2013 Annual Report Inside: Report on activities of 2013 What's on the horizon for 2014 Billie Burn Museum Complex Happy 100th Birthday, We are delighted to report that we con1nue to welcome a Little White School House! great number of guests to the Museum Complex. This year In January of 1913, Richard Fuller Fripp, Jr. sold ¼ acre of our wonderful volunteers welcomed over 6,000 guests from land to Beaufort County for $6.00. A one-room school was 47 different states and 11 foreign countries. then built for the educa1on of white children who lived on One display new to the island. The school remained open un1l June of 1962. the Museum is a Since that date the LiYle White School House has served as special case for the housing for teachers for the Mary Fields Elementary School, Sunday School Bell as a post office, and as the office for the Daufuskie Island and Box, which is on Volunteer Fire Department. DIHF leased the building from loan from the First the Beaufort County Union African Bap1st Board of Educa1on Church. It is believed in 2004 and it that the Box is the housed the island oldest piece of original library and Women Freedman art (the Of Daufuskie Island term Freedman is used for former slaves when released from thrib shop, each for slavery by legal means) on the island. The new case allows a short while. The our visitors a more complete view of this precious ar1fact. DIHF Archives is now The Oyster Society Hall located at this enduring island The Oyster Union Society Hall was opened for special structure. events during the year, including Daufuskie Day, Saturday, June 22. DIHF was pleased to offer volunteer led tours to the Daufuskie Gets State Historical Marker Oyster Society Hall and the Billie Burn Museum. In The Daufuskie Island Historical Founda1on worked closely December, work was with the South Carolina Society of Colonial Dames XVII completed on the last stage Century on their project to erect a South Carolina historical of the DIHF restora1on marker on the island. As stated by Mary M. Duvall, State project of the Oyster Hall President of the South Carolina Colonial Dames XVII Century, with the applica1on of a “…there is no more deserving site than Daufuskie Island. preserva1ve sealant to the Daufuskie Island was placed on the Na1onal Historic Register exterior of the building. The in 1982 and has long awaited a proper marker. …every visitor hall is a popular stop on the Rob Kennedy Trail. who arrives at the Public Boat Landing will be made aware of the important place Daufuskie Island holds in our County, Oral History State and Na1onal history”. 2013 marked the ini1a1on of the Daufuskie Island The marker was unveiled and Historical Founda1on Oral History Project. The mission of dedicated on Saturday, November 2, with this project is to record first hand island history as told by Colonial Dames and islanders in those who were born on Daufuskie or who have lived on aYendance. Students of the Daufuskie Daufuskie and witnessed much of this history. The project Island Elementary School led the will con1nue into 2014. To date, four oral histories have assemblage in song. We wish to thank the Daufuskie Island Co-op and been recorded and the Oral History CommiYee has Marshside Mama’s for hos1ng a composed a list of poten1al interview candidates to be wonderful recep1on following the recorded in the current year. Once the recordings have been ceremony. Beth Shipman, Marshside Mama's, processed and indexed, they will be available to interested accepting thank you plaque par1es via the DIHF Archives. commemorating the marker unveiling. Page 2 Daufuskie Island Featured on DIHF Helps Bluffton Students with Google the National Geographic Channel Earth Project In late March of 2013, The Na1onal Geographic television When Pam Davis, technology teacher, at McCracken Middle channel visited Daufuskie Island and the island was featured School in Blumon, discovered that, although Daufuskie Island on the show “The Diggers”. The episode was the result of the had been mapped as part of the Google Earth, the mapping Na1onal Geographic produc1on team visi1ng the island for showed no loca1on sites, she knew she had found her five days digging and filming all over the island. The popular students a project for 2013. Ms. Davis saw this as a unique show combines history and humor and educa1onal opportunity and contacted the Daufuskie Island the Na1onal Geographic team was very Historical Founda1on for help selec1ng sites for her students. enthused about their findings on She and her students came to the island last March to explore Daufuskie. The property owners and selected loca1ons and returned to the classroom to create Na1onal Geographic donated all of the Web sites that included informa1on about specific sites, treasures to the Daufuskie