* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          [00:00:01]
          CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BEEFER COUNTY. 
          WELL COASTLINE, AN OPPORTUNITY TO FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE LOW COUNTRY. 
          AND I FOUND OUT A COUPLE OF THINGS TODAY THAT I WAS NOT AT ALL AWARE OF. 
          ONE OF WHICH IS THAT WE HAVE A NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK RIGHT HERE IN BUFORD. 
          AND I'M JOINED BY CHRIS BARR, WHO IS A RANGER WITH THE RECONSTRUCTION ERA NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK. 
          CHRIS, THANKS SO MUCH FOR COMING ON COASTLINE TODAY. 
          IT WAS GREAT TO BE HERE. 
          THANKS FOR HAVING US. 
          I HAD NO IDEA THAT THE, THAT WE HAD A NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK HERE IN THE LOW COUNTRY. 
          TELL ME ABOUT WHERE IT IS AND WHAT YOUR INVOLVEMENT IS. 
          YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. 
          SO A RECONSTRUCTION, OUR NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK, WE WERE FIRST ESTABLISHED IN JANUARY OF 2017, JANUARY 12TH, TO BE EXACT, UH, THAT AN EXECUTIVE ORDER SIGNED BY PRESIDENT OBAMA. 
          UH, AND SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU DIDN'T GROW UP HEARING OF RECONSTRUCTION, ERA NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK, UH, THERE'S A REASON FOR THAT. 
          IT'S WE, WE, WE JUST TURNED FOUR YEARS OLD THIS PAST, UH, THIS PAST JANUARY. 
          SO A PRETTY NEW OPERATION WITHIN THE PARK SERVICE, BUT, UH, WE'RE A UNIQUE UNIT OF THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM. 
          AND TYPICALLY WHEN PEOPLE VISIT A NATIONAL PARK, YOU GO IN, THERE'S A VISITOR CENTER SOMEWHERE, UH, AND THEN THERE'S, YOU KNOW, LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS OF HIKING TRAILS OR STUFF LIKE THAT. 
          OR MAYBE HERE LOCALLY, PEOPLE MIGHT EVEN THINK OF LIKE HUNTING ISLAND, STATE PARK EVEN. 
          UM, BUT WE'RE A LITTLE BIT OF A UNIQUE SITE WE'VE GOT, UH, WE WORK IN, UH, IN COOPERATION WITH A SERIES OF EXISTING COMMUNITY PARTNERS, UH, TO PRESERVE AND MANAGE SORT OF THREE DIFFERENT SITES, UH, AROUND THE COUNTY. 
          UH, SO WE'VE GOT, UH, IN THE OLD FIREHOUSE DOWNTOWN, RIGHT ACROSS FROM THE ARSENAL THAT IS PARK HEADQUARTERS AND OUR VISITOR CENTER. 
          UH, AND SO FROM THERE WE CAN SORT OF EXPLORE DOWNTOWN BUFORD'S RECONSTRUCTION ERA STORY. 
          I, SO YOU HAVE WALKING TOURS. 
          YEAH, WE CAN. 
          WE, WE LEAD WALKING TOURS, UH, THROUGHOUT THE DOWNTOWN NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK DISTRICT. 
          UH, MANY OF THOSE BIG MANSIONS THAT EVERYBODY SEES AND COME FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD TO LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, MANY OF THOSE WERE, UH, DURING THE CIVIL WAR AND EVEN AFTER WORK OFFICES, SCHOOLS, UH, HOSPITALS DURING RECONSTRUCTION GROUP HOMES FOR TEACHERS, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, WELL, SOME OF OUR EVEN GOVERNMENT FACILITIES, UH, ON MARCH 3RD, 1865 CONGRESS ESTABLISHED, FOR EXAMPLE, THE FREEDMAN'S BANK WHILE THE FREEDMAN'S BANK BUILDING IS STILL DOWNTOWN. 
          THERE'S A TOY STORE DOWNSTAIRS IN IT NOW. 
          UM, I THINK TH TH TH THEY MAY BE WATCHING THIS ONE, OR THAT'S WHY THE PARK RANGER KEEPS STOPPING IN FRONT OF MY STORE. 
