St. Patrick's Day By Caleb Miller

Every year on March 17th, St. Patrick's Day is celebrated in many countries throughout the world This holiday honors Saint Patrick, the most recognized of Ireland's patron saints. Saint Patrick worked as a bishop in Ireland and was a key figure in bringing Christianity to the island country. The holiday started as a Catholic holiday in the 17th century and was taken around the world by Irish immigrants. Nowadays both Irish and non-Irish celebrate it. Traditionally, people wear green during the event. Those who do not wear it are teasingly pinched for not doing so. Our state of South Carolina has its own notable way of making its name in the holiday. The fountain in the area known as Five Points is dyed green. This year the parade will be held on the 19th in Columbia since it is the closest Saturday to the actual holiday. Happy Saint Patrick's Day all ye people out there! Hope to see ye at the parade!

South Carolina’s New Deal Murals

By: Anjuli Grantham, Graduate Assistant

African American laborers deftly pick cotton in a river of soft white, a cloudy blue sky above and peach trees in the rolling hills in the distance. A robust woman holds up her right hand, encouraging the workers, accordion player, and grandmother and child to her right, as she claws at a thief, a prisoner, and a crooked politician with her left hand. Camels carry bags of cotton along a winding road, and donkeys lead carriages laden with white bags. These are descriptions of only some of the extant New Deal era murals within South Carolina. These murals depicted the nobility of ordinary laborers and the state’s predominately agricultural economy that was a point of pride in the early 20th century.

A quick survey revealed that at least 12 murals or reliefs of the 16 commissioned in South Carolina still grace the walls of post offices, private offices and residences. Recently, the Greer Post Office, now the home of the Greer Heritage Museum, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This Colonial Revival post office was completed in 1935. Artist Winfield Walkely created the mural “Cotton and Peach Growing” in 1941, under a commission with the Section of Fine Arts of the Department of Treasury. This mural, the first described above and pictured here, depicts what was envisioned then as an idyllic scene of rural, Southern life. The Greer Post Office joins other National Register-listed properties that contain New Deal murals. These are the U.S. Courthouse in Aiken, Bamberg Post Office with “Cotton the World Over” by Dorothea Mierisch (see below), and Clemson University’s Hardin Hall with “Meeting of the Original Directors of Clemson College” by John Carroll.

While today the murals are prized pieces of South Carolina’s social, artistic and architectural history, the creation of the murals was not always welcomed by citizens in the 1930s and 1940s. For example, Stefan Hirsch’s “Justice as Protector and Avenger” in the Charles E. Simmons, Jr. Federal Court House in Aiken was the cause of public outrage. The bold use of shape and color echoed stylistic elements of the Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. The strong angles and contrasting colors led presiding Judge Frank K. Myers to derisively call it “contemporary art.” But it wasn’t just the modern appearance that made citizens upset, it was the figure of Justice herself. Some believed that she was bi-racial, which was not considered to be in keeping with the “Southern conception of art.” Even though the artist denied that the figure was bi-racial, this un-vanilla representation of Justice in Jim Crow South Carolina was enough for the judge to hang curtains over the mural. Since then, the mural has remained obscured, since it is viewed as being a courtroom distraction.

Happy President's Day

Happy President's Day! Did you know that the SC Department of Archives and History is a great resource for Presidential history? Not only do the collections have items relating to elections and government, there are more than 20 Presidential signatures. Here is a great example of these wonderful collection items: Return of the Presidential Electors Casting Their Vote for George Washington, 1789.

Iwo Jima's Legacy by Caleb Miller

On February 19th, 1945, Americans landed on an island named Iwo Jima that would become one of the largest battles in the Pacific. It lasted from that day until March 16th in the same year. This island is quite close to Japan and was thus a promising base. Iwo Jima has an area of 21 square kilometers (approximately 8 square miles) total. A dormant volcano named Mount Suribachi is the highest feature, rising 161 meters into the air. Fierce fighting ensued between the two forces for days. Casualties were huge: the Americans had 6,822 killed/missing and 19,217 wounded while the Japanese had between 17,845 and 18,375 killed /missing and 216 captured. This battle is perhaps best known for the famous "Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima" photograph taken there. The photograph has inspired a statue, book and movie in its image. This battle gave the Allies a place to launch and refuel B-29 bombers that would bomb Japan. Notably, this is the only battle were US casualties exceeded Japanese casualties. It was one of the biggest battles in the Pacific campaigns of World War II and should be remembered well. There are still people alive who fought on that ash covered island so remember Iwo Jima and the great victory. Their service, and the continued service of our armed forces, is an inspiration.


