VOLUME
56 ISSUE â„– 02
Historically Speaking
WINTER 2017 A NEWSLETTER OF HISTORIC COLUMBIA
Letter from the Executive Director O
n Sept. 17, Historic Columbia reopened the MannSimons Site during the annual Jubilee festival and welcomed nearly 700 guests. This was a record for single-day attendance at the museum and rewarding for many who participated in the transformation of the property.
Following the successful exhibit model established at the Woodrow Wilson Family Home, the refreshed interpretation allows for a much broader family and community story to be conveyed at the Mann-Simons Site. The narrative of the multiple generations who resided on the property comes alive through photographs, maps, archaeological artifacts, video, audio and three-dimensional objects. In addition, this family is placed in context with both white and black Columbians across a wide span of history. While the exhibit model at Mann-Simons matches that of Wilson, the process to determine intellectual and physical access to this site followed a different model. Beginning with a public panel and forum in May 2015 and continuing with large and small focus groups over the course of 12 months, Historic Columbia was intentional about asking the community for input on how the property should be utilized. By removing all furniture and collections in 2015 to perform the physical rehabilitation of the structure, conversations about next steps at the site took place in empty rooms, where participants could freely imagine what would be most effective in telling the Mann-Simons stories. Conversations took place with students and faculty from USC, Benedict and Allen universities; members of Jack and Jill, First Calvary Baptist Church, the Wisteria Garden Club, the Columbia Chapter of the Links, and the boards of Historic Columbia; and key representatives from local and statewide tourism entities. In addition, several sessions were open to and attended by the public. More than 150 people provided feedback in 16 sessions, which was critical in determining how the site experience would unfold. Key suggestions for the site included: •
Tell an authentic story through varying vehicles that engage multiple generations
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Highlight the themes that emerge in the site’s history—freedom, perseverance, entrepreneurship, for example—and build programs around those themes
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Provide a space for community groups to meet at the Mann-Simons Site
Historically Speaking Winter 2017 | Volume 56 | Issue 2
President
David Campbell 1st Vice President
John Dozier 2nd Vice President
Robert Lewis Treasurer
Gina Lesslie Secretary
Isabelle Mandell
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 Partnership & Outreach 4-5 Mann-Simons Reopens! 6 Hampton-Preston Improvements 7 Annual Fund & Upcoming Events
The recommendations align with Historic Columbia’s organizational goals to move toward 21st-century museum standards, which call on cultural institutions to be more engaged in the community in ways that foster conversation, action and positive change. The new museum at Mann-Simons embodies this shift, and Historic Columbia is proud to have worked with many of you to reach this goal. We hope you will come see for yourself!
Visit us on the web: Robin Waites
Executive Director
Cover image: The Mann-Simons Site, home to the same entrepreneurial African American Family for nearly 130 years, reopened with new, 21st-century exhibits on Sept. 17, 2016.
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HISTOR I C C OLUMB I A | NEWSLETTER
www.historiccolumbia.org
Partnerships & Outreach CJHI Continues to Promote Columbia’s Jewish Heritage The Columbia Jewish Heritage Initiative (CJHI) remains actively engaged in preserving and sharing Columbia’s rich Jewish history. Most recently CJHI, in partnership with the Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina and Historic Columbia, dedicated historical markers and hosted tours at the former Tree of Life Synagogue (at the corner of Heyward and Woodrow streets) and at the Beth Shalom Cemetery (in the 1300 block of Whaley Street). In addition, a third historic marker associated with Beth Shalom was installed in January at the site of the synagogue, which once stood at 1719 Marion Street.
Heathwood Hall students enjoy Historic Columbia’s annual Candlelight Tours.
Historic Columbia Brings History to Life for Heathwood Hall Students
Participate in CJHI initiatives this spring by taking a guided tour of Jewish landmarks in downtown Columbia during Second Sunday Stroll on March 12 and exploring a series of self-guided walking tours of Jewish sites on historiccolumbia.org.
Historic Columbia is excited to embark on a new educational partnership with Heathwood Hall Episcopal School through the Columbia Connections program. The partnership will bring a trove of historical artifacts to the Heathwood campus through Historic Columbia’s Traveling Trunk programs. Aditionally, it provides more opportunities for Heathwood students to explore Columbia’s history through field trips and enhanced access to primary resources. Students and their families are invited to special events, including a holiday candlelight tour and a presentation and book signing by Historic Columbia’s Director of Cultural Resources. Heathwood’s Columbia Connections program enhances student learning by providing unique educational opportunities with leaders from the academic, cultural, scientific, non-profit and business communities in Columbia.
