"Revealing the Revolution" Historical Marker Scavenger Hunt
Apr
1
to Jul 2

"Revealing the Revolution" Historical Marker Scavenger Hunt

Ready to explore Revolutionary War Beaufort? 

Play “Revealing the Revolution,” a FREE, self-guided historical marker scavenger hunt across Beaufort County! Pick up a game brochure at any Beaufort Branch Library or Bookmobile, or download it and print from here. Visit markers, find answers, complete your sheet, win prizes! Turn in your completed gamesheet at a Branch library or mail it in. Prizes distributed by July 31, 2026!

Presented by the Beaufort County Historical Society, the Beaufort Public Library’s Beaufort District Collection, and the Beaufort County 250th Committee.

#BeaufortHistory #RevolutionaryWar #SouthCarolinaHistory #LibraryPrograms #ScavengerHunt #LocalHistory #ExploreSC #ReavealingtheRevolution2026

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When we think of the Revolutionary War, we often conjure up thoughts of Valley Forge and the Crossing of the Delaware. But mischief was afoot in bucolic colonial South Carolina, as well. And while Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, was creating havoc up near Charleston, others like Thomas Heyward, Jr. and William Moultrie were making history in Beaufort District.

The Beaufort County Historical Society, The Beaufort County Public Library’s Beaufort District Collection, and the Beaufort 250th Committee have combined forces to make it easy and FUN-for visitors and residents alike- to discover Beaufort’s rich Revolutionary past.

Participants simply need to pick up a Scavenger Hunt brochure from any Beaufort Branch Library (or bookmobile) and set out to find the markers listed inside. Brochures can also be downloaded and printed from here. A QR code on the front of the brochure provides a Google map of all marker location, and each marker’s text supplies the answers to questions that must be completed.

Locate 5 markers, and receive a “Revealing the Revolution Marker Hunt” car sticker.  Visit 10 markers, and receive the car sticker and a beautiful commemorative coin for your efforts. Visit all 15 markers listed, and you earn the first two prizes and the chance to win the Grand Prize, a 22” X 26” framed replica of the Robert Mills 1825 map of Beaufort District. Completed game sheets can be dropped off at any Branch library, or mailed directly to the BCHS, which will send out prizes by July 31, 2026

Sample brochures will be provided to Beaufort County teachers of SC History in 8th grade and US History in 11th grade, to generate some “buzz” among students about local contributions to the American Revolution. They will be eligible to win prizes too, based on their level of participation.

Don’t like to drive? Take part in an “in-house” version of the Scavenger Hunt at each Branch Library and Bookmobile location. “Tour” the markers from the comfort of a chair with a special brochure listing 5 historical markers and the actual marker text.  Participants must answer a question about each one to earn their car sticker-you don’t even need a library card to play!

Leah Roche, the Beaufort County Historical Society’s project planner, said, “This exciting program will give locals and tourists a reason to stop and absorb these historical tidbits as we all celebrate the many ways Beaufort District helped shape the Revolutionary War effort.”



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A Party Divided; Political Divisions in the Beaufort Republican Party During Reconstruction
May
14
11:00 AM11:00

A Party Divided; Political Divisions in the Beaufort Republican Party During Reconstruction

During the beginning of the Reconstruction period in Beaufort, South Carolina, a division in the Republican party grew. This political division pitted William C. Morrison and Robert Smalls, heroes of the Planter, against each other. This division in the Republican party was heated and even violent at times and involved some big names in Beaufort history. Reconstruction Era Park Ranger Eric Ellis discusses how this division began and how it played out and impacted the Republican Party of Beaufort’s Reconstruction period. 

Originally from Jacksonville, Eric Ellis joined the US Navy after high school serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. After the Navy, Eric attended school at New Mexico State University, in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in History and his Master of Arts in Public History and 19th c. US History. After graduation Eric took a position with New Mexico Historic Sites as an Interpretive Ranger. In 2023, Eric accepted a position as a historian for the National Park Service at the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park. In his time with the Park Service, Eric focused his research on Black Landownership during the Reconstruction period and completed research on a variety of topics on the Reconstruction period for the park and park partners.  

This presentation is part of the ongoing collaboration, Historically Speaking, between the Beaufort County Historical Society, and the BCPL’s Beaufort District Collection.



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The Pardo Trail and Santa Elena/ BCHS Annual Meeting
May
28
11:00 AM11:00

The Pardo Trail and Santa Elena/ BCHS Annual Meeting

How many of us know that Europeans were in Beaufort almost a century before the Pilgrims first ate turkey at Plymouth Rock?  “Santa Elena” (Saint Helena) was on European charts as a strategically important geographic point from 1526 and became Spain’s premier North American colony 1566-1587. Spanish “La Florida” encompassed all lands from modern Maine thru New Mexico.  From Santa Elena, Florida’s capital until 1576, expeditions and religious missions ranged as far north as the Chesapeake Bay, as far south as Key West…and as far west as Tennessee (our topic).  Captain Juan Pardo was tasked with establishing a highway connecting Parris Island to the silver mines in northern Mexico.  Fort San Juan, just outside today’s Morganton NC was one of the multiple outposts Captain Pardo established during two penetrations of the interior 1566-1568.  Archaeology revealed, and artifacts recovered from the “Berry Site” (contemporary landowners), are direct reflections of Beaufort’s 16th Century history.

Dr. David Moore has worked at the Berry site near Morganton, North Carolina for 25 years and currently directs the summer field school. He has directed major excavations at numerous sites in North Carolina including Hardaway, Warren Wilson, and Berry. His work in the upper Catawba Valley began in 1986 with excavations at the Berry site as part of his dissertation research. He is a faculty member in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Warren Wilson College.

Co-sponsored by the Beaufort County Historical Society and the Beaufort County Library’s Beaufort District Collection, as part of their ongoing “Historically Speaking “ series.

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Loyal to the End: The Loyalists (or Tories) of Beaufort District
Mar
26
11:00 AM11:00

Loyal to the End: The Loyalists (or Tories) of Beaufort District

In some ways, the American Revolution was Beaufort District's first civil war. Join Palmetto Bluff Archaeologist Katie Epps as she discusses the often-overlooked Loyalists of Beaufort District and their actions in the Revolutionary War.

The "Historically Speaking" local history series is brought to you by the Beaufort District Collection and the Beaufort County Historical Society.

Doors open at 10:30 AM.

Speaker Bio: Katie Epps fell in love with history while growing up in Charleston. She earned her undergraduate degree in Anthropology at the College or Charleston and her master's degree from the University of South Carolina. She worked at Palmetto Bluff as a contract archaeologist from 2004-2008 and returned in 2021 as the Assistant Archaeologist. She is now the Director of Cultural Resources and is responsible for the archaeological resources of Palmetto Bluff, conserving the metal artifacts, preparing artifacts for perpetual curation, and working with the Conservancy to ensure the cemeteries are maintained and restored.

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Upcoming Events

Featured
"Revealing the Revolution" Historical Marker Scavenger Hunt
Apr 1
"Revealing the Revolution" Historical Marker Scavenger Hunt
A Party Divided; Political Divisions in the Beaufort Republican Party During Reconstruction
May 14
A Party Divided; Political Divisions in the Beaufort Republican Party During Reconstruction
The Pardo Trail and Santa Elena/ BCHS Annual Meeting
May 28
The Pardo Trail and Santa Elena/ BCHS Annual Meeting