Beaufort’s Robert Smalls home should be the people’s home
No one is more important to the history of Beaufort and the era of Reconstruction than Robert Smalls. His many contributions to the advancement of civil rights is as important as that of Martin Luther King Jr. It is so important that his home in Beaufort be perpetually kept in the hands of the public.
When it sold the last time, I was dismayed because it was sold to a private individual. About a week ago, this rich piece of American history was again offered for sale.
A concerted effort should be made to raise the funds to purchase it. The Beaufort County Historical Society, the Santa Elena Foundation, the land trusts, the Robert Smalls Historical Foundation, the Penn Center, the National Park Service, the county and City of Beaufort, the state of South Carolina are some of the organizations and entities that should bind together, raise the money and purchase the home.
The interior must be remodeled to reflect that period of history (1836-1915). There are costs for upkeep, docents and perhaps taxes, but those are problems that can be solved if there is the will. I believe the will is there but it must be mobilized.
If this treasure is sold into private hands, it may not be available for decades. I urge all of you, our citizens who make up the organizations noted, bond together and bring the home as well as the story of Robert Smalls into the Reconstruction Era National Monument.
A. Lanny Kraus
Beaufort
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This story was originally published January 21, 2018 at 7:30 AM with the headline "Beaufort’s Robert Smalls home should be the people’s home."