Dear Friends,
As much as we are about honoring our collective local and regional history, and preserving instructive remnants of the past, Daniel Island Historical Society is also very much about the future. Our new season of lectures and programming kicks off this September 17, Constitution Day, with a fantastic event you won’t dare miss, “Osceola Muse Preview.” See below for lots more details.
Along with a new season primed to delight and enlighten you, we are pleased to announce some important new faces will be joining the DIHS family of history enthusiasts in positions on our Board of Directors.
Kim Sermersheim is coming aboard as the board’s Secretary. Click here for Kim’s biography.
Jamie Monihan will take over the role of Vice President Click here for Jamie’s biography.
We welcome Kim and Jamie to our growing organization. At the same time, we must thank outgoing president Bill Thielfoldt and departing secretary Bill Payer for their commendable work and dedication to the mission of DIHS over the years.
Finally, with summer wrapping up, soon to give way to autumn, I have two recommendations to make. First, you might be thinking ahead about hunkering down on cooler days with a good history book. This summer I read These Truths, by Jill Lepore. To be sure, the book and the author have been all the rage for the past year or more. These Truths is a rarely attempted single volume history of the United States. It follows in the tradition of works by Zinn and Degler and others in its attempt to craft a single comprehensive national story. No book like it can be perfect. Some topics receive more attention than others. The author has a point of view. She has clear areas of expertise and interest. Still, I will assert that These Truths is worth your time. It may or may not add to the list of notable trivia you already know about American history, but it will undoubtedly go a long way in enriching your understanding of our particular national story.
Second, I spent a week this summer participating
in a seminar in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania learning about the great Civil War
battle and its continuing significance. My group read Allen Guelzo’s Gettysburg:
The Last Invasion, and we grew under his tutelage for the week.
Professor Guelzo lectured every morning, and the group ambled about the
battlefields almost every day for the week. Walking those fields and combing
through the woods was key to our understanding of what transpired there.
Indeed, our readings could only convey so much. It has been said we learn
by doing. There is truth in exploration. My recommendation to you — get out
there and explore our history! Explore Daniel Island. Explore Charleston.
Follow your nose around this great country of ours seeking to make sense of our
collective history and our future.
And, when you can, join us on the third Tuesday each month. You won’t regret
it.
Very truly,
Christopher S.