On Sunday, Dec. 11, a South Carolina Historical Marker was dedicated at the former Tree of Life Synagogue at the corner of Heyward and Woodrow streets.
Colonial Dames Help Preserve Important Textiles Thanks to the generous support of the Columbia Town Committee of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of South Carolina (NSCDA-SC) vital conservation of a dress owned by noted Civil War diarist Mary Boykin Chesnut will take place in early 2017. Textile conservator Kathleen Staples of Greenville will clean and stabilize the fabric in preparation for its temporary exhibit next year. The wedding vest worn by Chesnut’s husband will also be conserved. The conservation of the dress is part of the long-term preparation for new exhibits at the Hampton-Preston Mansion. W I N T E R 20 17
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The site’s digital displays offer opportunities for intergenerational engagement.
Archaeological artifacts of all ages, sorts and origins were found at the site during multiple excavations performed during the past decade. Among them was this early 20th-century revolver.
The Mann-Simons Site Reopens Thanks to recent interpretive upgrades, the MannSimons Site is designed to heighten community building through new programs and a community engagement classroom, located in its basement.
New Exhibits Offer Opportunity for Discovery! Much like they have in previous years, thousands of guests enjoyed an exciting Jubilee festival filled with performers, demonstration artists and vendors. This past September’s event proved even more exciting with the debut of new exhibits at the Mann-Simons Site, which had been largely closed to the public since the spring of 2015 in preparation for capital repairs and exhibit updates. Nearly 700 attendees of all ages visited the ca.-1875/80 cottage, which operated as a museum since 1978. Once inside the former home of Celia Mann’s eldest daughter, Agnes Jackson, visitors saw first-hand the results of more than fifteen years of research. Large format exhibit panels filled with family information, historic images and neighborhood data; videos; audio recordings; and intact artifacts and archaeological remnants displayed on platforms and in cases convey the dramatic and complicated story of members of the same family who owned the property from at least 1843 until 1970.
A Challenging Narrative One of the many goals behind the new exhibits was to showcase information found in fragmented manuscript collections and public documents. The 1840 United States Federal Census indicates about three percent of Columbia’s population –149 citizens to be exact –were free people of color. What little is known about these individuals and their lives in antebellum Columbia is drawn from scarce and at times contradictory documents. Among those that surfaced was a contract identifying Ben Delane as the property’s owner and his wife, Celia Mann, as his legal heir, indicating that both were free by that time. Mann’s descendants would retain ownership of the property until 1970, witnessing multiple eras of black life in South Carolina’s capital city, including Antebellum society, Reconstruction, Jim Crow and the modern Civil Rights movement. Giving voice to their story, and an underrepresented community, through the reinterpretation of the Mann-Simons Site is vital to furthering our city’s understanding of its past, present and future. A legal document signed by Ben Delane in 1843 offers a wealth of information about the free boatman and his wife, Celia Mann, while raising questions about their relationship to James S. Guignard, a prominent white lawyer. Image courtesy of South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina, Columbia.
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HISTOR I C C OLUMB I A | NEWSLETTER
Ghost structures, installed in 2014, now feature expanded and updated signage that offer visitors a free, outdoor museum experience.
Hundreds of visitors patiently braved long lines for the debut of the site’s new interpretive exhibits.
A New Approach
Celebrate Black History Month!
To contend with the scarce historical record, Historic Columbia assumed an interdisciplinary approach involving anthropologists, archivists, community psychologists, museum educators and preservation architects, in addition to traditional and public historians. Relying on archaeological investigations, Historic Columbia gained previously unknown material knowledge of the site’s former owners and of the extant structure, which we now know was built after the death of family matriarch, Celia Mann.
Celebrate important African Americans who have faced barriers, overcome adversities and made measurable accomplishments in Columbia by joining Historic Columbia at the following programs and tours.
