We have a terrific list of programs coming up through May.
First up in February…..

The International African American Museum is almost ready to open…but even before the doors swing open you have a chance for a sneak preview at our February 15 meeting…..7 pm at the Church of the Holy Cross Parish Hall, 299 Seven Farms Drive. |
Our speaker will be IAAM President/CEO Tonya M. Mathews. Dr. Matthews will take DIHS members and guests on a virtual “behind the scenes” tour of the new IAAM, with information on the project’s timeline for completion, special exhibits it will house and other details about how the museum will honor the untold stories of the African American journey. For more information CLICK HERE |
And then, in March….

Guest speaker: Margaret “Peg” Eastman
What was life really like in Colonial Charleston in the 1700s? Ms. Eastman will share some of the untold stories of this important period in Charleston history, including the Carolina Colony’s first colonist, Dr. Henry Woodward, and the colony’s first coup d’etat in 1712. Margaret Eastman, known to her friends as Peg, is a native Charlestonian whose family dates back to the early settlers of the Carolina colony. Her latest book, to be released in 2022, is entitled Broad Street and Beyond, Charleston’s Nexus of Power.

This is a terrific example of a new project that takes DIHS into new territory while helping fulfill our stated mission: “to uncover, preserve and share Daniel Island’s rich and unique history for the benefit of both visitors and residents.” Lee Ann Bain and Beth Bush took the lead on this this project that expands on our relatively new “In Their Own Words” project while also reinforcing our efforts to help tell the history of our neighbors on the Cainhoy Peninsula. In January 2022, the Daniel Island Historical Society, in partnership with the College of Charleston’s Department of History and the Keith School Museum, launched an exciting new internship program to document oral histories on the Cainhoy peninsula. This endeavor marks the first time such a project has been conducted in this community, with the specific mission of collecting oral histories from individuals whose families have called the Cainhoy peninsula home for generations. College of Charleston student Riley Conover was selected to lead the program as the Cainhoy Collective’s first intern and research assistant. Through the life-histories of interviewees, Riley will be creating an archive of the past that will serve as an important and needed resource for understanding this treasured Lowcountry community and landscape – and the impact they have had on the Charleston region as a whole. She will present her research to the Daniel Island Historical Society, including snippets from some of her interviews, at our April meeting. |
And then, in May…… |

Guest speaker: David W. Dangerfield, a native of Berkeley County who currently serves as Assistant Professor of History at the University of South Carolina – Salkehatchie.
In the years before the Civil War, the South Carolina Lowcountry was home to a remarkable group of people of color who were free despite the slavery all around them. This lecture will reveal the free people of color who are often forgotten or misunderstood, but who built communities, raised families, and made a way for themselves despite their limited legal status in the parishes surrounding Charleston.
