Edisto Echoes Fall 2014

Vol. 16, Issue 1

Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society

www.edistomuseum.org

Once again, our Edisto & Beyond Tour was a smash hit

with those who were fortunate enough to get tickets.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and attendees

seemed to take special delight in the properties that

were on tour this year. A successful tour requires the

time and talents of a whole team of people, and we are

grateful to each and every person who helped out.

Special thanks go to our historic property owners who

graciously agreed to welcome our tour attendees:

Carroll Belser and Sid Gauthreaux (Sunny Side

Plantation), Ina and Ron Hoover (Blue House

Plantation), Linda and Jim Murray (Cypress Trees Plantation), Jane and Ed McCollum (Jack Daw Hall

and Murray and Jenkins Cemeteries), Nora and Al Floyd (At Ease Beach House), and the leadership of

the four historic churches.

Many thanks also to our volunteers who made the 2014 Edisto & Beyond Tour such a success, and

special kudos to Cathy McWhorter who served as the docent coordinator.

Edisto & Beyond 2014

Bud Skidmore

Bob Newton

Sid Gauthreaux

Sally Fairey

Townsend Belser

LaVonne Roof

Pat Kostell

Jack McWhorter

Carol Reed

Phyllis McInerney

John McInerney

John Fisher

Patrick Meyer

Harriett Tindall

Susalee Sasser

Betty Davis

Cyndy McCormick

Jane Darby

Patti Cooper

Richard Hill

Dottie Hill

Jim Wenthe

Connie Ward-Cameron

David Cameron

Linda Meyer

Gerald Haram

Barbara Gould

Buddy Watson

Diane Watson

Pat Neumann

Susan Kozub

Dean Habhegger

Barbara Habhegger

Mary Jansen

Pat Jansen

Ned Perrow

Florence Perrow

Bob Marshburn

Jeff Neumann

Jerry Zeller

Robin Tennyson

Kit Fox

Amanda Fox

Melinda Hester

Jim Arnett

Kelly Hannon

Robert Anderson

Ruth Anderson

Marilyn Bowman

Bill Davies

Judi Inabineta

Ida Tipton

Carol Barnett

Nancy Price

Mimi Werntz

Bonnie Doty

Judith Blancett

Patsy Beach

Fran Dionne

Olivia Padgett

Debbie White

Nancy Sandel

Francine Morrison

Linda Murray

Elaine Jackson

Bob King

Betty Davis

Carroll Belser

Patrick Butler

Harriet Gettys

Wanda McCarley

Susanne Nash

Tommie Hughes

Margaret Arnett

Bob Spratlin

Debbie Spratlin

Duane Stater

Edisto Island Historic

Preservation Society

OFFICERS

President - Sandra Marshburn

Vice-President - Betty Davis

Treasurer - Bob King

Secretary - Cyndy McCormick

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

David Blauch

Bill Davies

Gerald Haram

Cathy McWhorter

lbert Morrison

Van Leer Rowe

Nancy Sandel

Ellen Unger

PAST PRESIDENTS (Ex-officio)

Sue Fisher

Jane Darby

Pat Neumann

Cathy McWhorter

Bonnie Doty

Herb Black

Caroline Boineau

Jack Boineau

Haig Powers

Mickey Van Metre

Mary Dean Richards

Bud Skidmore

Curtis Worthington

Skeex Clarkson

CURATRIX EMERITUS

Sheila Beardsley

STAFF:

Director: Gretchen Smith

Administrative Assistant: Jenny Leckie

Museum Assistants:

Donna Walker

Marsha Korpanty

Fran Dionne

The mission of the Edisto Island

Historic Preservation Society is to

preserve and exhibit the history of

Edisto and to educate the public in

these endeavors.

Museum hours:

Jan./Feb – 1-4 p.m., Tues/Thurs/Sat

March-Oct. – 12-5 p.m., Tues – Sat

Nov./Dec. – 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Tues-Sat

ANNUAL EIHPS MEMBERS’ MEETING – SUNDAY, JANUARY 11th

2:30 – 4:00 P.M. at the Museum

• Brief business meeting

• Election of new EIHPS Board Members and Officers

• Announcement of 2014 Jack and Caroline Boineau Volunteer of the

Year

From the Director’s Chair...

