an incredible story.

    •   Monday, October 24, 2016 – 5:15- 6:45 PM – Songs of the Civil War - Looking for a different type of history program? Then, this one is for you! Rock in your seat and sing along with the music as you enjoy a lively and entertaining multi-media presentation featuring excerpts from the soundtrack of Ken Burns’ 11-hour television series, The Civil War, broadcast by PBS in the fall of 1990. The music not only tells the story of homesick soldiers, forlorn wives and grieving widows, but also of the unity, hope and national pride of the time.  
    •   Both lectures are taking place at the Beaufort Branch Library at 311 Scott Street.  The lectures are free to the public but donations will be accepted. Registration and updates on future history lectures in the series may be found on the Museum website at beauforthistorymuseum.com.

    The presenter for the lectures is Beverly Eggert, a retired Beaufort County English teacher, who now focuses on her four passions: reading, writing, researching, and teaching. A skilled historic storyteller, she also is the coordinator of the Lecture Series presented in partnership by the Beaufort History Museum and the Beaufort County Library. In addition to being a featured presenter for the Lecture Series, Beverly also has been a presenter for the Santa Elena History Center and the South Carolina Humanities Festival 2016. 

    Beaufort History Museum, located in the historic Arsenal, 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 16th Century until modern times.  The Arsenal address is 713 Craven Street. BHM’s hours of operation are 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Monday – Saturday.

    The Beaufort County Library System is a free and accessible marketplace of ideas, information, and culture that fosters learning, community, and information literacy. The Library provides open and guided access to a wide variety of media and programs to inform, inspire, and empower all its patrons in their pursuit of lifelong learning, personal enrichment, and cultural understanding. The library system operates five branch libraries throughout Beaufort County and library cards are available free of charge to all county residents and property owners. It offers free access to millions of items through a combined online catalog and digital library.

    The Beaufort District Collection (BDC) is the Library’s special local history and archives unit. BDC staff and docents are stewards who collect, protect and share a research collection of permanent value about local history, Gullah culture, the natural southeastern coastal environment, family history and archaeology. For the BDC’s hours of operation, please visit its website at beaufortcountylibrary.org

  • Wednesday, August 31, 2016 9:27 PM | Webmaster BHM (Administrator)

    Beaufort History Museum Partners with Beaufort County Library - History Lecture Series Planned

    The Beaufort History Museum (BHM) is partnering with the Beaufort County Library to create and present a lecture series that will focus on the fascinating history of the Beaufort District.   The series, which is free to the public, runs from September 2016 through May 2017 and features two lectures each month.        The September lectures are:

    • Tuesday, September 13, 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm at the Museum: "Beaufort—500 Years in a Capsule" - Docent presenters in the Museum Exhibit Hall will give overviews of four periods: 1.) Early European settlement and the Colonial period 2.) The Revolutionary War – the Antebellum period 3.) The Civil War and the Reconstruction era and 4.) The Great Hurricane of 1893 – World War II.
    • Thursday, September 29, 2 pm - 3:30 pm  - at the Main Library (311 Scott Street) in the Meeting Room: "Ribaut’s Road". Educator and skilled historic storyteller Beverly Eggert will reprise the adventures of Jean Ribaut, Rene Laudonniere, and Jacques LeMoyne as they make their journey from France to the New World in 1562 and again in 1564. The saga is complete with tales of Indian raids, mutiny, murder, starvation, kidnapping and political intrigue.

                 Carol Lauvray, BHM Board President, made the announcement of the lecture series.  “ We are very pleased to be working along with the Beaufort County Library to create this interesting and entertaining lecture series.  Our Education Committee has been developing the idea for the series for a while and it seemed that teaming up with the Library and utilizing their many resources would be a perfect partnership,” she said.               

                “Most of the lectures will take place at the Beaufort Branch Library’s Meeting Room.  We have worked closely through the planning stages with Library representatives Grace Cordial and Jan O’Rourke. Their input and generous support are essential to the success of the program.”  Cordial is the Beaufort District Collection Manager and O’Rourke is Assistant Director/Planning and Community Engagement.

                The BHM Education Committee members are Andrea Allen, Lorrie Burleyknoles, Beverly Eggert (Lecture Series Coordinator), Ingrid Owens and Stuart Heath.  They, along with Lauvray, who is also a Docent at the Museum, have initiated, planned and implemented the Lecture Series in partnership with the Library. Some of the future topics include “Historic Homes of Beaufort - The Anchorage and the Elliotts”, “ Music of the Civil War”, “The Battle of Port Royal Sound” and “Native American Myths”.  A complete Lecture Series schedule will be posted on the BHM website at www.beauforthistorymuseum.com A monthly preview of upcoming lectures will also be provided.

