HAPPY NEW YEAR!
IN THIS ISSUE of Charleston Currents #11.08 | Dec. 31, 2018
FOCUS: Morris Brown AME to host special Watch Night today at noon
COMMENTARY, Brack: There are so many things I don’t understand
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
GOOD NEWS: USS Charleston to be commissioned March 2
FEEDBACK: Do you have any opinions? Send them to us
MYSTERY PHOTO: Is it a castle?
S.C. ENCYCLOPEDIA: Columbia College
CALENDAR: Restaurant Week is around the corner
FOCUS: Morris Brown AME to host special Watch Night today at noon
Pictured above is a hand-colored 1863 image (Frank Leslie’s illustrated newspaper) of the Emancipation Day celebration on Jan. 1, 1863, under a grove of oaks outside Camp Saxton along the Beaufort River. Columbia filmmaker and Charleston native Bud Ferillo, who provided the engraved image, tells us that celebration of the first Emancipation Day was the largest in the South of freedmen when sine 3,000 people attended. Today, the location is home to Naval Hospital Beaufort.
By Herb Frazier | Today at noon, the Charleston community will gather at Morris Brown AME Church to celebrate a moment in history when enslaved people anticipated freedom.
This special event at Morris Brown will be an homage to services first held on Dec. 31, 1862. At that time, the enslaved met in praise houses and churches to await the end of slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863.
Those first freedom’s eve services in 1862 have become an annual celebration called Watch Night held on New Year’s Eve in black churches across America. While many congregations, like Morris Brown, have held this service its original purpose had been lost in time. Last year, the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission began an effort to preserve and sustain this cherished tradition.
The service at Morris Brown will be Charleston’s first-ever community-wide Watch Night event. Instead of beginning a few hours before midnight, this two-hour service will start at noon. It will feature poetry reading, traditional songs and food, drummers and dancers. It will be time for reconciliation and thanks for the past year and resolutions for the year to come.
This event is co-sponsored by the Morris Brown, the 7th Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, and the commission. The commission, established by Congress, encourages the preservation and promotion of the Gullah Geechee culture in the coastal regions of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and northern Florida.
“Watch Night, traditionally, has both spiritual and cultural significance in our community. Spiritually, a new year brings another God-given opportunity to reach our full potential,” said the Rev. James A. Keeton Jr., Morris Brown’s senior pastor. “Culturally, as descendants of people who were enslaved and objectified by laws and practices, a new year is not only a testimony of survival, but it also gives hope that the new year will be better than the current one.”
Watch Night services are an opportunity to educate people about an important chapter in American history, said Heather Hodges, executive director of the commission, headquartered on Johns Island. “Many people are unaware that the Emancipation Proclamation only applied to a handful of states that were considered to be in open rebellion, like South Carolina, and it did not emancipate all of the enslaved in the country.
“This means that in 1863 the ancestors of the Gullah Geechee people were among the first to begin to emerge from bondage,” she said. “Their experiences before and during this period of the conflict, then subsequently during Reconstruction, formed an important part of South Carolina history that many know little about. We cannot underestimate the significance of what the promise of the Emancipation Proclamation meant to the enslaved, and we must always gather on Watch Night to commemorate their sacrifices – and to celebrate their freedom.”
The service at Morris Brown on Morris Street in downtown Charleston is one of about 46 confirmed Watch Night services planned in the Gullah Geechee Corridor.
A watch night service is not unique to African American congregations, said Dr. J. Herman Blake, a founding member of the Gullah Geechee commission and professor emeritus at the Medical University of South Carolina. Other faiths and cultures have held watch night services as a way to celebrate the new year.
But the watch night service took on a new meaning on Dec. 31, 1862, as people of African descent in the Beaufort and Port Royal areas awaited the Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Abraham Lincoln. During the Civil War, the Union invaded Port Royal and occupied Port Royal and Beaufort in November 1861. The area remained under Union control throughout the war, allowing for the enslaved communities there to become officially free on Jan. 1, 1863.
