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With that should come broader participation in the civic undertaking of a lifetime -- or many, many lifetimes. The Three-Century Project will mark in the cleverest of ways the 300th anniversary of the city of Beaufort. The city was chartered in 1711, the second oldest city in South Carolina behind Charleston, and we have quite a lot of stories to tell.
A steering committee and project coordinator have brought life and form to the idea. Already a number of individuals, neighborhoods, clubs and schools are actively documenting their own portions of the colorful patchwork that makes up Beaufort.
Now, thanks to John Trask III and Edward Dukes of Lowcountry Real Estate, the Three-Century Project has a place where people can meet, plan and literally record their stories. Trask and Dukes have donated use of space at 207/209 Charles Street, at the corner of Port Republic downtown. The Three-Century Project will be there until a paying tenant is found, keeping hours of 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays; 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays; and by appointment through project coordinator Deborah Johnson, 843-489-1711.
Starting in May, a small room will be used for recording interviews for an oral history project.
Katherine Lang will use a corner for the memory card project. Residents will have their picture taken and write their favorite thing about Beaufort on the back.
The Old Commons Neighborhood's ambitious "House and Home" book project now has a place for meetings and storage.
But that should be only the beginning. The space will give the project greater visibility and should get many more people involved.
Every building, school, street, neighborhood, church, club, creek, business, island, bridge, family, hobby, food, generation, season, industry, holiday, architecture, furniture, festival, cemetery, library, choir, garden and painting in town has a story to tell. That's the beauty of the Three-Century Project: It's not reserved for learned scholars or people with an interest in history. It is contemporary. It is of and by the people. It can document today's hip-hop impressions as easily as it can document the old shell road we now call Boundary Street. But it won't document anything if we don't get involved.
And while the headquarters building is necessary, don't expect to see everything the project produces in hard copy or bricks and mortar.
For example, faculty members at Beaufort Middle School were awarded a grant from the Northern Beaufort County Education Foundation to establish a Web museum in conjunction with the students' research for the Beaufort Three-Century Project.
And participation does not have to be constrained by the city limit signs, either. As Mayor Billy Keyserling, who initially pushed this project, said, when you tell people you're from Beaufort, they consider that to be anywhere in northern Beaufort County.
This community really has one history, but it is seen from many different perspectives.This project will be a real keeper, but it will take every one of us to do it right. We thank the businessmen for giving this valuable project a place to call home. And we urge everyone to get involved.
