June 14
June 14
POSTAL PATRON LOCAL
JUNE 2–8, 2022 WWW.YOURISLANDNEWS.COM
PRESORTED PERMIT NO. 97 BEAUFORT, SC 29902
COVERING BEAUFORT COUNTY
Group searching for missing Stuarts Town Scottish settlement on Port Royal Island has been lost for 300 years
The seal of Stuarts Town founder Henry Erskine, 3rd Lord Cardross. Submitted photo.
By Tony Kukulich Beaufort County’s role in the early history of the United States has gotten a lot of attention this year. Daryl Ferguson, a Beaufort resident, published “American Conquistador” in April. It revealed the story of the 16th-century race between the Spanish and French to establish a colony at Santa Elena on present day Parris Island, a race
that the Spanish ultimately won. This month, an effort to locate a 17th-century Scottish settlement known as Stuarts Town will get under way in the City of Beaufort. The search will begin at the home of Beaufort Mayor Stephen Murray. Established on Port Royal Island in 1684, Stuarts Town lasted only a brief time. Its location has never been definitively established.
A kickoff event for the project will be held at Morrall Park on Craven Street near Carteret Street, June 6, between 10 a.m. and noon. Chester The event will inDePratter clude brief presentations on the background and implementation of the project, and
excavation of the first test hole in Murray’s yard on Craven Street. Chester DePratter, research professor at the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of South Carolina will lead the search with the support of the Stuarts Town Action Group.
SEE TOWN PAGE A4
MEMORIAL DAY 2022
Group challenges 100 names on county voter roll By Tony Kukulich A hearing to determine the validity of 100 names on the Beaufort County Voter Registration and Election database was held last week after the names were challenged by county residents. The challenge was brought by Debbie Barton, Lee Bothell and Nancy York. The women said they represented no particular group. “It’s just a grassroots (group) of concerned citizens,” said York. The challenge of a large number of voters is unusual, said Jean Felix, chair of the Board of Voter Registration and Elections of Beaufort County. “This was atypical,” she said. “As a matter of fact, we kind of set the precedent. This hasn’t ever really been done before. We sent all of the information to the State Election Commission (SEC) because our understanding is that this is happening statewide. We sent what we did to the SEC so that they can better help the other counties because it’s never been done before on this scale.” Felix believes that more challenges will be presented in the future and added that the challenges have no impact on the vote count in past elections. “Our understanding is that, including this 100, they have 316 in total,” she said. “So there’s 216 more. That’s what they told us.” There are approximately 140,000 registered voters in Beaufort County. While York and Barton disavowed any connection to an organized effort, both women referred to activities and ideologies espoused by an organization known as South
The color guard form H&S Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, posts the colors to start the Memorial Day ceremony Monday afternoon at the Beaufort National Cemetery. At lower left is the POW/MIA display for those U.S. servicemen still missing in action. Photo by Bob Sofaly.
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Some gave all
fter the annual Memorial Day Parade on Monday, the Memorial Day Ceremony to honor the U.S. servicemen and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice, was held at noon at Beaufort National Cemetery. The keynote speaker was Cmdr. LaDonna M. Simpson, commanding officer of the USS Carter Hall.
SEE VOTER PAGE A8
NEWS
VOICES
INSIDE
Annual Memorial Day Parade features bands, re-enactors, and more!
Mike McCombs: America’s gun trouble a result of a sickness.
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Lowcountry Life A2 News A2–9 Legal Notice A6 Education A10 Arts A11 Health A12–13
Storytime
IS BACK!
TUESDAYS AT 9:30AM
(June 1 – August 31) This is a FREE program.
Open to all ages but activities are geared towards ages 4-8.
(843) 645-7774 | PortRoyalSoundFoundation.org | Open: Tues-Fri: 10am-5pm Sat: 10am-4pm
Voices A14–15 Faith A16 Local Events A17 Military A18–19 Directory A20 Classifieds A21