Even though we are a historical society and spend a great deal of our

time looking to the past, we think it’s also a wise thing for us to look to

the future. As most of you know, we have made quite a few changes

and improvements in the physical layout of the Museum in the past

year. We have been so pleased with how the new look has been re-

ceived by not only our members, but by our visitors as well. And, now

we think it’s time to make changes and improvements in the way we

communicate with you.

Beginning with the next newsletter, we will be transitioning to an electronic version which we hope

you will embrace as much as you have our new exhibits and look here in the Museum. While we know

there are a few hold-outs who don’t have email, we believe the majority of our members are very com-

fortable with this method of communication. So, in the future, we will be sending our newsletters elec-

tronically to most of you. In order to get this process up and running, there are a few steps each of you

will need to take:

If you do not want to receive your newsletter via email, please let us know by either

calling the Museum or by sending an email to that effect. If we do not hear from you,

we will assume that you want the electronic version.

We have email addresses for many of you, but realize that some of these may be

outdated or incorrect. In order to ensure we have the proper addresses, we have

devised a system that we hope will get our list current. In mid-December, I will send

an email to all of the addresses that we have.

If you do not receive this email from me, please send me an email

(gsmith@edistomuseum.org) providing me with your name and correct email

address so we can add it to the list.

If you do receive this email and would like to receive future electronic newsletters

and other periodic communications from us, you don’t need to reply. That way, we

will know your address is correct.

If your email changes in the future, please be certain to send us the updated

information.

I realize this puts a little bit of the burden on you, but there is no other way for us to ensure that our list

is accurate. I hope once we successfully get through this transition period, things will run smoothly. As

a small non-profit, we try to hold down our operating costs as much as possible, and reducing our

printing and mailing costs will certainly help our bottom line. We will continue to print a small number

of hard copies for those of you who don’t want to receive it electronically. We hope this transition will

be smooth, but as with most changes, there may be a few glitches in the beginning and we ask for your

patience as we work through this. We are excited to be joining the 21st Century at last!

Gretchen Smith, Director

Letter From the President

My term limit with the EIHPS Board of Directors is

nearly over. There is no doubt that the 2015 Board

will continue to work for the preservation of

Edisto’s unique history with seriousness of pur-

pose, fiscal responsibility and fun. The Nominating

Committee, with the approval of the current Board

of Directors is presenting the following names for

approval by the membership.

The nominees for the four officer positions are

President, Sandra Marshburn; Vice President, Betty

Davis; Treasurer, Bob Davis; and Secretary, Cyndy

McCormick. I am not including biographical infor-

mation for these four super-stars since they have

been serving on the Board and are well-known to

our membership.

We have five stellar nominees who will be voted on

by the EIHPS membership at our annual members’

meeting on Sunday, January 11th (2:30 to 4:00

p.m.). We thought it would be helpful to give you a

brief glimpse at each of them so you will be pre-

pared to vote at the meeting. I have no doubt that

they will each do all they can to make this a smooth

and painless transition for EIHPS.

• David Blauch – Dave was born and grew up in Pennsylvania before relocating to Virginia after receiving his BS

from the University of Virginia and a MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University. He spent more than 30 years

working in management for Philip Morris until his retirement in 2009. He and his wife Denise have been very ac-

tive in the community since moving to Edisto Island after he retired. Some of his activities include serving on the

Board of Directors for the Edisto Chamber of Commerce, the Lions Club and the Edisto Island Home Mission

Team. He also volunteers for the Edisto Beach Turtle Patrol and is a member of the Planning Commission for the

Town of Edisto Beach. Dave’s favorite hobbies are playing golf and collecting wine.

• Gerald Haram – Jerry grew up in Maryland, but has strong family roots in South Carolina. After graduating from

the University of Maryland, h then obtained a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from NW State Louisiana and

worked as a mental health counselor in Portland, Oregon, for 32 years until his retirement in 2012. Jerry and his

wife, Barbara, built a home in Middleton and moved to Edisto in 2013. While living on Edisto, Jerry has been an

active volunteer with the Edisto Island Open Land Trust and Palmetto Pride.