                Beaufort History Museum, located in the historic Arsenal, 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 16th Century until modern times.  The Arsenal address is 713 Craven Street. BHM’s hours of operation are 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Monday – Saturday.

                The Beaufort County Library System is a free and accessible marketplace of ideas, information, and culture that fosters learning, community, and information literacy. The Library provides open and guided access to a wide variety of media and programs to inform, inspire, and empower all its patrons in their pursuit of lifelong learning, personal enrichment, and cultural understanding. The library system operates five branch libraries throughout Beaufort County and library cards are available free of charge to all county residents and property owners. It offers free access to millions of items through a combined online catalog and digital library.

                The Beaufort District Collection (BDC) is the Library’s special local history and archives unit. BDC staff and docents are stewards who collect, protect and share a research collection of permanent value about local history, Gullah culture, the natural southeastern coastal environment, family history and archaeology. For the BDC’s hours of operation, please visit its website at beaufortcountylibrary.org


  • Wednesday, July 20, 2016 7:29 PM | Webmaster BHM (Administrator)

    Pass program to be available year-round (from Beaufort Today, 7/20/16).

    A lot can be said about a community through the artifacts from its past on display in local museums. To encourage more people in Beaufort to learn the history of the area, three museums are partnering to provide a discount on visits and tours.  Board Member Stuart Heath describes the program on WHHI TV.

    That rich past is depicted at the Beaufort History Museum, Historic Beaufort Foundation and Santa Elena History Center. Located with 10-15 minute walks of each other, the three museums are providing a $1 savings on admission.

    Anyone who purchases a full-price ticket at any of the museums will receive a sticker that entitles the wearer to $1 off admission at the other two.

    “The hope is that people who are interested in the rich history of the Beaufort district will be able to take full advantage of three interesting museums which are in walking distance of each other,” said Carla Marsh, a Beaufort History Museum board member. “Each museum offers a unique perspective and a visit to all three will deepen the cultural and educational experience.”

    By walking to each museum, guests are provided a scenic route through downtown. Each historical center has a different mission, distinct presentation and unique perspective so that a visit to each one enhances learning and deepens the cultural experience.

    The Beaufort History Museum, located 713 Craven Street, is housed in the historic 1798 Arsenal. It tells the story of the area’s 500-year history through artifacts, photos and tours given by knowledgeable docents.

    The Historic Beaufort Foundation is located at 801 Bay Street in the Verdier House. It is the only planter’s house in Beaufort open to the public.

    The museum’s goal is to protect and preserve historical sites and artifacts of historic, architectural and cultural interest across the county.

    The Santa Elena History Center, located at 1501 Bay Street, presents the history of the Spanish who established a town in 1566 on the shores of Port Royal Sound. The old courthouse provides visitors with the opportunity to learn about “America’s Untold Story” of Santa Elena.

    “Museums are important to our community because they tell the authentic story of who we were and how we evolved to become who we are now,” Marsh said. “They enable us to participate in the burgeoning cultural and historic tourism throughout our area and are essential in making Beaufort a prime destination as part of that trend.”

    Visitors eager to discover the Lowcountry can start the journey with Beaufort’s museums, where they can learn about Beaufort’s past and the place where American history began.

    “Before St. Augustine, Jamestown and Plymouth, in 1562 the French, led by Jean Ribault, established Charlesfort near what is now Parris Island. The Beaufort district was also the site of Santa Elena, a thriving settlement founded by Spanish explorers in 1566,” Marsh said.

    The museum pass program will be available year-round, not just during peak tourism season.

    For more information about the Beaufort History Museum, call 843-379-3079 or go to www.beauforthistorymuseum.com. To learn more about the Historic Beaufort Foundation, call 843-379-3331 or go to www.historicbeaufort.org. For the Santa Elena History Center, contact 843-379-1550 or go to www.Santa-Elena.org.


  • Thursday, July 14, 2016 9:43 AM | Webmaster BHM (Administrator)

    The Beaufort History Museum announces the opening of a new exhibit that illuminates a fascinating era in the history of South Carolina and the nation.  During Reconstruction, the period immediately following the Civil War, most of the South was suffering from devastation and upheaval.  But due to the enterprising spirit of newly freed slaves and an overlapping series of propitious events, Beaufort and the Sea Islands were propelled into a period of recovery, resurgence and prosperity.