As they waited for freedom, enslaved people gathered under a large oak tree at Camp Saxton and the following day they heard a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation. That tree still stands today on the site of the U.S. Naval Hospital in Beaufort.
- Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com
BRACK: There are so many things I don’t understand
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | It’s a season for lists and I’ve been keeping a list of things that I just don’t understand — and probably never will. Yes, it’s a different way to start off a new year, but if I accept I never will understand these things, then maybe I won’t worry about them and life will become even better.
So, without lots of fanfare, here is a hodge-podge of 11 kinds of mush that do uncurl in my brain:
Anime. What’s the point? What’s the attraction of animated creatures with too-big eyes who yell and scream on quest after incomprehensible quest?
Physics. For years, I have tried to understand physics. I have bought books to make it simple. But other than understanding Newton “got” gravity after being hit on the head by an apple, the inner-workings of physics and how it can change my life are incomprehensible. And it will probably stay that way. Oddly enough, I understand calculus, which can be mind-numbing. I don’t, however, understand why most high school students — or adults — ever need to know it.
Lies. I fail to comprehend how good people who go to church and lead moral lives can tolerate a president who lies thousands of times a year.
Texts. I don’t understand why teen-agers with cell phones burn up thousands of texts a month instead of using the device as a telephone (and making calls to interact with their peers).
Bad drivers. People who tailgate on our streets and highways deserve a special place in hell, as do drivers who piddle along the highways, oblivious to the flow of traffic. Don’t tailgaters realize if the vehicle a few feet ahead of them slams on brakes at 50 miles an hour that there’s going to be an accident? More people need to re-read the driver’s license manual.
Cauliflower. As best as I can tell, there’s no reason for this vegetable. Why does it exist?
Economic interest. I fail to understand how low- and middle-income can vote for candidates who do not represent their economic interests.
Strategy. How can you move forward in life or business (or government, for that matter) if you are shooting from the hip and making it up as you go along? I don’t understand why too many people have no plan. (See recent column on S.C. needing priorities.)
Volunteerism. Too many people don’t engage in their communities. They’re missing out on a big part of life by being social couch potatoes, which leads to …
Television. I don’t understand the luring appeal of spending countless hours passively in front of a television. Sure, I “get” the periodic value of televised entertainment, but wasting several hours a day in front of the idiot box doesn’t make any sense.
Punctuation. Fervent admiration and use of the Oxford comma still makes no sense (it seems like a needless extra mark). And who came up with the rule that two spaces are no longer needed after a period? Ever hear of the need for white space to make it easier to read stuff?
What is on your “I don’t understand” list?
- Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com
SPOTLIGHT: Magnolia Plantation and Gardens
The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring Charleston Currents to you at no cost. Today we shine our spotlight on Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, founded in 1676 by the Drayton family. It has survived the centuries and witnessed the history of our nation unfold before it from the American Revolution through the Civil War and beyond. It is the oldest public tourist site in the Lowcountry and the oldest public gardens in America, opening its doors to visitors in 1870. Open 365 days a year, Magnolia offers its visitors splendid tours of nature and history and the role African-Americans played in the development of its award-winning Romantic-style gardens.
- Visit www.magnoliaplantation.com to learn how you can experience a complete plantation experience.
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GOOD NEWS: USS Charleston to be commissioned March 2
Staff reports | The Columbus Street Terminal in Charleston will host a March 2 commissioning of the new USS Charleston (LCS 18), an Independence-class littoral combat ship built in Mobile, Ala.
The $440 million ship is a state-of-the-art trimaran designed to go into shallow waters that other ships can’t. Awarded in December 2010, the ship was named by then-Navy Secretary Ray Mabus in January 2015 with Charlotte Riley, wife of former Mayor Joe Riley, serving as the ship’s sponsor. Launched in September 2017, the 418-foot ship with a speed of 44 knots (50.6 mph) was delivered in August 2018. It will be homeported in San Diego, Calif.
