If you missed it, please take time to revisit the homepage and click on the link to the previously posted Feature Articles. Last month’s article by Zach Liollio was another outstanding example of the preservation work being conducted across S.C. by young adults who treasure their local history just as retirees do! Or link to it at: #1 Broad Street. And the current article by Nick Gambrell, on the the Bearden Family as contractors in Pickens County, is another excellent feature, showcasing the research and interests exhibited once again by the younger generation of scholars who treasure local history.
Working with all of R&R’s feature writers is a rewarding experience, all young, energetic and enthusiastic parties, who love exploring and preserving local history one house at a time. Several individuals have also sent in posts from areas outside of S.C., with links to the Palmetto state. These will also be shared as time permits and we know you will enjoy them as well. But one of R&R’s themes which we would like to see repeatedly covered by members and users is that of Moving West. Nearly every few days someone is offering a tidbit of information on their family’s move to Arkansas or Texas. While at a Rotarian Club meeting last week, a gentleman approached me with a keen interest in sharing his family’s extensive genealogy collection. However, he was reluctant to do so, since they had all moved to Arkansas and points west. I assured him his volumes of data would be welcome. Do you too have a story to share on your own family moving westward? I can’t imagine the heartache of the parents who watched as their sons and daughters departed for new fertile grounds, not knowing if they would ever see or hear from them again. Or receiving news that the promised land was not so great and please help us return home!
Without going into detail, R&R was simply delighted this past week, to have been granted long sought-after access, to one of S.C.’s most unique houses, a ca. 1850s rural site in upcountry S.C. This delightful home holds a treasure trove of historic documents and records having never been accessed by the public. How rewarding it was to tour the historic grounds and dwelling. We believe the long-term owner learned as much about their historic home as did we! And of course we were even more delighted with being invited to later digitize much of the collection for preservation and sharing. It pays to be patient, I personally have wanted access to this house for decades and oh was I not disappointed.
Speaking of feature articles, we are also extraordinarily pleased that a prolific writer-historian of local S.C. history, now long retired, has also shared hundreds of articles for publication on the pages of Roots and Recall. These articles have not been digitized or cataloged, so it will be sometime before volunteers can complete the process and begin adding them to the pages of the website. Having them available on the website and building the links associated with each article, is certainly time consuming, but worth every minute. This project is one that will take much of 2018 to fully complete, we can’t imagine one any more useful to R&R’s members!
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R&R Note: The Roots and Recall website is growing so rapidly that it has been difficult to maintain the weekly blog schedule. For those of you who have previously expressed your deep appreciation of receiving it weekly, we do apologize! As one member wrote, she anticipates receiving it like “news from a old friend”! To her and others, we regret that there are simply not enough hours in the day but we will indeed keep working at it. The good news is that such great materials are flowing into the website from all points across the state – being provided by individuals and historians, we certainly are blessed and appreciate the valuable donations of articles, images and historic materials being shared, thanks!
You may also like to know that Rusty Robinson, R&R’s co-founder, also is currently in Richmond, Va., helping restore a museum house. Preservation is an on going process and we look forward to bringing you great stories in 2018….