    Titled “Islands of Hope in a Sea of Distress,” the new Exhibit tells the stories of Reconstruction in the Beaufort District through original photos, text, documents and artifacts. Lawrence S. Rowland, Professor Emeritus at the University of South Carolina Beaufort and authority on the history of the Beaufort District says, “The Reconstruction Period of American history (1865 – 1877) began in Beaufort, S.C. It was the most radical social transformation the nation has experienced. The Reconstruction Period in Beaufort changed the town and the Sea Island region forever. This is where the ‘New South’ began. This exhibit recounts Beaufort’s unique part in this national story.”

    Katherine Lang, a BHM Board member and former president, conceived the idea for the exhibit more than a year ago and, along with other committee members, has been instrumental in bringing the project to fruition.

     “The Exhibit is something that Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling and I had talked about for awhile. He pointed out that Reconstruction was a pivotal era that unfolded here in an especially significant way.” She said.  “It just seemed, with the Museum back at the Arsenal, we now had the space and the resources to create an historically relevant new exhibit, and focusing on Reconstruction in Beaufort was now an idea whose time had come. So we secured funding, formed a committee with resourceful Board members and we were off and running.”

    Reconstruction in Beaufort began earlier than in other areas in the south.   Following the Battle of Port Royal in 1861, Union troops occupied Beaufort and established headquarters, supply centers and medical facilities. Local white planters fled. With the Civil War still raging, 10,000 slaves were liberated in the Beaufort District. Schools were for whites only and it was illegal to teach slaves to read. Northern missionaries established the Penn School and Mather School to educate the newly freed men, women and children as part of the Port Royal Experiment.

    Robert Smalls, who was born a slave here, helped lead Beaufort through Reconstruction. Business boomed.  The sources of prosperity were timber, phosphates and shipping, all spurred on by the completion of the Port Royal Railroad in 1873, which provided the means to more efficiently transport products into and out of the area. Former slaves came to own land as freedmen and agriculture flourished.

    With this story as the backdrop, the committee decided to focus the Exhibit on four main areas: Education, Politics, Commerce and Agriculture, acquiring photos and artifacts to support the narrative.  “Actually, we are still actively sourcing more photos, documents, family oral histories, artifacts and other things to add to the Exhibit.  We would very much like to hear from local residents who have something from the Reconstruction era to share with us,” Lang said.  Those who would like to share stories, photos or artifacts from the Reconstruction era may contact the museum at exhibits@beauforthistorymuseum.com.

    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 16th Century until modern times. 

    The Arsenal address is 713 Craven Street. BHM’s hours of operation are 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Monday – Saturday. Docents are on duty to provide information and conduct tours. A donation of $5.00 per visitor ($4.00 for Seniors) is required.  Children and active military are admitted free of charge.  Please visit the website at www.beauforthistorymuseum.com  or BHM’s Facebook page for updates and news from the Museum.


  • Wednesday, June 15, 2016 4:30 PM | Webmaster BHM (Administrator)

    Beaufort, SC – June 15, 2016 – Do you love history? Come learn about and share the incredible 500-year history of this area at the Beaufort History Museum (BHM). We are recruiting the Summer 2016 class of volunteer docents to lead tours and serve as community liaisons. The museum displays artifacts, photos and special exhibits to help our volunteers bring Beaufort’s history to life for visitors. Learn how Beaufort shaped America—from its settlement by Europeans to its involvement in the Revolutionary War, to it’s dramatic roles during the Civil War and Reconstruction Era, and its current-day prominence as the site of military training and defense.

    The museum’s training curriculum will cover all aspects of history relating to the Beaufort District and educators will provide knowledge of the museum’s collections, history and mission. Once docents have completed the training process they will be asked to serve up to four shifts per month and will commit to a one-year period of service to the museum. Space is limited and those interested in attending the five-week session are encouraged to register early.

    An information session is planned for Wednesday, June 29 at 9:00 AM and will follow immediately by the first scheduled class.  All sessions will be held at the Beaufort History Museum, which is located on the second floor of the Arsenal at 713 Craven Street in Beaufort’s historic district.

    The Summer Docent Class Schedule:

    Wed. – June 29            9:00 -10:00 AM – informational/orientation class immediately followed by class #1 from 10:00 AM – Noon

    Wed.  – July 13           9:30 -11:30 AM  – Class #2

    Wed.  – July 20           9:30 -11:30 AM  – Class #3

    Wed.  – July 27            9:30 – Noon           Class #4

    Wed.  – August 3         9:30 -11:30 AM  – Class #5

    No class will be held the week of July 4. A makeup class will be offered if necessary.

    For more information on the docent program, or other volunteer opportunities with the museum, contact Lorrie Burleyknoles, Volunteer Committee Co-Chairperson and Docent Educator, at beauforthistorymuseum.com or call 559-362-3237.

    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 16th Century until modern times.

    The Arsenal address is 713 Craven Street. BHM’s hours of operation are 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Monday – Saturday. Docents are on duty to provide information and conduct tours. A donation of $5.00 per visitor ($4.00 for Seniors) is required.  Children and active military are admitted free of charge.  Please visit the website or BHM’s Facebook page for updates and news from the Museum.

  • Monday, April 11, 2016 1:42 PM | Webmaster BHM (Administrator)

    Beaufort History Museum will present Girls Raised In The South (GRITS), a tea party and performance celebrating strong Lowcountry women who changed history. The principal fundraiser for the Museum, this delectable event is planned for Tuesday, May 3, 2016 at Dataw Island Club, in the beautiful Carolina Room, starting at 1:30 PM with a reception featuring live music by Horizon and a cash bar, followed at 2:00 PM by the tea party and program.

    Tickets are currently available at by clicking here.  Prices for BHM members are $35; non-members are $45 (may sign up for BHM membership and pay the lower price); a table for ten is $350. Proceeds benefit the Beaufort History Museum.

    The tea party features scrumptious traditional fare; a performance in full period dress by acclaimed re-enactor, Kim Poovey, based on her Civil War-era novel, Truer Words, and the stories of four outstanding Lowcountry women who influenced the unfolding history of the Beaufort District.

    Mayor Billy Keyserling will talk about his mother, Harriet Keyserling, and her achievements and contributions to Beaufort and South Carolina as a County Council Woman, State Legislator, and advocate of the arts. Andrea Allen, a Museum Board Member, will describe how Harriet Tubman, who was born a slave, changed the history of both the Lowcountry and the nation.

    Native Beaufortonian Anne Christensen Pollitzer will recount how her great-grandmother Abbie Holmes Christensen, made a lasting impact on Beaufort through her educational, business and civic contributions. Ingrid Owens of Penn Center will introduce Mrs. Ercell Brown Holmes, a 1947 graduate of Penn School and lifelong resident of St. Helena Island, and will describe her many contributions to Beaufort and her Sea Island community. Mrs. Holmes will also attend the tea.

    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 16th Century until modern times. Docent classes are conducted on an ongoing basis.

    The Arsenal address is 713 Craven Street. BHM’s hours of operation are 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Monday – Saturday. Docents are on duty to provide information and conduct tours. A donation of $5.00 per visitor ($4.00 for Seniors) is required. Children and active military are admitted free of charge. Please visit the website or BHM’s Facebook page for updates and news from the Museum.

  • Tuesday, March 29, 2016 7:24 PM | Webmaster BHM (Administrator)

             Inspire. Enrich. Engage. These are the stirring words summoning the promise of entertainment, learning and community interaction at the South Carolina Humanities Festival, due to unfold at many locations throughout Beaufort County June 9 – 11.    Arts, cultural and educational organizations from Beaufort to Bluffton and Hilton Head will participate, presenting a wide variety of special events including lectures, films, tours, art shows, exhibits, performances and much more, around the theme of community collaboration, to demonstrate a sense of place. 

            Beaufort residents and visitors will sample and savor the area’s rich and diverse art, history and culture from numerous interesting perspectives. The Festival kicks off at the USCB Center for the Arts on Thursday, June 9 with a preview of event activities, a “meet and greet” reception with refreshments and a concert.

            The first Humanities Festival was held in 1993 in Beaufort to honor the Humanities Council’s 20th Anniversary, and was originated under the leadership of Harriet Keyserling and Betty Ann Mead.  The event has since been held in eighteen different South Carolina cities.  Each festival celebrates the local history and culture of the host community, enabling partnerships between cultural organization and community groups.

            Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling, chairman of the Humanities Festival Committee, is working with community leaders to insure that the event will continue the great tradition of success initiated by his mother and Mead.