The shield on the crest of the USS Charleston features ship representing previous Charlestons as well as symbols on the state’s flag. The crest includes palmetto fronds, a bald eagle and a motto, “While we breathe, we fight” that is an homage to the state’s Latin motto, “Dum Spiro Spero” (While I breathe, I hope).
During the ship’s 2017 christening, current U.S. Navy Secretary Richard Spencer said, “Charleston, like the other ships in the LCS program, is going to be highly maneuverable, able to operate where other ships cannot, and will project power through forward presence. The ship and her crew will serve our nation for decades to come, but let us not forget our industrial force whose service makes this great ship possible. “
According to the Department of Defense, “The first Navy ship to bear the name Charleston was a row galley that defended the coast of South Carolina during the Quasi-War with France. The second Charleston (C-2) was a protected cruiser that received the surrender of Guam during the Spanish-American War. The third Charleston (C-22) was a St. Louis-class protected cruiser that performed escort and troop transport duties in World War I. The ship named Charleston (PG-51) was an Erie-class patrol gunboat that earned the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one battle star for her service in the northern Pacific during World War II. The fifth Charleston (AKA-113/LKA-113) was an amphibious cargo ship that served during the Vietnam War.”
- Want to go? If you want to attend the commissioning ceremony for the ship, the sixth named for Charleston, you will have to register through the Navy League of Charleston and fill in all of the required information. In late January or early February, the Navy will send an letter to those who registered online with further instructions. Then the Navy will send invitation tickets to successful registrants. More info.
In other Good News:
Johns Island traffic. Charleston County will hold a meeting 7 p.m. Thursday at Berkeley Electric Coop on Maybank Highway to discuss its plans for traffic improvements throughout Johns Island, including intersections of Main Road with U.S. Highway 17 and Maybank Highway, as well as widening of Main Road. According to Nix 526, “If you live anywhere on Johns Island, this will impact you. Please plan to attend this meeting so we can protect our Island by asking for the best improvements to alleviate traffic that also provide the least amount of harm to impacted residences and our our irreplaceable trees.”
Parks open, but … During the shutdown of the federal government due to the lapse of appropriations, the Fort Sumter National Monument, including Fort Moultrie, Fort Moultrie Visitor Center, Liberty Square Visitor Education Center, and the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site will remain as accessible as possible while following all applicable laws and procedures, according to a press release. Park trails and outdoor signs will remain accessible to visitors, but emergency and rescue services will be limited. There will be no National Park Service-provided visitor services at Fort Sumter National Monument and Charles Pinckney National Historic Site, including public information, restrooms, trash collection, and facilities and roads maintenance.
New record. More than 4.1 million people have flown in and out of Charleston International Airport so far this year, according to a press release.
Recycle your Christmas tree. Charleston County’s Environmental Management Department is asking citizens to go green this holiday season by recycling Christmas trees and by following other helpful tips to lessen the environmental impact. To recycle Christmas trees and greenery, remove all decorations such as lights, tinsel and ornaments. Some municipalities will pick them up curbside, or they can be taken to a convenience center. The trees picked up curbside are transported to the Bees Ferry Compost Facility to be ground and composted. Residents who drop off a tree at the Bees Ferry Compost Facility from Jan. 2 to Jan. 9 will receive a free bag of compost (one bag per customer).
Help wanted. Lutheran Hospice of the Lowcountry is looking for volunteers to help to deliver individualized end-of-life care by providing physical, emotional and spiritual support. The organization needs Direct Patient Volunteers to provide companionship, socialization and emotional support to patients and caregivers in their homes or nursing facilities throughout the three-county area. To learn more, contact Volunteer Manager Jennifer Hartig at 843.856.4735 or jhartig@lutheranhospice.org.
