South Carolina Genealogy

Another great event in Spartanburg coming up this Saturday!

Downtown Spartanburg Walking Tour

Begins at Regional History Museum, 200 E. St. John St., Spartanburg
Saturday, May 29, 2010 – 10:00 to 11:30 am

Admission: $10 adults, $5 students
Limited to 30

Downtown walking tours begin at the Regional History Museum and proceed to East Main Street, through Morgan Square, down Magnolia Street and back along St. John Street. Participants will see historic photographs depicting historical views of downtown Spartanburg from while standing where they were taken. Additionally, we’ll hear fascinating and often humorous stories about downtown and its occupants. Downtown has changed a lot since 1787, and there is no better way to see it than by standing in the places where history happened! Tours will be canceled in the case of inclement weather. Custom tours for school and civic groups also available.

To make reservations or for more information, contact Brad Steinecke at 596-3501 or by emailing bsteinecke@spartanburghistory.org.

Received this reminder via email:

The next meeting of the Spartanburg History Hub is scheduled for Thursday, May 27, 7:00 pm at 234 S. Spring Street, Spartanburg, behind the main post office. (This is one of the Preservation Trust’s renovated Hampton Heights homes and you can wander through it.) Parking is limited at the house, but you can park behind the National Beta Club office/Southside Baptist Church back lot a block or so down the street. If you have questions, feel free to call or email me.

There is no charge for attending meetings of the Spartanburg History Hub and we’ll wrap up promptly at 8:00 pm. There will be the opportunity for introductions and brief announcements. Feel free to bring fliers or brochures so you can give a short announcement and interested parties can pick up the detailed information afterward. Jack Parker will be with us from Camden to talk about and autograph his new book, Parker’s Guide to the Revolutionary War in South Carolina (http://www.screvwarguide.com/). Special thanks to members Bob & Christine Swager for luring him to Spartanburg by offering accommodations at their “B&B!”

Each of us involved with history has a unique set of skills, experiences, and resources related to preserving and promoting history. If we combine our strengths, we will take Spartanburg County’s history community to the next level which will benefit us as well as our communities at large. This Hub is designed to bring people and organizations with a commitment to Spartanburg County history together to share what they’re doing, hear what others are doing, and facilitate learning and collaboration. The Hub won’t work if you don’t come!

Please feel free to forward this email to anyone you think may be interested or send me their contact information and I will send an invitation. Also, please let me know at any time if you would prefer not to receive Hub emails.

I look forward to seeing you on the 27th!

Sincerely,
Becky Slayton, Executive Director
Spartanburg County Historical Association, 864-278-9664

Spartanburg County Library, Barrett Room
May 24@7PM

Received the following invitation and wanted to pass it along:

Plan to bring your friends and join us this coming Monday evening, May 24, for an early performance of this year’s Chautauqua Spartanburg, as Caroline McIntyre portrays Mary Ingles at the Spartanburg County Library. Leading off our second year of Chautauqua in Spartanburg, this event will give you a glimpse of what Chautauqua is all about as we eagerly anticipate the 2010 schedule, which will take place June 18, 19, 21 and 22 (see attached schedule). All performances are FREE.

At the Monday performance, you will meet Mary Draper Ingles, a Southwest Virginia Frontierswoman (portrayed in James Thom’s book, Follow the River) captured by Shawnee Indians during the French and Indian War. Through the magic of Chautauqua we are transported back in time to 1755 to meet the real Mary Draper Ingles and learn from her the courage it takes to survive in the wilderness. Mary will start by telling us her story of the Massacre at Drapers Meadows, her escape from the Shawnee and eventual return home. Please take a few moments and look over the attachments with this email.

CHAUTAUQUA (pronounced Shuh – TALK – wa) is interactive theater presenting: History that just won’t stay in a book. The June Chautauqua programs will follow the theme – American Imagination and offer four nights other historic figures like Thomas Edison on June 18, Benjamin Franklin on June 19, Dr. Seuss on June 21 and Langston Hughes on June 22 as each comes to Spartanburg to talk with us.

We hope you will join us next Monday and for the summer programs.

Questions: Call Charlie Gray at 864-641-8378 or 864-597-4186.

The Spartanburg Downtown Airport will be the topic of discussion at Lunch & Learn Spartanburg on Friday, May 21, 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the Spartanburg Regional History Museum at the Chapman Cultural Center. The speaker will be Maj. Gen. Darwin H. Simpson, Director of the Spartanburg Downtown Airport, which recently broke ground on a $4.5 million renovation project. The Spartanburg Downtown Airport was South Carolina’s first airport. This will be the first facelift for the facility in its 75-year history. Attendance is only $5, and you are welcome to bring your lunch. The meeting will be in the first-floor conference of the Moseley Building at the Chapman Cultural Center. It is being presented by the Spartanburg County Historical Association. For more information or reserve seating, please call 596-3501 or email njefferies@spartanburghistory.org.

For those of you in the Upstate….

The next meeting of the Spartanburg History Hub is scheduled for Thursday, May 27, 7:00 pm at 234 S. Spring Street, Spartanburg, behind the main post office. (This is one of the Preservation Trust’s renovated Hampton Heights homes and you can wander through it.) There is no charge for attending meetings of the Spartanburg History Hub and we’ll wrap up promptly at 8:00 pm. There will be the opportunity for introductions and brief announcements. Feel free to bring fliers or brochures so you can give a short announcement and interested parties can pick up the detailed information afterward. Jack Parker will be with us from Camden to talk about and autograph his new book, Parker’s Guide to the Revolutionary War in South Carolina (http://www.screvwarguide.com/). Special thanks to members Bob & Christine Swager for luring him to Spartanburg by offering accommodations at their “B&B!”

Each of us involved with history has a unique set of skills, experiences, and resources related to preserving and promoting history. If we combine our strengths, we will take Spartanburg County’s history community to the next level which will benefit us as well as our communities at large. This Hub is designed to bring people and organizations with a commitment to Spartanburg County history together to share what they’re doing, hear what others are doing, and facilitate learning and collaboration. The Hub won’t work if you don’t come!

I’ve got a few news items from the Spartanburg Historical Association Roundup over the last few days. First off, the Hub City Railroad Museum seems to be a big hit!

The Hub City Railroad Museum opened this past Saturday and was a big hit! They will continue to be open on Wednesdays from 10-2 and on Saturdays from 8-2. This is an entirely volunteer organization and they are looking for volunteers who can welcome and inform visitors to the museum. Even if you don’t know a lot about Spartanburg’s railroad and industrial history, they are ready to teach you and you will work with an experienced railroad history volunteer. The goal is to have 2 people each time the museum is open.

Read the rest of this entry »