VOLUME
59 ISSUE â„– 02
Historically Speaking
WINTER 2020 A NEWSLETTER OF HISTORIC COLUMBIA
From the Executive Director
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hen a person has 20/20 vision, it means they have a certain level of clarity— sharpness in the way that they see the world. The same can be said for an institution and its collective members. As Historic Columbia moves into this new year and its 6th decade, it does so with 20/20 vision focused on: continuing to build capacity through partnerships, increasing community impact through educational programs, and preserving the historic places that define Columbia and Richland County. As we approach the centennial of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, Historic Columbia celebrates the remarkable accomplishments women have made throughout our city’s history. Over the next few months, you will see this through the expansion of our partnership with WREN and the Columbia City of Women Project as we add a new class of honorees to the “map,” and in our continued work with the History Center at UofSC with a two-day symposium addressing the history of women’s suffrage and relevance of the movement today. Ensuring that our programs are reflective of the community is an ongoing effort, particularly for our education team. The Historic Columbia Traveling Trunk Program, launched in 2007 with support from BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, is our most effective and robust tool to meet the needs of classroom teachers. From the Civil War through the Civil Rights Movement, students experience hands-on history from a Historic Columbia staff member to support the standards-based content. With growth between 8% and 10% annually, the Traveling Trunk Program reached more than 9,000 students across SC in 2019. As our state’s social studies standards change, we are committed to adjusting this product to meet the needs of our constituents. Adjusting to change is the daily work at a preservation organization, particularly when your offices are in the oldest building in Columbia! Since its construction in the late 1790s the Seibels House has served as a residence, restaurant, and an antique store, as well as an event and office space. From the enslaved people who likely built the house to the visitors who stop by to learn more about Columbia and Richland County, this site is showing the impact that more than two centuries of activity have had on it. Thanks to generous support from donors to the 2019-20 Annual Fund and through a grant from the State Historic Preservation Office, in 2020, we will begin the first of a multi-phase rehabilitation of this site. There is much work to do and still funds to raise, but we appreciate your support to date for this project. Join us as we step into a new decade with clear vision towards a commitment to expand partnerships, provide equity in programming, and protect the community’s historic assets. We can’t do it without you!
Historically Speaking Winter 2020 | Volume 59 | Issue 02 President Gina Lesslie 1st Vice President Mark Jones 2nd Vice President Kim Jamieson Treasurer Jamie Keller Secretary Jeff Payne The mission of Historic Columbia is to nurture, support and protect the historical and cultural heritage of Columbia and Richland County through programs of advocacy, education and preservation.
In This Issue 3 4-5 6 7
Preservation Awards, Annual Fund Update Centennial 19th Amendment Ratification Upcoming Events Gift Shop Renovations
On the cover Members of the League of Women Voters preparing voters for the upcoming election, 1968. Image courtesy of The State Newspaper Photograph Collection
Join us in welcoming several new folks to the Historic Columbia team! Robin Waites
Executive Director
Development Coordinator Charles Calhoun Director of Marketing and Communications Renée Chow Rentals Coordinator Shelby Harris Groundskeeper Melanie Murray Curatorial Assistant Grace Steimer Office and Special Projects Manager Kathryn Trier
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HISTORIC COLUMBIA | NEWSLETTER
Visit us on the web: www.historiccolumia.org
Call for Preservation Award Entries
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Historic Columbia will begin work on a threephase preservation plan for Seibels House with Phase 1 estimated to cost $100,000.