• Cathy McWhorter – Prior to moving to Edisto Island in 2002, Cathy lived in Tokyo, Japan, with her husband, Jack,

who worked for Lincoln Financial Corp. Cathy and Jack have three children, eight grandchildren, and one great

grandchild. Since moving to Edisto, Cathy has been very active in the local community as well as in Charleston.

She is past president and board member of EIHPS, was very active with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra

League, serving as its president in 2009/2010.

• Van Leer Rowe – Van Leer was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and graduated from George Peabody College for

Teachers. She also has a Master’s degree in early childhood education from the University of Georgia. Van Leer

was married to Buddy Rowe for 30 years until his death in 2005. They lived in Georgetown, SC, and Wilmington,

NC, before moving to Edisto in 1991. Van Leer is a broker associate with Prudential Kapp Lyons Realty and is an

active volunteer at Trinity Church, serving on the Altar Guild and on the breakfast team as well as serving as chair

of the Pon Top Edisto cookbook. Her hobbies include cooking and fishing.

• Ellen Unger – Ellen is a native of Hampton, Virginia, who received a BA from the University of South Carolina.

After college she married Walterboro native Bubba Unger and has lived in South Carolina ever since. Bubba’s fam-

ily has deep roots on Edisto, and Ellen and Bubba moved here full time in 1995 after splitting their time between

Walterboro and Edisto for nearly 20 years. Ellen served as president of the Walterboro Preservation Society, was

a founding member of the Edisto Island Open Land Trust and served on its board since 1994, and is a member of

the Charleston County Greenbelt Board. She and Bubba have 2 sons and four grandchildren.

Sue Fisher, President of the Board of Directors

The Lawton-Seabrook Cemetery Restoration Project

We are pleased to announce that

EIHPS is joining together with

the Lawton and Allied Families

Association to make repairs to

this historically significant ceme-

tery to prevent further deteriora-

tion. Patrick Butler, chair of our

Cemetery Committee, has taken

the lead on this project.

The Lawton-Seabrook cemetery

is steeped in history and is par-

ticularly unique because it is one

of the few remaining walled cemeteries in South Carolina.

Captain William Lawton’s presence on Edisto Island dates

back to around 1730, and possibly earlier. Many of his de-

scendants are buried here along with William Seabrook, his

wife and two grandchildren.

The wall around the cemetery is believed to have been con-

structed in the late 1700s and has suffered major damage

from fallen trees, time and the elements. EIHPS is working

with the Lawton family to make repairs to the wall and some

of the graves to ensure that the historic integrity of the cem-

etery will be pre-

served. Funds

are currently

being raised

from the extend-

ed Lawton family

and others, and

we hope that the

actual work will

begin soon. The

project is

expected to be

completed

within three years or possibly

earlier. If you wish to make do-

nations to support this im-

portant repair work, checks can

be made out to EIHPS, but

please note on your check that

it is for the Lawton-Seabrook

Cemetery Project.

We are pleased to announce that we are embarking on what we consider to be one of the most im-

portant projects this organization has ever undertaken and one that is so true to our mission “to pre-

serve and exhibit the history of Edisto and to educate the public in these endeavors.” While the Muse-

um has an amazing collection of artifacts that tell the history of Edisto Island, there is equally im-

portant history that resides in the minds of many members of our local community. And, that individu-

al and collective history is at real risk of being lost forever if we don’t move quickly to capture and cata-

logue it.

To ensure that this is done, we have created an Oral History Committee that has already begun to work

on this important project. The Committee is being co-chaired by Nancy Sandel and Ellen Unger; other

committee members include Sue Fisher, Chick Morrison, Gretchen Smith, Betty Davis, Mary Adelena

and Laura Campbell. In early September, the entire Board of Directors and past board members Ellen

Unger, Jane Darby and Pat Neumann, and director Gretchen Smith participated in a workshop led by

Dr. Mary Battle. Dr. Battle is the Public Historian at the Avery Research Center for African American

History and Culture and is on the faculty at the College of Children. She has extensive history in con-

ducting oral histories and continues to advise us as we move ahead with this project.

