Fulgham, leader of Bluffton historical group, steps down

The Bluffton Historical Preservation Society is a ship without a captain.

Society director Jeff Fulgham stepped down from his leadership post last week.

He announced his resignation late last month in a newsletter to society members.

The society, a nonprofit organization that works to maintain historic buildings and sites, also operates the historic Heyward House in Old Town, which serves as the town's official welcome center.

Fulgham took the reins in April following the retirement of longtime director Maureen Richards.

He said it was an "absolute honor" to serve as director.

But "the primary objective of my tenure was not longevity, it was to steer the organization down a path that the founders envisioned...," he said last week.

Under his leadership, Fulgham said society membership grew by more than 20 percent to 190 members.

"This was the sharpest growth spurt since the 1990s," he said.

One of his major projects as director was cataloging and digitizing the society's archive of historical documents and artifacts.

"When I arrived, there was no inventory of what we had. I discovered original documents over 100 years old that were not listed anywhere" Fulgham said.

Fulgham, who ran an unsuccessful bid for a Bluffton town council seat in 2008, is a member of the U.S. Army National Guard and an author.

Leaving his leadership position with the society, will allow him to focus on the "completing (his) second history book, which covers the life of Dr. Henry Woodward, South Carolina's first English settler and accomplished explorer," he wrote in the newsletter.

He said he plans to publish that book in the coming year.

"In addition, I only have a few years remaining in (the guard) until retirement, and I want to take advantage of my time still in uniform," he said.

Fulgham said he will continue to assist the society any way he can.

"I'm still a member of the society and will always support them as I have in the past," he said.

He added that "while every town has a story; few are as historically significant as Bluffton's. So historical preservation in Bluffton is everything."

A replacement for Fulgham has yet to be announced.

Heyward House director Katie Epps said Friday that the society's board is "working to find a replacement, but they haven't named one yet."

Follow reporter Lucas High at twitter.com/IPBG_Lucas.

Related content:

• Richards steps down as Bluffton historical society director, Nov. 21, 2014
• Update: Lion's share of Bluffton ATAX revenue to go toward historic preservation, Dec. 8, 2015

This story was originally published December 11, 2015 at 9:28 AM with the headline "Fulgham, leader of Bluffton historical group, steps down."