We haven’t heard from you lately; Send us your thoughts
We’d love to get your impact in one or more ways:
Send us a letter: We love hearing from readers. Comments are limited to 250 words or less. Please include your name and contact information. Send your letters to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com. | Read our feedback policy.
Tell us what you love about the Lowcountry. Send a short comment – 100 words to 150 words – that describes something you really enjoy about the Lowcountry. It can be big or small. It can be a place, a thing or something you see. It might the bakery where you get a morning croissant or a business or government entity doing a good job. We’ll highlight your entry in a coming issue of Charleston Currents. We look forward to hearing from you.
MYSTERY: Is it a castle?
This part of the South Carolina building above looks like a castle. But is it? Send your guess to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com. And don’t forget to include your name and the town in which you live.
Our previous Mystery Photo
Our Dec. 17 mystery, “A Lowcountry building decked out for the holidays,” was a gift from longtime sleuth Bill Segars Hartsville. He sent us a picture of the Fishers of Men Total Man Deliverance Ministry church in downtown Walterboro. Built in 1897 as the First Baptist Church, it later became St. John’s Independent Methodist Church before becoming home to its current congregation.
Bill’s mystery was pretty tough for our readers, but not for two determined photo detectives: George Graf of Palmyra, Va., and Jay Altman of Columbia. Great job, guys!
Graf sent some more information: “According to scpictureproject.org: This charming Queen Anne-style church in Walterboro was built around the turn of the twentieth century for the First Baptist Church of Walterboro. The church used this building until 1954. When the congregation built a new church in the mid-century, this sanctuary became the home of St. John’s Independent Methodist Church. Today the Fishers of Men Ministry, a Pentecostal congregation, occupies the historical cruciform church.”
Send us a mystery: If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Send it along to editor@charlestoncurrents.com.
HISTORY: Columbia College
S.C. Encyclopedia | Chartered in 1854 by the South Carolina Methodist Conference, Columbia College is the eleventh-oldest women’s college in the United States and one of only two women’s colleges in South Carolina.
Initially opened as Columbia Female College, its first students entered in 1859 in a newly erected facility on Plain Street (now Hampton Street) in Columbia. The faculty was comprised of ten women and six men, under the presidency of Whitefoord Smith, a prominent Methodist minister. The student body numbered 121, and 13 students comprised the first graduating class in June 1860. The college closed after the Civil War and reopened in 1873. In 1882 a group of graduates established the Columbia College Alumnae Association to further the aims of the institution; it was the fifth such organization of women’s college graduates in the country.
The college dropped the word “female” from its official name in 1904. In 1905 the institution relocated to a new facility on land donated by the benefactors F. H. Hyatt and John T. Sloan in the Eau Claire neighborhood, north of the city. Although this facility was destroyed by fire in 1909, the college quickly rebuilt. It was accredited by the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges in 1938.
In 1948 the Methodist Conference merged Columbia College and Wofford College under a single administration at Wofford. Alumnae and friends convinced conference leaders to reinstate Columbia College as an autonomous institution in 1950. Under the presidency of R. Wright Spears (1951–1977), the college began a significant building program and enrollment dramatically increased. Fire swept the campus once again in 1964, and alumnae worked closely with President Spears to raise funds for new buildings. Columbia College admitted its first African American students in 1966.
Throughout its history, the college has focused its attention on the higher educational needs of women, and curricular offerings have reflected the social and economic changes impacting women’s experiences. Public service has been a key emphasis in the college’s mission. Among the college’s most notable graduates are Wil Lou Gray (class of 1903), champion of adult education and literacy programs in South Carolina; Elizabeth Johnson Patterson (class of 1961), the first woman from South Carolina elected to a full term in the United States Congress; and Karen Johnson Williams (class of 1973), the first woman to serve on the Fourth Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals.