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Second Sunday Roll: Homeplaces, Workplaces, Resting Places: An African American Heritage Sites Bus Tour Presented by Seed Architecture Sunday, Feb. 12 | 2- 3:30 p.m. | Tour begins at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills
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Mann-Simons Site Volunteer Training Mon., Feb. 13, Sat., Feb. 18 and Mon., Feb. 27 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Mann-Simons Site
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Lunch & Learn: Honoring Black History Month Feb. 14, 21 and 28 |12- 1 p.m. | Mann-Simons Site
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Dollar Sunday: Mann-Simons Site Sunday, Feb. 19 | 1- 4 p.m. | Mann-Simons Site
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Mann-Simons Site Guided Tours Tours are offered Tuesday – Saturday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and Sunday at 1 and 4 p.m.
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Woodrow Wilson Family Home: A Museum of Reconstruction Guided Tours Tours are offered Tuesday – Saturday at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
A Revitalized Interpretation The interpretive platform is now multi-dimensional inside and out. Architectural frames or “ghost” structures depicting destroyed buildings now feature improved wayside signage enhanced with new information and graphics. Topics introduced outside in the free outdoor museum and inside the remaining building speak to entrepreneurism, gun violence, late 19th- and early-20th century fast food ways, technology, infrastructure and race. Inside the house, visitors can watch historic television news footage. Along with clips related to urban renewal, segregation and the Confederate flag, viewers have the chance to watch interviews with Celia Mann’s greatgreat-great-great-granddaughter. A 1979 television feature with the original director/curator of the site provides context for the tremendous growth and significance of the Mann-Simons Site. This transformation did not come easy. Nor is the journey over, as hopeful future discoveries will intruduce further complexities and enrich the stories of the Delane, Mann and Simons families who lived and worked at this remarkable downtown property. Interpretive enhancements and rehabilitation of the Mann-Simons Site was made possible through the generous support of: NBSC a division of Synovus Bank, Member FDIC McDonald’s © of Columbia The Columbia Chapter of the Links Gloria and Marshall James City of Columbia South Carolina Department of Archives and History South Caroliniana Library, University of South Carolina, Columbia Richland County Conservation Commission The Palladium Society
Sponsored by: of Columbia, SC
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Many Improvements in Store for the Hampton-Preston Mansion
The new year will bring much-anticipated capital, interpretive and garden improvements to the Hampton-Preston Mansion, the second oldest building under Historic Columbia’s care. Thanks to funding from many generous supporters, the following project will kick off this spring.
Capital Improvements
Interpretive Improvements
The Hampton-Preston Mansion, one of Columbia’s oldest historic houses, was built in 1818 for Ainsley Hall, a wealthy Columbia merchant, and his wife, Sarah.
Inside the mansion, period rooms take visitors through the history of the house and Columbia from the 1810s through the 1910s, featuring many of the Hampton and Preston families’ belongings.
Each facet of the project’s capital improvements will be environmentally intertwined and will be addressed holistically to enhance the preservation of this important 1818 structure. The Richland Countyowned property will receive a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system; waterproofing measures, including site drainage to mitigate interior moisture levels; and a stucco assessment and potential replacement. These improvements will be made possible through the support of Richland County.
Beyond these physical repairs, the mansion will experience further improvements inside. The upstairs hallway setting will be transformed to reflect the property’s time as a tourist home. Exhibit panels will incorporate information about the role African Americans played in the estate’s history in addition to other material highlighting the site’s evolution from 1818 until 1970. These improvements will be made possible through grants from the Richland County Conservation Commission and the South Carolina Humanities.
Garden Improvements
Mother-daughter duo Mary Cantey Hampton and Caroline Hampton Preston began improving the four-acre grounds around the mansion in the late 1830s and transformed the landscape into regionally acclaimed antebellum gardens.
With the oversight of Historic Columbia’s Garden Committee, Historic Columbia will enter phase two of the Hampton-Preston Garden Rehabilitation. This phase will focus on returning the central sections of the garden to the prime of the historic plan (1840s-60s), including historic pathways and plant beds, electrical and irrigation systems, period-appropriate plant materials and garden structures, and repairs to the perimeter wall. As the centerpiece of the Robert Mills District, phase two enhancements will allow Historic Columbia to use the space as an outdoor classroom and will enhance the property’s usage for rental events and as a public green space for residents and tourists to enjoy. Phase two improvements will be made possible by The Darnall W. and Susan F. Boyd Foundation, Inc. Ongoing garden support is made possible by AgFirst and the Palmetto Garden Club.