Work to date includes purchasing the necessary equipment, creating a list of those to be interviewed

and starting the process of applying for grants to fund the creation of digital archives of the histories.

We are very excited about this project and believe it will provide us with priceless information that

would otherwise be lost. It is our intent to have these stories archived here at the Museum, but also in

other repositories that will provide access to interested parties on a national and international basis.

We will keep you updated as we go along.

Oral History Project

Museum Shop News

We’re pleased to announce that we’ve got two new staff mem-

bers who are now working down in the Museum Gift Shop, and

you may already know them because they have both served as

Museum docents for several years. Marsha Korpanty was born

and educated in New Jersey, but came to South Carolina just

after she finished graduate school. She lived in Mt. Pleasant and

Summerville before moving to Edisto. Prior to her arrival on

Edisto, she worked as a special education teacher and then a

school psychologist and finally worked part-time in school ad-

ministration in Charleston County.

Marsha and her husband, Ken, have two daughters and four

grandchildren with one more on the way. She is active in her

church on Edisto, the Whatsoever Circle of Kings Daughters, the

Edisto Women’s Club and the Island Quilters. She also volun-

teers at Botany Bay and with the Blanket Ministry.

Fran Dionne was born in New York and relocated to attend Bos-

ton College where she got a degree in nursing. She worked as a

nurse in Boston until moving to Charleston in 1981, where she

took a position at the Medical University of South Carolina. She

later taught nursing at Trident Technical College and is a retired

Reserve Officer in the US Army.

Fran lives on Yonges Island with her husband, Jerry, and their

two dogs. They have two children and three grandchildren who

live nearby. Fran is a garden volunteer at Middleton Place Plan-

tation and enjoys gardening, golf, reading and taking occasional

classes at the College of Charleston.

I am also pleased to let you know that Donna Walker has agreed

to accept the position of Assistant Shop Manager. Donna has

worked at the Museum for eight years, so most of you probably

already know her, but I thought you might like to have a little

more background information on her as well.

Donna grew up in a Navy family, so she moved and traveled

extensively. She started school in Hawaii and ended up in San

Diego. She graduated from the University of Bridgeport (Ct.)

with a nursing degree and worked as an RN at Yale New Haven

Hospital. Donna and her late husband then lived in Roanoke,

VA., for 18 years and managed a small business. Donna has one

daughter and three grandchildren who live in North Carolina.

Donna has lived on Edisto for 12 years and enjoys spending time

at home with her dog, Sadie. She volunteers with the ALOE pet

rescue group and at Botany Bay Plantation and served on the

Development Committee of the Edisto Island Open Land Trust.

Hoedown for History… Dancin’ in Denim

Mark your calendars – we’ve got a wonderful new event

planned for our annual Spring party. Break out your jeans

and cowboy boots and join us on Saturday, April 11th, for

a rollicking good time at Sunny Side Plantation. We’ll be

dancing in the barn and under the stars to the bluegrass

music of the Blue Plantation Band and enjoying wonder-

ful food and drinks. The fun will begin at 6:00 p.m. and

end at 9:00, and tickets are $60 per person. We’ll also

feature a very limited number of events and trips to buy

to

ensure your adventures will continue long after the last

fiddle note is heard. Tickets will go on sale in early 2015,

but we wanted to give you an early sneak-peak at what

we have in store for you. So, plan on joining us for a night

of fun while supporting a worthy cause!

If you came to this year’s Edisto & Beyond Tour, you no doubt noticed a major change in the tour book-

let. For the first time, there were no ads. And, that’s because we have decided to completely revamp the

way we solicit support from local businesses.

Over the past years, we have been very fortunate to get strong support from the business community

whenever we have asked. They bought ads for the tour ticket booklet and they made monetary dona-

tions to help defray costs for our events. These solicitations were done on almost an ad hoc basis, and

our new approach will be to solicit their support on an annual basis. We believe this has advantages to

our organization as well as to our business supporters. They will be able to plan their annual budgets

knowing what their charitable contributions will be for the year, and we will be able to plan our budget

knowing what we will have to work with. The businesses will also have the benefit of receiving promo-

tions throughout the year rather than just on the day of the tour or the day of our spring event.