            “The event is open to residents and visitors supporting the SC Humanities from across the state and region to join us in discovering and exploring Beaufort County’s unique history and culture,” Keyserling said.  “Using the bridge as part of the logo demonstrates that we want residents of Beaufort to cross the river to explore Hilton Head Island and Bluffton and we want residents of Bluffton and Hilton Head to come out and learn more about us,” Keyserling said.

            “This is perhaps the first and largest collaboration of organizations working together to share our sense of place.  We have a story to share with our visitors and our residents,” he said.

            Each of the venues that will open their doors to showcase Beaufort Country and portray the area’s heritage are representations of the best cultural organizations in the county and will portray the area’s heritage in a very positive light.

            “We are extending the invitation to everyone to join in discovering and exploring Beaufort’s unique history and culture,” Keyserling said.   “We have a great representation of the best cultural organizations in the county. The Festival will showcase Beaufort County and portray the area’s heritage in a very positive light

          Participating organizations include Beaufort Arts Council, Beaufort County       Historical Society, Beaufort County Library, Beaufort Film Society, Beaufort History Museum, Beaufort Mass Choir, Coastal Discovery Museum, Friends of Fort Fremont, Friends of Hunting Island State Park, Gullah Geechee Consortium, Heritage Library, Historic Beaufort Foundation, Historic Port Royal Foundation, Mitchelville Preservation Project, Parris Island Historical and Museum Society, Penn Center, Port Royal Sound Foundation, Maritime Center,  Santa Elena History Center and  the USCB Center for the Arts.

     The complete schedule of events will be detailed in a SC Humanities Festival    schedule and available on the website at www.beauforthumanitiesfestival.com.


  • Monday, March 14, 2016 4:28 PM | Webmaster BHM (Administrator)

    Beaufort, SC – March 15, 2016 –The weather was perfect and that was a good thing! It was an ideal setting for two dozen re-enactors portraying the Pennsylvania 50thInfantry regiment, Union Troops, that occupied the Beaufort Arsenal in 1862, who marched into town for an action-packed weekend encampment at the Arsenal, where they slept, ate and lived for three days.

    Click here for a photo album of the event.

                   The event featured military drills, a parade down Bay Street, authentic meals cooked over open fires and served in the traditional manner, Sutlers plying their wares, classes taught to Freedmen, and a wreath-laying ceremony at the National Cemetery. 

                   The living history encampment attracted 1,000 visitors who enjoyed interacting with the troops and learning about the time in the early 1860s, when Union troops had vanquished Confederate forces just after the Battle of Port Royal (November, 1861), the local population had left Beaufort and 10,000 slaves on the sea islands were freed and left to their own devices.  Abolitionists came to the area and established the first schools for Freedmen.  Hospitals were set up in the antebellum homes for injured Union forces.  Commerce included traveling Sutlers who sold goods to the troops.

                   It was an unsettled moment but an era that set Reconstruction in motion, an important time that will be an ongoing story told at the Beaufort History Museum in coming months.  The encampment provided an unique opportunity for people of all ages, but especially for the many children who attended; to learn first hand how life was lived in Beaufort during the Civil War. 

                   “We were so encouraged, seeing hundreds of people enjoying the encampment, that we are hoping to make it an annual event,” said Carol Lauvray, Beaufort History Museum Board President.  “The re-enactors, organized by Daniel Gidick of Charleston, came from as far away as Buffalo and Chicago.  Their knowledge and dedication to authenticity was an inspiration. In a word, they were wonderful.”

    Click here for the Island News story.

    Click here for the Eat, Sleep, Play Beaufort story.

    Click here for the Island Packet story with video.

  • Tuesday, March 01, 2016 8:15 AM | Webmaster BHM (Administrator)

    Beaufort, SC  - March 1, 2016 - The bark of officers mustering troops for review.  The resounding clack of marching boots. Crackling fires. Bubbling cook pots. Mail call.  These are just a sample of the sights and sounds that will accompany Union troops as they occupy Beaufort at a Living History Encampment presented by the Beaufort History Museum.

                 The 50th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, Union forces that occupied Beaufort in 1862 during the Civil War, will be brought to life by more than 30 re-enactors, who will stage the encampment in the Arsenal Courtyard, March 11-13. A complete schedule of the weekend’s many entertaining events and demonstrations is available on the Museum website at www.beauforthistorymuseum.com. Admission is free.