The college curriculum is grounded in the liberal arts tradition. Undergraduate majors are offered in forty-two academic areas, and the college confers bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, bachelor of fine arts, and bachelor of music degrees. The college implemented a coeducational undergraduate evening division in 1999 and provides coeducational graduate programs in education and conflict management.
Columbia College is governed by a board of trustees approved by the South Carolina United Methodist Conference. The board selected its first woman president, Phyllis O. Bonanno, in 1997. Caroline Bagley Whitson was selected in 2001 as Columbia College’s seventeenth president. Its current president is Dr. Carol Moore.
— Excerpted from an entry by Belinda F. Gergel. This entry hasn’t been updated since 2006. To read more about this or 2,000 other entries about South Carolina, check out The South Carolina Encyclopedia, published in 2006 by USC Press. (Information used by permission.)
CALENDAR: Restaurant Week is around the corner
Staff reports | You can get deals at more than 100 restaurants throughout the Charleston area during Charleston Restaurant Week, which starts Jan. 9 and lasts through Jan 20.
- Check out this website to learn about all of the participating Lowcountry restaurants, the deals they offer and how to reserve your table.
Also on the Calendar:
January’s Gaillard events. Check out these awesome January events at the Charleston Gaillard Center, 95 Calhoun St., Charleston:
Jan. 4 and 5, 7 p.m.: Beethoven’s 5th Symphony by the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.
Jan. 7, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Jan. 18 (business hours): Prints in Clay photography exhibit, free. It’s a collection of photographs to support the Slave Dwelling Project. A celebration of spiritual music will be held 5 p.m. Jan. 13 with world-class singers and music.
Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m.: Rock of Ages, 10th anniversary tour.
Jan. 17, 7:30 p.m.: Charleston Symphony Orchestra presents “Around the World in 80 minutes.”
Jan. 22, 7:30 p.m.: Martha Graham Dance Company.
Jan. 26, 8 p.m.: Bobby McFerrin with Ranky Tanky.
Guevara art show: Through Jan. 11, 2019 (Tuesdays through Saturdays), Redux Contemporary Art Center, 1056 King St., Charleston. Redux will present new work by fiber artist Camela Guevara in a show titled “Care Work.” Click to learn more.
Library Society’s annual meeting: 5 p.m., Jan. 15, 164 King St., Charleston. The Charleston Library Society will hold its 271st annual meeting and reception with special guest speaker Victoria Johnson, author of “American Eden: David Hosack, Botany, and Medicine in the Garden of the Early Republic.” Spaced is limited; please RSVP to 843-723-9912. More info.
MLK tribute concert: 5 p.m., Jan. 19, St. Matthew Baptist Church, 2005 Reynolds Ave., North Charleston. The City of North Charleston Cultural Affairs Department will sponsor a free concert by Lowcountry Voices to honor the memory of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and singer Aretha Franklin.
Chaplin/Amble art show: Through Jan. 31, 2019, North Charleston City Gallery at the Charleston Area Convention Center, 5001 Coliseum Drive, North Charleston. Paintings by the current City of North Charleston Artist-in-Residence Quintin Chaplin, as well as photographs by local artist Richard Amble will be on exhibit More.
Early morning bird walks at Caw Caw: 8:30 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday, Caw Caw Interpretive Center, Ravenel. You can learn about habitats and birds, butterflies and other organisms in this two-hour session. Registration not required, but participants are to be 15 and up. $10 per person or free to Gold Pass holders. More: http://www.CharlestonCountyParks.com.
AREA FARMERS MARKETS
SATURDAYS: Johns Island Farmers Market operates each Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. year-round with more than 50 local farmers and vendors, food trucks, music and more. The market is located on the campus of Charleston Collegiate School, 2024 Academy Road, Johns Island.
- If you have an event to list on our calendar, please send it to feedback@charlestoncurrents.com for consideration. The calendar is updated weekly on Mondays.
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Charleston Currents offers insightful community comment and good news on events each week. It cuts through the information clutter to offer the best of what’s happening locally.
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