          UM, SO YEAH, WE CAN SORT OF EXPLORE ALL OF DOWNTOWN AND TALK ABOUT THIS POST CIVIL WAR RECONSTRUCTION WORLD. 
          UH, OF COURSE THE MOST NOTABLE FINGER THERE IN DOWNTOWN BUFORD IS ROBERT SMALLS. 
          SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DON'T, WE, THE PARK SERVICE DON'T PRESERVE HIS HOUSE OR HIS GRAVE OR ANYTHING, BUT THOSE ARE CERTAINLY WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE AND FIT WITHIN OUR SORT OF STORYTELLING PURVIEW. 
          UM, BUT THAT'S, IS THERE A CHARGE FOR, UH, THE, THE WALKING TOUR? NO, NOT WITH IT, NOT WITH, NOT WITH OUR PARK. 
          UH, WE'RE ONE OF THE FREE SITES WITHIN THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM. 
          YOU KNOW, SOME NATIONAL PARKS ARE, DO, DO HAVE AN ADMISSION FEE, BUT WE DON'T. 
          UM, AND THAT DOWNTOWN DISTRICT IS JUST ONE THIRD OF THE PARK. 
          UH, THE SECONDARY OF THE PARK IS CALLED CAMP SAXTON, WHICH IS, WHICH WAS DURING THE CIVIL WAR. 
          ONE OF THE FIRST PLACES WHERE AFRICAN-AMERICAN SOLDIERS WERE RECRUITED INTO THE UNITED STATES ARMY. 
          UH, AND THAT IS A REALLY IMPORTANT STORY FOR THINKING ABOUT RECONSTRUCTION AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, BECAUSE IT WAS AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, IT WAS BLACK MILITARY SERVICE BECAME THE FOUNDATION OF THE ARGUMENT FOR, UH, BLACK CITIZENSHIP. 
          SO AS THEY WERE DEBATING, SAY THE 14TH AMENDMENT, EVERYBODY LOOKED BACK AND SAID, LOOK, 200,000 OF THESE MEN FOUGHT IN THE UNITED STATES, ARMY AND NAVY. 
          THEY HAVE TO BE CITIZENS NOW. 
          AND SO CAMP SAXTON DOWN IN PORT ROYAL, NEAR THE SITE OF THE BUFORD NAVAL HOSPITAL TODAY, YOU KNOW, THAT IS ONE OF THE FIRST PLACES WHERE THE WAY THAT I PHRASED IT, OFTENTIMES WHERE, UH, BLACK MAYORS BLACK AMERICANS TOOK THOSE FIRST STEPS TOWARDS CITIZENSHIP FREDERICK, RIGHT? INCIDENTALLY FORT FREDERICK IS ACTUALLY WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF CAMP SAXTON AND THE NATIONAL PARK. 
          UH, SO W WHEN I SAY WE WORK WITH EXISTING COMMUNITY PARTNERS, YOU KNOW, FORT FREDERICK THERE IS PRESERVED AND MANAGED BY THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES. 
          UH, THE COUNTY OR CITY HAS JUST OPENED UP A, A NEW, THE FORT FREDERICK HERITAGE PARK DOWN THERE OFF OLD FORT ROAD. 
          UM, AND SO ALL OF THAT IS OFFICIALLY WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF CAMP SAXTON. 
          UH, AND SO, YEAH, SO FORT FREDERICK WAS A LANDMARK AT CAMP SEXT AND THE, UH, THE, THE, THE DOCK, UM, WAS BUILT ACROSS THE, THE TABBY RUINS THERE, YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE IT, SOME OF THE OLD PHOTOGRAPHS, WHICH IS REALLY COOL. 
          WHY WAS CAMP? AND, UH, WAS IT UNIQUE IN THAT IT WAS A SEGREGATED CAMP, OR, UH, GIVE ME A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON CAMP SEXTON. 
          YEAH, SO IT WAS LOCATED WITHIN THE JOHN JOYNER SMITH PLANTATION, WHICH WAS ONE OF THE LARGE PLANTATIONS THAT WAS HERE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR. 
          UM, AND, YOU KNOW, DURING, IN 18 62, 63, 64, A LOT OF THOSE PLANTATION SITES WERE AUCTIONED OFF. 
