Category: History

Drayton Hall: Distinguished Speakers Series – All Dressed Up, But No Place To Go – November 19th

All Dressed Up, But No Place To Go                                                                           Inaugural Chipstone Lecture                                                                                                      November 19, 2015 at 6:30 PM

speaker_cary_carsonDr. Cary Carson’s presentation will examine the extraordinary archaeological discovery of three of Colonial Virginia’s most lavish structures: Green Spring (ca. 1660), Fairfield (1694), and Corotoman (1726). Respectively built by a trio of the colony’s highest grandees, Sir William Berkeley, Lewis Burwell II, and Robert “King” Carter, scholars concluded that these buildings were over-the-top, eye-popping, plantation houses, similar to the colonial stature of Drayton Hall (ca. 1738). However, none of these Virginian elites resided in their grandiose mansions, choosing rather to live in the smaller houses they had been occupying for decades. This fact then begs the question: was there a different purpose for these extravagant, brand-new structures? Dr. Carson answers the mystery through the introduction of the FFV’s amazing FPPs, the First Families of Virginia’s newly re-discovered, heretofore unsuspected, but indisputably Fabulous Pleasure Palaces.

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SINHG Evening Program – Thursday, September 17th

On TLOGO Rhursday, September 17th, Virginia Beach will be the first speaker of the Seabrook Island Natural History Group’s Fall 2015 Evening Programs.
She is the author of “Rice & Ducks” which records the history of the South Carolina rice lands, a landscape that stretches all the way from the Pee Dee River to the Savannah. It is a story full of interesting and memorable characters, and unlikely allies. They include English Lords, Proprietors, southern plantation owners and slaves, northern industrialists, powerful U.S. Senators, daring scientists, media magnates, Trappist monks, and Wall Street financiers.
Refreshments – 7:00 PM   Program – 7:30 PM   Location – Lake House
All Seabrook Island residents and guests are welcome. There is a $5 donation for non SINHG members. Information about future programs and SINHG membership can be found at the SINHG web site, sinhg.org.
Gary Fansler

Drayton Hall: Distinguished Speakers Series – Chinese Export Porcelain in Colonial America – October 15th

China of the Most Fashionable Sort:
Chinese Export Porcelain in Colonial America                                                                                October 15, 2015 at 6:30 PM

speaker_suzanne_hoodMs. Suzanne Hood’s presentation of the same title will show how a decorative arts perspective broadens the stories archaeology can tell by highlighting one of the largest groups of artifacts recovered from Colonial America archaeological sites: Chinese Export Porcelain. First crossing the Atlantic with the settlers at Jamestown, this porcelain was a valuable commodity that served not only as a symbol of the society the settlers had left behind, but of the wealth and status of those who owned them. Ms. Hood will extrapolate archaeological evidence to bring complexity and nuance to the curatorial understanding of the Chinese porcelain that was present in the Colonial South. Within this context, she will include Charlestonian examples of pre-Drayton and Drayton owned pieces, which are now housed in the Drayton Hall Museum Collections as well as private collections.

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D.I.R.T. Meeting Reminder

Just a reminder that the Seabrook genealogy group, Digging Into Roots Together (D.I.R.T.), will meet this coming Wednesday,  Sept 9, 2015 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm in Osprey 2 at the Lake House.

This week we will be working together to organize the “genealogy social” that we are hosting during our Sept 23 meeting.   We will be inviting residents of Kiawah and Kiawah River Estates who may be interested in participating in our group to join us for refreshments and learn what we are doing in D.I.R.T. We will also be working on a new project which we hope will help  our members get more organized, resolve their research issues more efficiently and grow their family trees.

The agenda can be accessed and previewed by visiting the blog at diggingtogether.blogspot.com and clicking on the tab labeled “Agenda”. If you are interested in genealogy and looking to network with others who share your passion, or would like some guidance getting started on your own family history journey, please join us. Each week someone will be available to provide assistance and answer questions.

Further information can be found on the blog or you can email us at diggingtogether@yahoo.com.

Submitted by  Denise Doyon

Middleton Place – Sports and Leisure Days – September 11-12th

block_cricket15Sports and Leisure Days at Middleton Place

Date: Friday & Saturday, September 11 & 12
Time: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Cost: Free with General Admission

When not working or dealing with the daily activities of everyday life, people of the 18th and 19th centuries sought ways to relax and to entertain themselves. Through the mediums of art, sport, gardening, and food, a culture of leisure, pleasure, and entertainment developed. Departures from everyday life included painting, gardening, tea ceremonies, and such sports as cricket, croquet and lawn bowling. Join public historians and interpreters at Middleton Place National Historic Landmark for an interactive day of Sport and Leisure.

Go to https://www.middletonplace.org/visiting-middleton-place/events-calendar.html for tickets and information.

(Photo credit:  Middleton Place website)

-Submitted by Tidelines Editor

SINHG Kicks Off Fall Evening Programs September 17th

On Thursday, September 17th the Seabrook Island Natural History Group’s first evening program for the Fall 2015 series is Virginia Beach. Her topic is “Rice and Ducks, the Surprising Convergence that Saved the Carolina Lowcountry”.

Virginia is a graduate of the University of Virginia and a former Peace Corps volunteer in East Africa. She writes for numerous publications on the subjects of conservation and natural history and is the author of Medway, a history of a South Carolina plantation. In addition, she has also served on the staffs of The Nature Conservancy, the Lowcountry Open Land Trust and the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium.

She is also the author of “Rice & Ducks” which records the history of the South Carolina rice lands, a landscape that stretches all the way from the Pee Dee River to Savannah. It is a story full of interesting and memorable characters, and unlikely allies. They include English Lords, Proprietors, southern plantation owners and slaves, northern industrialists, powerful U.S. Senators, daring scientists, media magnates, Trappist monks, and Wall Street financiers.

Please join us at the Lake House to learn more about this fascinating aspect of the history of the low country. Refreshments will be served at 7 PM and the program will begin at 7:30. All Seabrook Island residents and guests are welcome. There is a $5 donation for non SINHG members. Information about future programs and SINHG membership can be found at the SINHG web site, sinhg.org

Submitted by Gary Fansler

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