Island photos, and “Sketch up 3D” models that depicted structures Historical Founda1on. The episode called in full dimensionality. “Pirate Island Gold” was aired several 1mes in August of 2013 and included an Members of the board of the Daufuskie Island Historical interview of DIHF Execu1ve Director, Nancy Ludtke. Founda1on were asked to review the students’ work for accuracy. Later they visited the school to see the students’ presenta1ons of their Web sites and to par1cipate as Member Golf Cart Tours panelists evalua1ng their work. This project was a great As a benefit to our members in 2013, we led four golf cart learning experience for the students and the board. tours to historical loca1ons on the island. Each tour included a surprise highlight. We appreciate our friends and supporters who made these tours so special. Thanks to Sally Lesesne, the Gene Morris Family, and Emily and Lancy Burn for invi1ng us into their homes and to Roger Pinckney for leading our cemetery visit. DIHF Board Takes a Field Trip On November 14, 2013, Randy Page, General Manager of Haig Point, and members of the DIHF Board went to Dataw Island to meet Colin Brooker, architectural consultant and preserva1onist. Mr. Brooker led a tour and discussion of the impressive restora1on of the “Sams Planta1on Complex Tabby Ruins”, where he had supervised the stabiliza1on and repair of the buildings. This visit was hosted by Students explore the county dock for mapping Jack Brown of the Dataw Island Historical Society. Subsequently, Haig Point has designated funds for similar restora1on and stabiliza1on of the Haig Point tabby ruins to be completed this spring. The Haig Point tabby ruins are unique in the Lowcountry and over 1me have become quite fragile. DIHF is thrilled to see Haig Point taking the ini1a1ve to preserve this historic site. Students measuring the Oyster Hall A LOOK AT 2014 Page 3 Museum Complex Member Tours for 2014 The Billie Burn Museum and Janie Hamilton School/Gullah In 2014, we will offer two member tours to off island Learning Center are the buildings located in our Museum loca1ons. The first tour will take place on February 18 and Complex. With the support of wonderful volunteers we are includes a two-hour Gullah Heritage Trail tour with Emory currently open for visitors Tuesday through Saturday from Campbell. Tour Highlights include: planta1on tabby ruins, 12:30 pm 1ll 3:30 pm and by appointment. Our members’ freedmen village, one room schoolhouse, juke joint, and Fort con1nued support assists in paying for the maintenance and Howell. If you have not received informa1on about this event opera1on of the Museum Complex, as well as the LiYle White and are interested, please contact Jo Hill at School and Oyster Hall. [email protected] for details. Children's Exhibits A second tour will be offered in the fall to visit the Heyward Exhibits for children include the Touch Screen Computer House in Blumon (dates to be announced later this year). located in the Billie Burn Museum and the Touch Table located in the Janie Hamilton School. There also are children’s ac1vity Tabby Ruins Sleep-In & sheets for learning more about the Gullah and Na1ve Haig Point History Walking Tour American cultures. Funding is needed to add more historical We are pleased to announce that the Daufuskie Island periods to the touch screen with children’s ac1vity sheets to Historical Founda1on is partnering with Haig Point Club on an accompany each historical period. event, which we believe is going to be exci1ng for the en1re Rob Kennedy Trail Guides island as well as interested people on the mainland. On June 6, Joe McGill of the Slave Dwelling Project (see “Smithsonian This project con1nues to receive some funding from the Magazine”, October 2013) will be spending the night-under- Beaufort County Tax Accommoda1on Grants. DIHF distributed the stars at the Haig Point Tabby Ruins. over 6,000 free Trail Guides to visitors and tourists in 2013. Unfortunately, the grants don’t cover all of the costs of On Friday evening, June 6, there will be a DIHF Members’ prin1ng these guides so addi1onal funding is needed. event so that Joe McGill can share informa1on about this fascina1ng project with us. Archives On Saturday, June 7, Haig Point and DIHF are sponsoring an Since establishing the Daufuskie Island Historical all-day event which will give guests an opportunity to ride the Founda1on Archives several years ago, we have had a very Haig Point ferry from Hilton Head or access Haig Point from dedicated group of volunteers cataloguing and photocopying the South Gate and take a walking tour of the Haig Point our current archives. The Archives allow us to share Lighthouse, Strachan Mansion, Tabby Ruins and Haig Point informa1on about the island with those individuals who are Gullah Cemetery.