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Spring
2009 South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust NewsOn April 4, 2009 the SCBPT signed a conservation easement with the Belle Isle Yacht Club for 2.69 acres at Battery White in Georgetown, SC. The trust now protects more than 6 acres at Battery White and the easement completes the preservation of the battery and its surrounding open space. This Confederate fortification was built in 1862 to protect the approach to the port of Georgetown on Winyah Bay. Battery White is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For more information, go to www.batterywhite.org. Theodora Keyserling and her family have donated Battery Brayton in Beaufort, SC to the SCBPT. This 2.5 acre marsh island battery was constructed by Union forces occupying Beaufort following the Battle of Port Royal in November 1861. Thank you to everyone that voted for the “no development” option for Morris Island in the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission’s online survey. The results of the survey showed that 85% of the responses favored “no development”, However, even though the property has been sold to the City of Charleston, there are conditions in the deed that give Bobby Ginn economic rights on Morris Island for ninety years. He also can construct docks, bathrooms, trails and any infrastructure he deems necessary. The position of the SCBPT is that Morris Island be preserved in its natural state and we will continue to work toward that end. Peter Evans, the owner of Fort Pemberton has donated a conservation easement protecting the fort to the SCBPT. The easement also includes a view easement between the fort and the Stono River. This important historic site on James Island is a large Confederate earthwork completed in 1862 and named for Major General John C. Pemberton, CSA. Also on James Island, Jay Their has donated a conservation easement to the SCBPT for the unnamed Confederate Field Battery on his property. In West Ashley, Walter Bilbro has donated his lot at Battery Haig to the trust. Walter also covered the cost for a SC State Historical Marker at the battery. The SCBPT has placed SC State Historical Markers on its properties at Battery #5, Redoubt #3, Battery Haig, Battery Cheves and Battery Haskell. Trust Historian, W.J. (Skipper) Keith did the research for this project. Mike Kirk, producer of “America’s Iliad, The Siege of Charleston” made a donation of $5000 to the SCBPT in appreciation of the trust’s contribution to the production of this PBS film. The film is being used in South Carolina public schools to help tell the story of the state during the Civil War. Steve Smith of the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of South Carolina will be conducting an archaeological survey of Civil War sites in Colleton County and updating information for sites in Beaufort County this fall. The study will greatly improve our knowledge of the activities of both Union and Confederate forces in the area. The survey is being paid for by a grant from the American Battlefield Protection Program. The SCBPT is providing a state of the art GPS unit for the project. Steve Smith is the recipient of the trust’s South Carolina Military Sites Research Fellowship. In December, the trust will present the event “Christmas 1862” at Fort Lamar on James Island. This living history program will tell the story of how both civilians and the military celebrated the holiday during the Civil War. Members will be updated concerning this family oriented program. |
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————— South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust | 843.689.3223 | info@scbattlegrounds.org —————— |