                The encampment will provide a fascinating look at everyday life in Beaufort that followed in the wake of the Battle of Port Royal (November, 1861), when Confederate forces were rapidly defeated, local residents fled, and Union troops moved in. The re-enactors, who are coming from as far away as New England and Pennsylvania, will camp out in the Arsenal’s walled courtyard space, dividing into a “4 corners” focus.   On display will be Brigade Headquarters, a commissary and Army Sutlers (traveling tradesmen who supplied the troops); infantry life and equipment; Northern Missionaries and Abolitionists; Freedmen; and the 1st South Carolina Regiment, which was comprised of soldiers of African American descent.

                Activities will include cooking over open fires, an infantry drill, a class in session at a Freedmen school, a march through town to a bay-front park, and a visit to the National Cemetery for a wreath laying ceremony.  Prominent historians Stephen R. Wise and Lawrence S. Rowland, authors of Rebellion, Reconstruction, and Redemption, 1861-1893, will be at a book signing at the Beaufort Public Library Saturday morning, March 12.

                “This is truly an exciting time for the Museum because the Living History Encampment offers us an opportunity to experience much of life as it was in Beaufort during an important time in our history,” said BHM Board President, Carol Lauvray. “It helps us tell the story of the early days of the Reconstruction era here, which began during the Civil War. We are very grateful to encampment organizer Daniel Gidick of Charleston and to our partners, Penn Center and the Beaufort Pubic Library, for their efforts in creating this educational event.”

    “The Living History Encampment also serves as a exciting way to preview our upcoming Special Exhibit on Reconstruction in Beaufort, opening in June when the Museum will participate in the South Carolina Humanities Festival with many other arts, cultural and historic organizations throughout Beaufort County. BHM’s Reconstruction Exhibit will be on display at the Museum for at least one year, so those who live in and visit Beaufort can experience it firsthand.”

                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 16th Century until modern times.  Docent classes are conducted on an ongoing basis.

    For information on becoming a Docent, contact Lorrie Burleyknoles at lburleyknoles@beauforthistorymuseum.com or (559) 362-3237.

    The Arsenal address is 713 Craven Street. BHM’s hours of operation are 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM Monday – Saturday. Docents are on duty to provide information and conduct tours. A donation of $5.00 per visitor ($4.00 for Seniors) is required.  Children and active military are admitted free of charge.  Please visit the website or BHM’s Facebook page for updates and news from the Museum.

    SIDEBAR:    If you go:

    Living History Encampment

    Date:              March 11-13, 2016

    Site:                Beaufort History Museum

                            The Arsenal

                            713 Craven Street

                            Beaufort, SC

    Schedule of Events:

    Friday:

    ·       2 – 5 PM Arrival of event re-enactors

    ·       Setting up of camp with "4 corners" focus: 1) Brigade HQ, commissary & Army Sutlers; 2) infantry life & equipment, 3) Northern Missionaries & Abolitionists, 4) Freedmen & the 1st South Carolina Regiment of African descent

    ·       Ongoing demonstrations at each of the stations

    Saturday:

    ·       7:30 AM Breakfast Call - oatmeal & molasses  

    ·       8:00 AM Camp opens to the public 

    ·       9:00 – 11:00 AM – Book signing by Stephen Wise & Lawrence Rowland at the Beaufort Public Library

    ·       9:30 AM Infantry Drill - Facings and Manual of Arms 

    ·       11:00 AM Freedmen School session

    ·       Noon Dinner Call - Rice, peas, bacon & collards 

    ·       12:30 PM Mail Call - letters and boxes from home

    ·       1:30 PM Inspection of Infantry Company followed by a brief march down Scott Street to the park on Bay St. in the Point

    ·       3:00 PM Freedmen School session

    ·       4:00 PM Infantry Drill

    ·       5:30 PM Visit to the Beaufort National Cemetery for a brief wreath laying ceremony; camp closes to the public.

    Sunday

    ·       7:00 AM Breakfast Call

    ·       8:00 AM Camp opens to the public; Cleaning of barracks

    ·       9:00 AM Infantry Drill

    ·       9:30 AM Freedman school

    ·       10:00 AM Dismissal of formation

    ·       11:00 AM Arsenal closes to the public

    Admission:             Free   (Donations accepted)

    Presented by:        Beaufort History Museum             

    Partners:               Beaufort Public Library

                                   Penn Center

Our mission is to preserve, portray, and promote the experiences of our past that influence us now and in the future.

The Beaufort History Museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. 713 Craven Street, Beaufort, SC 29902. Mailing Address: PO Box 172, Beaufort, SC 29901 

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