History will never die if we share what we know with those who follow us. That’s the point of our Cainhoy Collective oral history project.
In January 2022, the Daniel Island Historical Society, in partnership with the College of Charleston’s Department of History launched an exciting new internship program to document oral histories on the Cainhoy peninsula. This endeavor has the specific mission of collecting oral histories from individuals whose families have called the Cainhoy peninsula home for generations.
History is never more powerful than in the words and memories of those who lived it!
College of Charleston student Riley Conover was selected to lead the program as the Cainhoy Collective’s first intern and research assistant. Her first completed interview was with Fred Lincoln.
Lincoln serves on the board for the Keith School Museum and sees the Cainhoy Collective project as an important learning tool.
“As we go forward, I think it’s going to be such a value to the community to have a written history,” he said. “We would like to use Keith School in conjunction with Philip Simmons and Cainhoy Schools to bring kids in occasionally and go over this history, but if we don’t have any oral history it’s difficult to get a lesson plan… We have kids who know nothing about the history of this community and they are descendants. I think that (this project) would be a valuable asset.”
“I feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity to sit down with residents and capture their life stories,” said Conover. “I think stories are one of the most important catalysts for human connection, and through these oral histories we are able to better understand the shared experiences, culture, and history of the Cainhoy residents. After hearing these stories, I think it’d be difficult for anyone not to empathize with the Cainhoy community and desire the preservation of their culture and land.”
Through the life-histories of interviewees, the project is designed to create an archive of the past that will serve as an important and needed resource for understanding the communities of Cainhoy, Huger, Wando, Jack Primus, and others on the Cainhoy Peninsula.
For a comprehensive look at Riley Conover’s presentation at the April 2022 DIHS meeting, CLICK HERE. That blog post contains a list of interviewees, a link to a YouTube video of Riley’s presentation, a copy of the slide show she used that night and a lists of links to coverage of the Cainhoy Collective on this website and outside media.
SO WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE CAINHOY COLLECTIVE?
Riley’s nine interviews are in the process of being transcribed with the goal of posting both the transcriptions and the audio interviews on this platform and others to be determined. The collection will eventually be housed at the College of Charleston’s Addlestone Library, with other potential sites to be added.
Riley has moved on but we have two new research interns picking up where she left off, Blake Gillian and Lily Porter. They are actively seeking interview subjects. Anyone who has a suggestion can email Lee Ann Bain, coordinator of the project for DIHS, at clunybain@gmail.com.