Seibels House Stabilization
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he Seibels House—Columbia’s oldest remaining building—is in critical need. Proceeds from this year’s Annual Fund will enable Historic Columbia to embark on the structural stabilization of this venerable landmark. Built circa 1796, it has hosted Historic Columbia’s administrative offices and has been a popular destination for private events and weddings since 1984, when its ownership was graciously transferred to Historic Columbia from Seibels family descendants. Over the past three years, Historic Columbia completed a comprehensive analysis of the structure, from its basement to its roof. This study revealed the need for nearly $1,000,000 in preservation work to ensure the building
Built circa 1796, Seibels House is Columbia’s oldest building.
will continue to serve the community and our organization for future generations. Historic Columbia, in working with engineers, has established a three-phase plan to stabilize the building. Your support of this year’s Annual Fund will complete the first phase that also allows continued use of the building for day-to-day operations and event rentals.
ach year, Historic Columbia recognizes local projects that exhibit excellence in the preservation field by maintaining or adding to the historical, architectural and cultural heritage of Columbia and Richland County. Historic Columbia also honors individuals who contribute to the advancement of historic preservation in the region. Submit your nomination in one of the following categories: Preservation/Restoration: Historically significant structures restored to their original design and function. Adaptive Use: Structures rehabilitated with sensitivity to the historic fabric that function in a way that is different from its original intent.
Phase I is estimated to cost $100,000. The immediate needs that will be met in Phase I, with your support, include foundation stabilization, joist and roof repairs, and masonry replacement and repointing.
New Construction in a Historic Context: New buildings in an historic district adjacent to or within existing historic structures that complement the historic context.
Thanks to the generous support of donors to the Annual Fund to date and a grant from the State Historic Preservation Office, in 2020, we will get started on this first phase of work. With so much work ahead and many funds to raise, we truly appreciate your support for this project.
Preservation Leadership: Nominations in this category will recognize an individual, corporation, governmental agency, community, or neighborhood association that has contributed to the advancement of historic preservation in the region.
Enclosed, please find a return envelope to mail your donation. Online donations can also be made by visiting historiccolumbia.org/annualfund. Please contact Megan Plott at 803-252-7742 x12 or mplott@historiccolumbia.org with questions.
Nominations are limited to projects completed within the last five years and located in Columbia and Richland County. Only completed projects will be considered. Nominations are due by Thursday, February 13, 2020. Nomination forms are available at historiccolumbia.org/ preservation or by emailing ktrier@historiccolumbia.org.
Thank you for helping us save this irreplaceable Columbia landmark.
WINTER 2020
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Women, Voting and Politics: Reflections on a Century of Women’s Suffrage
Members and supporters of the South Carolina Equal Suffrage League pose circa 1918. Suffragette Ida Salley Reamer stands second from left; her children, Cornelia and William, pose in white atop the table. Image courtesy Nela Edgar
Letterhead from the South Carolina Equal Suffrage League, 1916. Image courtesy South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina, Columbia
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HISTORIC COLUMBIA | NEWSLETTER
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n August 19, 1920 in Columbia, SC, “a jubilant group of suffrage leaders” gathered at Craven Hall on Washington Street (between Main and Sumter streets) to celebrate the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, “brought about by the victory of the women in Tennessee.” Led by Mrs. Bertha T. Munsell, president of the South Carolina League of Women Voters, and Ida Salley Reamer, chair of the Columbia League of Women Voters, the group gathered around a table featuring a statue of victory, yellow flowers, and “a huge bowl of punch—[a] strictly prohibition beverage” for a round of toasts. Five days later, the group met again at Craven Hall, this time to form the Columbia and Richland County League of Women Voters with Reamer as its inaugural president. Before the end of the month, Reamer, Munsell, Edna Reed Whaley, and Isabel L. Cain became the first women to register to vote in South Carolina. The birth of an organized movement to secure women’s rights occurred at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, although the fight to secure the vote began in earnest during the Reconstruction era, when the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments offered a platform to argue for universal suffrage. In South Carolina, Reconstruction era-legislator William J. Whipper was the first to argue that a new state constitution should allow women to vote. Whipper’s wife and sisters-in-law, the suffragists Frances, Charlotte, and Katherine Rollin, were likely the impetus behind this advocacy. Together the Rollins, born free people of color, chartered the South Carolina Woman Suffrage Association in 1871. It disbanded when the Rollin sisters left Columbia in the mid-1870s. Another statewide suffrage organization would not appear until 1914. By then, women had the right to vote in multiple states and a plan developed by the National American Woman Suffrage Association, was close to passing the Nineteenth Amendment, which had been introduced almost three decades earlier. Local enthusiasm grew in the spring