We have developed different levels of sponsorship with specific benefits for each level, so the businesses

can selected exactly how much exposure they want. The levels range from $100 up to $5,000. Our solici-

tations have already begun, and we are beginning to receive checks from a variety of businesses. If you

wish to learn more about this program or wish to participate, send me an email at

gsmith@edistomuseum.org. I’ll be glad to answer any questions you may have.

I hope by now most of you have visited the Muse-

um to see our wonderful new look. As you proba-

bly know, we closed for the month of February in

order to completely redo our exhibits and add

the amazing slave cabin to our collection. None of

this could have happened without the incredible

time and talents of our renovation team who

worked so hard to make our dream a reality.

While many of you volunteered your time during

the process, there was a core team that took re-

sponsibility for the whole project. They gave an

unbelievable amount of time over the month, and

even thereafter finishing up small details. The

team consisted of Tommy Boozer, Ike Renneker,

Paul Fripp, Paul Simmons, Patti Cooper and Dee-

Dee Simmons. We will be forever grateful to them

for their dedication to our organization. And, to

permanently express our gratitude, we will be

placing a plaque with their names on it here in

the Museum so they will continue to get recogni-

tion for their efforts. A dream team indeed!

The Edisto Island Museum’s Renovation Team

Business Sponsorship Program

Nancy Blakeney

Mr. and Mrs. James Meggett

Anne Clardy

Patrick and Rhoda Butler

David M. Gray, Jr.

Gloria M. Rever

Claire W. Laffitte

Susan L. Daugherty

Eleanor R. Hale

Josephine H. Lide

Corinna M. Robert

Pat Derosa

Jane A. Church

Ann A. Biggs

Marie McEntire

Leslie Bateson

Deanna Wagoner

Gretchen S. Johns

W.T. Robertson, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. J. Dudley Ottley

Ben and Carmen Radin

Anne Lawton Hill

Jacob D. Rouse, Jr.

Mary S. York

W. Griffin Jones

Neale C. Hightower

Bess M. Lawton

Mrs. G. Clarke Baker

Mary David Baker

Special Thanks for the Following Gifts

Donation of Tour Tickets for Resale:

Bob & Debbie Spratlin

Rebecca Mock

Susalee Sasser

Julia Miller

DeeDee Simmons

Joan Danforth

Gail Seastrunk

Jim & Harriet Gettys

Ginny Thaxton

Tommy Rivers

Jeff Neumann

Bob King

Melissa Adams

Gretchen Smith

Sherry Thomas

Byron Rodgers

Victoria Jenkins

Susanne Johnson

Douglas Williams

Janet Rodgers

Nancy Sandel

Nora Floyd

Beth Wilson

Nancy Hope Moorer

Gail Walker

Florence Perrow

Sue and John Fisher

Julie Batchelor

Mary Ashley

James Tennyson

Charlie Pulley

Cathy McWhorter

Sandra Marshburn

Jeanne Sasser

Kitty Beard

Carroll Belser

Financial Donations:

Jean Powers

Ginny Thaxton

Max and Harriet Walker

Mr. and Mrs. Steven Molden

Donations in Honor/Memory of Individuals:

Sarah Rice Sandlin Stender in memory of

Eugenia Wescoat Sandlin and Joseph Jenkins Westcoat

Jeff and Pat Neumann in memory of Lena Cox

Gail Sumwalt in honor of Betty Davis

Barbara Hiott in memory of Clark Hiott

Ann McIlhenny in memory of Jo Ann McCaskill Hill

Jane McC. Brown in memory of Jack Boineau

Carroll Belser in memory of Jack Boineau

Other Donations:

Billy Edwards for his donation of a potting bench

Dr. Ann Russell for her donation of six copies of her book, “Legacy of a Southern Lady” for sale in the Museum Shop

Bonnie King for her donation of a wreath for the Museum

William Hunt for his donation of a collection of historic relics

Donations to the Lawton-Seabrook Cemetery Restoration Fund: