By Luana M. Graves Sellars
Emancipation Oak Artwork By Sonja Griffin Evans
Beaufort County has the most concentrated area of historical reconstruction sites in the South. For that reason, efforts to establish national recognition for Beaufort and the surrounding area has been a multi-year project for Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling, who has been providing his personal funds to support the project. Congressman Clyburn confirms Keyserling’s commitment saying “there aren’t many days that go by that I don’t hear from Mayor Keyserling.” However, Congressman Clyburn’s commitment to this project is well documented since he was responsible for having this area designated as the South Carolina Heritage Corridor, which also includes the Gullah Geechee Corridor. Both areas were recognized by an Act of Congress in 1996 and 2006, respectively. The Gullah Geechee Corridor includes all of the Sea Islands from North Carolina to Florida.
The national monument is just the beginning of the plans for our area to achieve national recognition for its historical significance. Locally, an initiative to bring greater historical recognition to Hilton Head and the surrounding cities of Bluffton, Port Royal and Beaufort has begun with former Hilton Head Mayor David Bennett. Motivated by a desire to make sure that Mitchelville’s story is told, he said, “the story of Mitchelville is central to the identity, heritage and uniqueness of Hilton Head Island. Yet, going into 2015, my first year as mayor, it continued to be represented by a few underfunded non-profits and a mostly unused piece of Town-owned land, clearly a missed opportunity.”
Former Mayor Bennet goes on to explain the process. He said:
“I needed the help of our citizens to garner additional support, and I requested our Town Council authorize the creation of The Hilton Head Island Heritage Tourism Taskforce with its three well-regarded founding members, Dr. Emory Campbell, Stu Rodman and Carlton Dallas to consider the future of our historic assets and peoples. Discussions between these three gentlemen and myself led us to the conclusion that much of Hilton Head’s rich history could best be told in complete tandem with the history of the rest of Beaufort County. So, I made contact with Mayor Sulka [of Bluffton], Mayor Keyserling [of Beaufort] and Mayor Murray [of Port Royal] and asked them to meet and consider the topic of promoting our heritage on a countywide scale. Stu Rodman, a member of Beaufort County Council and one of the founders of the Santa Elena Foundation, asked the same of County Council Chairman Sommerville.”
Within the Lowcountry, over 100 historic sites have been identified by a Heritage Tourism Task Force that was developed through the collaborative efforts of the four local mayors.
As a result of the work of the Task Force, we’ve learned that Beaufort County’s rich history can compete with other historic sites like Gettysburg, Williamsburg and Jamestown. The significance of this area’s history can and should make Beaufort as well-known as these other well-known locations.
“Beaufort County has over 500 years of history that can be experienced,” says Task Force member Dr. Andy Beall, Chairman of the St. Elena Foundation.
The Task Force developed a list of categories that associates each site to its particular historic era. The categories of sites are as follows: Native American, Early Explorers, Civil War, Gullah and Reconstruction. “The categories will enable the committee to then establish a cohesive plan resulting in a historic trail that visitors would be able to follow and receive a thorough story of the beginning of America’s history,” says former Mayor Bennett.
Bennett envisions a historic trail that links the following sites and historic assets: “Santa Elena, telling the story of European Exploration and Settlement, Penn Center, telling the Gullah Geechee and Reconstruction stories, Beaufort and Port Royal telling the story of Reconstruction, and Hilton Head telling the stories of the Civil War and Mitchelville.”
Mayor Sulka says, “The Task Force has been hard at work over the past year strategizing, forming subcommittees, and conducting internal tours of sites that fit into the following categories; Gullah Geechee, Civil War/Reconstruction, European, and Daufuskie Island. Our objective while conducting these tours was to take notes and photos of what we saw, look at the history that is currently being delivered and the quality of the historical experience. Each tour was hosted by a different municipality, which gave everyone a great perspective and insight into the history of our area.”
The mayors realized that they “don’t compete with each other, we complement each other and work well with each other,” according to Keyserling. He went on to say, “Studies show that golf is not the only thing that tourists are looking for. The task force is a pearl that came out of a conversation about economic development. We decided to take a look at the economic benefits of cultural tourism. Tourism creates more jobs. We want workers to be able stay closer to home and create a better tourism experience, which creates longer stays and shows our cultural substance. If we created a way for people to go from one site to another, we need to know more about each of the assets that we all have.”
According to Committee member, Carlton Dallas, the overarching goal is to create a “unified cultural destination experience with well-packaged tours of substance that will attract people to the story of Reconstruction.” This would establish connectivity between the various areas of Beaufort county. Dallas summarized saying that his committee will “crystalize the findings into a foundation that the trail can be built on.”
In addition to creating an overall vision of heritage tourism for the area, the ultimate multi-faceted objectives of the Taskforce are according to Bennett are, “to explore an affiliation with the Smithsonian, explore a national park or site designation, quantify the economic impact of our historical assets and identify next steps.”
The partnership would enable them to be cross marketed as well as to be able to leverage tourism dollars to better serve the community as a whole. Eventually, all of the destination marketing organizations will become involved and able to combine their resources, so that everyone wins. “Better collaboration helps to improve the product and the visitor experience,” says Keyserling.
So far, the reconstruction trail or network doesn’t have a title yet, but the thinking is that the Lowcountry heritage trail would be similar to Boston’s Freedom Trail. The trail would enable cultural tourists to visualize the connectivity between all of the sites, which would not only tell a more cohesive story, but to historically move them through our area in a unified and better-informed fashion. “My vision is for multiple trails and interpretive centers throughout Beaufort County. These organized interactions would ensure the legacy of our Lowcountry by telling the “stories” of our past to residents and visitors alike,” says Bennett.
The Reconstruction story is a story that has not been told. Students in school are only being told part of the story. The story of Reconstruction needs to tell that there were a lot of black heroes just like George Washington and others. It’s a story that if we can get it out, can be a focal point for visitors to be able to learn more about the true story.”
Beaufort, South Carolina Mayor, Billy Keyserling
Keyserling goes on to say that “people realize that there is a real value to looking inward and want to know more about their past. Collaboration is hard between non-profits, because they are fighting for dollars. There is room at the table for everybody. And everyone can benefit from the economic pie and grow together. This is a chance to take everything to the next level.”
Bennett agrees, that the partners “realize the potential of our collective heritage assets that enhance educational opportunities for our residents.”
He goes on to say that recognizing the heritage and legacy of the Gullah, strengthens the community when we know of and share their stories. Promoting heritage and cultural tourism, benefits everyone on the island. It has been proven through research that cultural tourism has become a greater priority for visitors nationally and internationally, which is why Hilton Head’s should invest in its cultural assets.
All of this activity coupled with the collaboration makes for an exciting time for the area as it finally gets the exposure that it deserves. The historical footprint that the Lowcountry has is worthy of recognition. The steps that are being taken on a local and national level are necessary yet, important ones that will continue to bring our history into greater focus and bring about positive changes for our economic future.
Click here for more information on the Reconstruction Era National Monument
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