of 1914 during a visit from Lila Meade Valentine, president of Virginia’s Equal Suffrage League; both a Columbia chapter and a state-wide Equal Suffrage League formed within a few weeks. By 1917, the South Carolina Equal Suffrage League boasted 25 chapters and a membership of about 3,000. As states began ratifying the Nineteenth Amendment, the association voted to disband and reform under the National League of Women Voters. Their aims remained unchanged: “to foster education in citizenship and to support improved legislation.” A third aim, to register women voters, would happen when women received the ballot. The newly empowered League of Women Voters was explicit in who they were and who they represented. A notice placed by the Columbia and Richland League defined the league first and foremost as open to “any white woman interested in making her vote count for the public good may be a member of the league.” Its slogan was “enroll in the Democratic party,” a departure from the national league’s call to “enroll in the political parties.” By aligning itself closely with the all-white South Carolina Democratic Party, which controlled all aspects of government, the league hoped to advance their legislative agenda; they did so at the cost of becoming complicit in the state’s efforts to prevent African Americans from voting. The league was inactive from 1932 until 1947, when several chapters,
including Columbia, were revived. The following year, black men—and women— won the right to vote in the Democratic Primary for the first time. The new leaders of the League of Women Voters found themselves navigating a shifting landscape, in which they would confront the issues of school desegregation and the integration of the league itself. As we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment this year, Historic Columbia is once again partnering with the History Center at UofSC to offer a two-day symposium: “Women, Voting and Politics: Reflections on a Century of Women’s Suffrage” on April 23-24, 2020. The symposium will feature leading historians, a prize-winning journalist, and a path-breaking woman jurist. Organized around an evening keynote and two panel discussions with a luncheon and speaker the following day, the program aims to engage a broad public in a wide ranging discussion of the history and politics surrounding the passage of the 19th amendment, the ways in which women voters and political figures have shaped American politics and democracy over the past century, and current challenges and opportunities for women as voters, activists, and elected officials. Tickets are available at historiccolumbia.org.
Newly elected officers of the Columbia League of Women Voters pose in UofSC’s Law Library, where president Sarah Leverette (right) served as librarian, in 1958. During Leverette’s term (1958-1961) the league lobbied for the right to sit on local and state juries. Also pictured are Keller Bumgardner (left) and Harriet King (middle). Image courtesy of The State Newspaper Photograph Collection
Women-focused Programs Research Roundtable @ HC • FEBRUARY 25, NOON. Topic Modjeska Simkins and the Richland County Citizens Committee • MARCH 24, NOON. Topic Columbia City of Women 2020 Honorees
Columbia City of Women • MARCH 8, 5-7PM. Honoree Recognition Event • MARCH 28, 2-3:30PM. Guided Tour of Columbia City of Women Sites • APRIL 6. WREN Summit with Columbia City of Women Bus Tour
Ethel Bolden, photographed here circa 1960, was one of several first African American women who integrated the Columbia League of Women Voters in 1968. That year she also became one of two female staff members to integrate the previously all-white Dreher High School. Image courtesy of South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina, Columbia
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African American Historic Sites Bus Tour
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oin Historic Columbia on Saturday, Feb. 29 as we explore historic sites associated with African American history throughout downtown Columbia. Recently updated, this tour explores sites never visited in the past. New research has added to the stories of these vital historic sites, and the bus tour on Feb. 29 is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the contributions and history of African Americans to Columbia and Richland County’s history. Tickets are $10 for members and $15 for non-member adults, $4 for member youth and $6 for non-member youth. To purchase tickets, visit historiccolumbia.org, email reservations@historiccolumbia.org or call (803) 252-1770 x 23.
