The Georgetown County Library will present a series of free public programs from June – fall 2024 to celebrate their 225th anniversary. The programs will look at both Georgetown County’s past and present and will include topics on ethnic diversity, religious traditions, foodways, civil rights, and more. The first event is a lecture on “Fact and Fiction: Writing a Pawleys Island Novel” by Dr. Zackary Vernon from Appalachian State University on Tuesday, June 11, 4:00 p.m. SC Humanities supported this program series with a Major Grant.
Library services were established in Georgetown in 1799, one year before the founding of the Library of Congress. The model for the GCL 225th Anniversary Celebration is “Time Machine, 1799-2024” and the motto is “Learning Springs Eternal.” To inspire a productive exchange of perspectives, the series will intertwine presentations by regional scholars with those by local experts, all accompanied by lively audience Q&A sessions. The first set of presentations are scheduled for this summer on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:00 p.m., starting on Tuesday, June 11 and ending on Thursday, August 29. The Georgetown Library is located at 405 Cleland Street, Georgetown, SC 29440. All programs are free and open to the public.
Upcoming events include:
- Georgetown County Literary Heritage: Tuesday, June 11 at 4:00 p.m.: Zackary Vernon, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English, Appalachian State University, “Fact and Fiction: Writing a Pawleys Island Novel”
- Georgetown County African American Heritage: Thursday, June 13 at 4:00 p.m.: Steve Williams, Author & Historian, “Major Contributions by Black Georgetonians”
- Georgetown County Libraries & Learning: Tuesday, June 18 at 4:00 p.m.: Dwight McInvaill, M.L.S., Director, Georgetown County Library, “The Georgetown Library Society, 1799-1859”
- Georgetown County Arts Heritage: Thursday, June 20 at 4:00 p.m.: Charles Edward Williams, M.F.A., SunTrust Endowed Professor, Department of Art and Design, North Carolina Central University, “Spirit of Homeland”
- Georgetown County Religious Heritage: Tuesday, June 25 at 4:00 p.m.: Rev. Dr. Betty Deas Clark, Pastor, Historic Bethel AME Church, “Georgetown Religious Life”
- Georgetown County Sustainability: Thursday, July 25 at 4:00 p.m.: Pamela L. Martin, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Coastal Carolina University, & Executive Director and Founder, Georgetown RISE, “Sustainability Goals in Georgetown County” *In partnership with Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation & Georgetown RISE UN Youth Corps Center
- Georgetown County History: Settlement Period: Tuesday, August 13 at 4:00 p.m.: Kevin Kokomoor, Ph.D., Lecturer of History, Coastal Carolina University (Conway, SC), “South Carolina, or La Florida?: The Southeast’s Spanish Beginnings”
- Georgetown County Ecology & Wildlife: Wednesday, August 14 at 4:00 p.m.: John Lane, M.F.A., Founding Director, Goodall Environmental Studies Center, Wofford College, “Crocophilia: Fifty Years with Alligators and Alligator People” *Thursday, August 15 at 10:00 a.m.: Kayak Tour with John Lane & River Reader Kayaking (Registration required: email dturner@gtcounty.org)
- Georgetown County and the African American Freedom Struggle: Tuesday, August 27 at 4:00 p.m.: Madison W. Cates, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History, Coastal Carolina University, “Uncovering the History of the Long Black Freedom Struggle at Hobcaw Barony”
- Georgetown County Foodways: Thursday, August 29 at 4:00 p.m.: Altor Smith, Chef, Daniel Island Club, “Good Taste: A Cooking Demonstration of Distinct Georgetown Foodways”
- Georgetown County Literary and Arts Heritage: Thursday, September 12 at 10:00 a.m.: Dr. Douglas Boyce, Composer, & Marlanda Dekine, Poet, “Ars Poetica: Merging Words and Music Inspired by Plantersville”
- Georgetown County History: Thursday, September 19 at 10:00 a.m.: Paige Sawyer, Historian, “Following the Footsteps of Francis Marion”
- Georgetown County Folk Heritage: Thursday, September 26 at 10:00 a.m.: Vennie Deas Moore, Folk Historian, “Lowcountry Folk Traditions”
- Georgetown County and the African American Freedom Struggle: Thursday, October 17 at 10:00 a.m.: Dr. Ashley D. Dennis, Historian, “Black Women Librarians and the Fight for Democracy”
- Georgetown County Ecology & Wildlife: Thursday, October 24 at 10:00 a.m.: Marsh Deane, Filmmaker, “Documenting the Wild Ecology and History of the Black River”
- Georgetown County History: Thursday, October 31 at 10:00 a.m.: Dr. Valinda Littlefield, Historian, “Georgetown’s Oral Histories”
- Georgetown County History: Thursday, November 7 at 10:00 a.m.: Lee G. Brockington, Author, “The Oral History of Pawley’s Island” *at Waccamaw Library (41 St. Paul Place, Pawleys Island, SC 29585)
The mission of the Georgetown County Library is “to serve as a community resource that expands and enriches the lives of residents by providing and promoting the use of the library system’s information, education, and recreation resources.” Learn more: https://www.gtcounty.org/187/Georgetown-County-Library.
The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c)3 organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos, and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually. South Carolina Humanities receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities as well as corporate, foundation and individual donors. The National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.
Image: The Georgetown Library when it was housed in the Winyah Indigo Society building, courtesy of the Georgetown County Digital Library