Blogger's Note:

Parris Island Marine Corp. Recruit Depot near Beaufort, SC has been in training recruits since 1915. The Depot has trained enlisted marines (male and female) for every major conflict in the 20th and 21st centuries including over 200,000 during WWII. The base is open to the public. They have a vistor's center, museum, and an Iwo Jima monument commemorating the raising of the flag on Mount Suribachi. The statue, sculpted by Felix del Weldon, was actually the prototype he created for the world famous Iwo Jima Memorial in Washington D.C. For more information on the MCRD Parris Island click here http://www.mcrdpi.usmc.mil/index.asp

Remembering Guadalcanal by Caleb Miller

February 9th does not seem like an important day in our calendar. However, it is the day that one of the early, bloody campaigns of World War II came to a close. The Guadalcanal Campaign lasted from August 7, 1942 through February 9, 1943. It took place on an island called Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. This island is the biggest i the Solomon Islands and was therefore strategically important to both the Americans and the Japanese. Americans landed on August 7th and a seven month-long fight ensued in which 7,100 Americans and 31,000 Japanese died. Several aerial and water battles erupted as well around the island. The Americans lost 29 ships and 615 aircraft, while the Japanese lost 38 ships and between 683 and 880 aicraft. This battle was the second major offensive by Allied forces against Japan and a key strategic move. Japan had gone from offensive to defensive fighting at this point so this battle marked the starting point of Allied offensive operations against Japan that would help bring its downfall. Conclusively, February 9th is a special date to remember.

Blogger Note: Thanks to all our WWII veterans! For more information on Guadalcanal and the seven month battle waged there, check out the U.S. Army Center of Military History webpage http://www.history.army.mil/

The image included in this post is courtesy of the Library of Congress Photographic Collection

Confrontation to Conflict: SC's Path to the Civil War Exhibit Opening

Many thanks to The State for publishing Dr. W. Eric Emerson's article on the importance of the Ordinance of Secession. The creation of this document, no matter what your feelings are surrounding the time period in which it was written, changed the nation forever. It is incumbent upon us to "explore exactly how this occurred and to reshape long-held notions regarding
the document's place in our state's past and future." (excerpted from the editorial "How South Carolina Changed the World" by Dr. Emerson that appeared on 12/12/2010)

The 150th commemoration of South Carolina's Secession is a somber occasion to reflect on all aspects of that time in our history and take the opportunity to explore all causes including slaery. We are not dismissing the notion that slavery was the cause. It is our responsibility to recognize that cause as well as the other factors that helped motivate the creation of the document. We are more educated if we look at all pieces of the puzzle and not just the straight edges around the border.

The South Carolina Department of Archives and History's exhibit, From Confretonation to Conflict, depicts South Carolina's path from Nullification to Secession through historical documents. Please join us for the opening of the exhibit on Friday, December 17th at 11 am and check them out for yourself.

We would not presume to expect you to change your opintion on that period of our history, merely to open your mind to historical facts depicted in official state documents. You might be surprised.

To see the full article published in The State, please use this link: http://www.thestate.com/2010/12/12/1600767/emerson-how-south-carolina-changed.html

Flower of the Holy Night By Caleb Miller

Euphorbia pulcherrima is a flowering plant that grows in Mexico and Central America. It is commonly known as the Poinsettia Flower, named after South Carolinian, Joel Roberts Poinsett. He was the first U.S. Minister to Mexico and found the plant in an area of southern Mexico called Taxco del Alarcon. He sent some samples back home and introduced the flower to the United States. The flower is known in Mexico as the "Christmas Eve Flower." According to legend, a poor young girl had no gift to give at the Christmas Eve celebration. An angel told her that any gift given in love is a wonderful gift. She then picked weeds from the side of the road and wrapped them in a bouquet. She presented her weeds at the celebration and because of her sincerity, the weeds transformed into a beautiful red flower. That's how it became known as the Flower of the Holy Night. Poinsett died on December 12th, 1851 and in 2002 Congress created National Poinsettia Day to honor the poinsettia plant industry to be celebrated on December 12th every year.

Editor's Note: For more information on Joel R. Poinsett, there is a great biography of him available in "A History of the War Department of the United States; With Biographical Sketches of the Secretaries" by Lurton Dunham Ingersoll published in 1880 by F. B. Mohun. It is available on google books: http://books.google.com/books?id=mAsSAAAAYAAJ