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News|...updates and events |
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| The Beech Island Agricultural Museum - Following a $200,000 United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development Rural Business Enterprise Grant to renovate the society’s brick barn into the Beech Island Agricultural Museum, much work has been completed by the architectural firm of Hughes, Beattie, O’Neal and Law of Augusta, GA. The project is nearing completion and the Society Board Members will vote soon on a date for the grand opening. The BIHS is seeking additional exhibits for the new museum to add to their current holdings. Artifacts to be displayed are antique plows and planters, old scales, a grape crusher, a mule harness, corn shucker, wagon wheel and other farm production items. The society is asking for donations of Indian agricultural items as well. |
New Book Details History of Bottles in Augusta - Bill Baab's extensive collection of beer, medicine and soda bottles date back more than a century. Each bottle comes with a story...so much so that Bill has written a book called, Augusta on Glass, that details the bottle-making history of the area. With his wife, Bill self-published the book on antique bottles from Augusta which retails for $40. You can contact him at 706/736-8097 or at riverswamper@comcast.net for details on obtaining a copy.
New Book Available for SC Genealogists/Historians - Confederate Pensioners of the Old Edgefield District, Vol. 1 as edited by Betsy R. Bloomer of North Augusta, SC 2006. Covers pensions from 1888 to 1910. (Edgefield County subdivided into Aiken, Greenwood and Saluda counties later) Contact Betsy at 803/613-9799 or bbetsy@bellsouth.net .
Country Store To Be Built Resembling Snider's Grocery - The 25x34-foot metal building bought in 2004 to be used for the country store has been sold and a wooden structure that will resemble Snider’s Grocery will be constructed on the 25x35-foot cement pad which is already in place. It will be located next to the Society's Visitor's Center.
| Chasing History, A Remarkable Discovery - Near the end of February Jackie and Benny Bartley along with Dan Connelly, manager of the Silver Bluff Audubon Center, set out along Hollow Creek to investigate a claim that there were old graves back there. Jackie had the thought that this little foray into the thick forest near Kathwood Lakes was a wild goose chase. But hours later and, after Jackie very nearly stepped on a cotton mouth water moccasin, they discovered an old tombstone that read "Rebecca Meyer died Sept. 19, 1829 in the 73rd year of her age"! Not far away was a different sort of tomb marker...a piece of pine like a post about a foot tall. There was no decipherable name on it. Could this be the old wooden tombstone belonging to John Dicks who was granted that land in the early 1700's? Jackie and Benny believe that this find might be what is left of the old Dicks family cemetery that had been located on his original land grant which was Colvin Field. Two entries in the Edgefield County Deed books seem to support this theory. This foray into Beech Island's history was no wild goose chase! |
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Beech Island PBS Film -
"History Detectives", a nationally-televised documentary was
filmed in Beech Island last year.
The purpose of the documentary was
to determine the
authenticity of a document owned by the Beech Island Agricultural Club known as General Order #9
which was General Robert E. Lee's Farewell Address to his troops. It
was composed at Appomattox, VA in April 1865 along with the surrender of
his troops. The document was presented to the Beech Island
Agricultural Club in 1909 upon the death of William H. Atkinson, the
club's former secretary. During the Civil War Atkinson served in the
Judge Advocates Office attached to General Lee's Headquarters. He
was present at Lee's surrender at Appomattox. Lee presented Atkinson with a signed copy
that he brought back to Beech Island and kept until he died on November
14, 1887. After his death the original document was given to the
Beech Island Agricultural Club.
Beech Island Cemeteries Update - The Zubly
Cemetery Association is now officially a non-profit organization.
The application for non-profit 501(c)3
status has been accepted and this group now has a tax-exempt number. This
means that any donation made to this Association is a charitable donation and
can be a tax deduction. 
Other new progress includes a recent survey of the
property, a recent appraisal of the property, a new deed that has been filed in
Aiken County, SC (the 1855 one was filed in the parent county, Edgefield), legal
easements to use Forrest Drive for access to the cemetery, a bank account, young
cedar trees planted by Jackie & Benny along the road and young oaks
at some distance outside the wall, a plan to erect a marker for patriarch
David Zubly and his wife Ann Meyer and a plan to have an annual meeting of
directors. To make your donation please
make check payable to The Zubly Cemetery Association, Inc. 2190 Atomic
Road, Beech Island, SC 29842.
Redcliffe Plantation News -
Society Meetings (held from September through March)
Recent Donations to the Historical Society-The Beech Island Historical Society is a 501-C Non-Profit Corporation
There is always work to be done for the Society. If you have a few hours you would like to donate or if you would like to participate in any of our projects, please contact Jackie Bartley at 803/867-3600, 803/827-0184 or email .
Society News
The Snider Store Fund has continued to grow and we continue to look forward to adding this new feature to our property. Please send your donations to the Beech Island Historical Society and mark it for the "Snider's Store Fund".
The Prior Butler Cemetery, owned by the Beech Island Historical Society, received a much-needed cleanup courtesy of the efforts of Benny Bartley and funds donated by Sharon McConnell.
Queries
Other Area Events
The Augusta Canal once again has a fleet of Petersburg boats traveling its waterways. Guided Canal Tours are currently being given and the boats can be chartered for private parties. Contact sherrouse@augustacanal.com for more information.
The Beech Island Historic Homes
Tour was held Saturday, April 19, 2008- 