During this initiative, some areas of the popular landmark may be periodically closed to the public. However, Historic Columbia staff will showcase the work through special tours and programs that will provide access to the “bricks and mortar” side of historic preservation and introduce participants to the combination of local talent in 1x1 Design and the preservation experience of Lord Aeck Sargent, among others. 6
HISTOR I C C OLUMB I A | NEWSLETTER
Support Historic Columbia’s Annual Fund The 2016-17 Annual Fund will allow Historic Columbia to use digital technology to create an expanded guest experience through a new virtual tour of the Hampton-Preston Mansion. The virtual tour will provide a personal and more nuanced story of the historic site. Specifically, the tour will: •
Enhance onsite visitor experience by incorporating a supplementary technology component to the traditional house tour.
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Add the digital historic site tour to the growing state-wide Traveling Trunk education program.
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Provide virtual access to individuals who may be unable to visit or individuals who want to learn more before or after their visit to the site.
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Establish a virtual program model that can be implemented at additional Historic Columbia sites.
Your investment will ensure Historic Columbia continues to interpret Richland County’s rich and diverse history with modern, cutting-edge technology. To support the Annual Fund, contact Wendi Spratt at (803) 252-7742 ext. 12, wspratt@historiccolumbia.org or visit historiccolumbia. org/annualfund.
2017 Preservation Awards: Call for Nominations Historic Columbia is now accepting nominations for the 2017 annual Preservation Awards. Help recognize the commendable efforts of citizens of Columbia and Richland County by nominating project in the following categories.
Preservation/Restoration
Historically significant structures restored to their original design and function. Recent Recipients: 1013 Canterfield Road, 110 Wayne Street, Nickelodeon Theatre
Adaptive Use
Structures rehabilitated with sensitivity to the historic fabric that function in a way that is different from its original intent. Recent Recipients: The War Mouth, City Market Antique Mall, the Agape Complex on Main Street, the DuPre Building (809 Gervais)
New Construction in a Historic Context
New buildings in a historic district, adjacent to or within existing historic structures that complement the historic context. Recent Recipients: 522 Lady Street, the South Carolina State Museum, Ernest F. Hollings Special Collections Library
Preservation Leadership
The annual fund will allow Historic Columbia to build upon the 21st-century technology integrated at the Mann-Simons Site.
Save the Date! The Palladium Society’s Annual Chili Cookoff Saturday, February 11 | 5:30 – 8 p.m. | Music Farm Preservation Workshop
Presented by Crawlspace Medic
Saturday, March 4 | 9:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Seibels House Second Sunday Stroll: Jewish Merchants, Past and Present, in Columbia’s Commercial District
Presented by Seed Architecture
Sunday, March 12 | 2 – 3:30 p.m. | Tour begins at 1626 Main St. Historic Happy Hour
Presented by The Landbank Lofts
Friday, March 17 | 5:30 – 7 p.m. | Hampton–Preston Mansion Garden Workshop Saturday, March 25 | 10 a.m. – noon | Seibels House Renovation Rodeo: Earlwood
Presented by Modern Exterminating
Thursday, March 30 | 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. | Earlwood
Individual, governmental agency and/or community or neighborhood association that has contributed to the advancement of historic preservation in the region. Recent Recipients: Derek Gruner, Rosemarie Craig, First Citizens
Second Sunday Stroll: University Hill
Nomination should be limited to projects complete within the last five years and located in Columbia and Richland County. Only completed projects will be considered. Nominations are due by Thursday, Feb. 16. Recipients will be recognized at an award ceremony on Wednesday, May 3. Nomination forms are available at historiccolumbia.org or by emailing lcarlisle@historiccolumbia.org.
Behind-the-Scenes Tours
Presented by Seed Architecture
Sunday, April 19 | 2 – 3:30 p.m. | Tour begins at the Inn at USC
Presented by 2nd Wind Heating and Air Conditioning
Spring date to be announced | 6:30 – 8 p.m. | 1600 Main St. Visit historiccolumbia.org for a full list of events and ticket information. W I N T E R 20 17
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Breakfast Service, attributed to Jean-Nicola Bastin, Paris, France, 1809-1819. Passed down through the Singleton and Lowndes families, this sterling silver set was used at Kensington Plantation in Lower Richland County. A wood and leather travel case with fitted spaces for each piece protected the set during travel or while in storage. The set was donated by the Scarborough-Hamer Foundation to Historic Columbia in 2016. Historic Columbia collection, HCF2016.1.1A-L.
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