Guests enjoy last year’s Bluegrass, Bidding & BBQ at the HamptonPreston Mansion.
Historic Columbia’s revised African American Historic Sites Bus Tour includes Mann-Simons Site and other historic locations listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Bluegrass Bidding & BBQ
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ickets are now on sale for Palladium’s 16th annual signature Bluegrass, Bidding & BBQ silent auction fundraiser presented by Jaguar Land Rover Columbia.
This annual celebration of live music, delicious BBQ, specialty drinks, and an assortment of silent auction items will be held from 7-10 p.m. on Thursday, March 19 on the grounds of the Hampton-Preston Mansion & Gardens, located at 1615 Blanding Street in downtown Columbia. This year’s silent auction will feature a variety of items, including destination packages to historic cities across the Southeast, experiential packages to explore local cultural sites, behind-the-scenes tours of Columbia’s hot spots, gift cards to restaurants, boutiques, gyms, and much more.
Visit the historic Capital City Stadium
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oin us on Saturday, April 4 to celebrate the rich history of the Capital City Stadium. Built in 1927, the stadium was home to several baseball teams during the decades with audiences seeing players such as Hank Aaron play at the ballpark. As the site is prepared for redevelopment, mark your calendars to attend the last event to be held at the stadium with tours, games, music, food, and vendors. This event is free to the public. Visit historiccolumbia.org for more information.
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HISTORIC COLUMBIA | NEWSLETTER
The Columbia Gems baseball team poses at Capital City Ball Park on April 17, 1957. A minor league team affiliated with the Kansas City Athletics, the Gems played at the stadium during the 1956 and 1957 seasons. Image courtesy of The State Newspaper Photograph Collection, Richland Library
New Look at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills Just as Historic Columbia’s wonderful gardens and grounds have begun to transform with the shifting season, other spaces—interior spaces—have been transformed through the generosity of donors. Particularly notable is our newly renovated gift shop, where we invite you to spend some time (and money)! Thanks to the vision of longtime Historic Columbia member Esther Maldonado and the pro bono support of her company, Pond & Company, combined with the craftsmanship of Specialty Woodworks and our very own facilities coordinator Kevin Jennings, Historic Columbia now can offer guests a shop design with brighter, lighter finishes including built-in shelving, bookcases, and a large bench for ample seating between house tours. The layout has been completely redesigned to create more open space, improved traffic flow, and increased access for those with mobility issues.
New merchandise is on the shelves. Highlights include custom jewelry designed by Valarie Lamont that was inspired by the Historic Columbia house museums and grounds, Historic Columbia-branded Tervis Tumblers, and clever t-shirts highlighting some humorous attributes of our house museums. Items coming later this year will include brass ornaments depicting the historic houses and vintage key chains like those used when the Hampton-Preston Mansion operated as a tourist home. Overall, the new shop layout gives more opportunities for guests to learn about Historic Columbia while also shopping for unique, custom products. The new design has a greater focus on learning about all the tours and programs we have available and provides learning space for conversation as well. Transform your library, wardrobe, wet bar, or garden with Historic Columbia-branded merchandise this spring!
Guests at the holiday candlelight tours enjoy the newly renovated Gift Shop at Robert Mills.
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he handiwork of one or more talented carvers covers this elaborate Federal Period (ca. 1780-1830) mantel. Originally built for Alabama Governor John Gayle’s circa-1826 Greensboro, Alabama house, this mantel came to C olumbia before World War II, when his granddaughter had it installed in her Gervais Street House. Iconic Federal design elements are present: paterae, guilloche, matchstick, reeded column, rope pattern molding, and stylized six-pointed stars. Historic Columbia collection
Federal period mantel. Historic Columbia collection
1601 Richland Street
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Columbia, SC 29201
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www.historiccolumbia.org
NONPROFIT ORG USPOSTAGE PAID COLUMBIA, SC PERMIT #1000