          AND THAT'S HOW A LOT OF PEOPLE ENDED UP PURCHASING LANDS OUT ON LIKE ST HELEN ISLAND IN 
          [00:05:01]
A LOT OF PLACES. 
          BUT, UH, THE SMITH PLANTATION, THE BULK OF IT WAS ACTUALLY KIND OF TAKEN OVER AS A GOVERNMENT RESERVE AS GOVERNMENT PROPERTY. 
          UM, AND SO, UH, WHEN, UH, LATE OR LATE SUMMER OF 1862, WHEN THEY BEGAN TO RECRUIT, WHAT'S GOING TO BECOME THE FIRST SOUTH CAROLINA VOLUNTEERS LATER, WE DESIGNATED THE 30, 30 UNITED STATES COLORED TROOPS. 
          UH, THAT JUST WAS THE GOVERNMENT PROPERTY THAT THEY CHOSE SAID, LISTEN, THIS IS WHERE YOUR TRAINING CAMP IS GOING TO BE. 
          AND IT ABSOLUTELY WAS SEGREGATED. 
          THE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES AT THAT TIME WAS SEGREGATED. 
          UM, NOW THAT SEGREGATION IS A LITTLE COMPLEX WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THIS TIME PERIOD, LIKE THE LATE SUMMER EARLY FALL OF 1862, SIMPLY BECAUSE THESE MEN ARE LITERALLY SOME OF THE VERY FIRST BLACK MEN TO JOIN THE UNION ARMY. 
          IT'S SEGREGATED IN THAT FOR AWHILE THERE, IT, UM, AS FAR AS, AS FAR AS BLACK MEN OFFICIALLY ENLISTED IN THE ARMY. 
          UM, AND SO THAT'S ONE OF OUR SITES, UH, THAT WE PRESERVE AND TELL THE STORY OF HERE, UH, IN BUFORD COUNTY, UH, AND THE THIRD SITE IS, UH, AND THE MOST ACCESSIBLE AND PROBABLY THE ONE MOST PEOPLE HAVE HEARD THE MOST ABOUT. 
          AND THAT IS, UH, THE PENN CENTER, NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK DISTRICT PENN SCHOOL WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1862. 
          IT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST, UH, UH, SCHOOLS, UH, IN THE AREA FOR A FORMERLY ENSLAVED PEOPLE. 
          UH, AND IT CERTAINLY BECAME ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS SITE EXISTED AS A SCHOOL ALL THE WAY FROM 1860 OR 1862 UNTIL 1948. 
          UM, THEN OF COURSE IT HAS THIS LONG POST, UH, POST, UH, ERA OR POST, UH, RECONSTRUCTION HISTORY IS BEING NOT ONLY A SCHOOL, BUT CIVIL RIGHTS, RETREAT, COMMUNITY CENTER, THAT KIND OF THING. 
          BUT, UH, THERE ARE OFFICIALLY TWO SITES WITHIN THE NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK DISTRICT THAT WE, THE PARK SERVICE PRESERVE AND HELP MANAGE, UM, BRICK BAPTIST CHURCH, WHICH WAS WHERE, UH, SOME OF THOSE EARLY CLASSES WERE MEETING. 
          UH, WE, WE WORK WITH THE CONGREGATION TO PRESERVE THE EXTERIOR OF THE BUILDING. 
          SO WE SORT OF MANAGE AND PRESERVE THAT CHURCH IN THE BUILDING AND THE GROUND SO THAT IT MAINTAINS THAT HISTORIC LOOK. 
          UM, AND THEN THE CHURCH CONTINUES TO, TO, TO WORSHIP INSIDE OF IT. 
          IT'S STILL AN ACTIVE, UH, HISTORICALLY BLACK CONGREGATION. 
          UM, AND THEN ONE OF THE BUILDINGS OUT AT THE PENN CENTER CAMPUS IT'S CALLED DARYL HALL. 
          AND SO RIGHT NOW, WE'RE SORT OF USING THAT AS A LITTLE BIT OF AN A AS A, AS A TEMPORARY MUSEUM, IF YOU WILL. 
          UM, AS PART OF SORT OF OUR COVID OPERATIONS, WHERE WE'RE SORT OF USING THAT AS OUR INDOOR EXHIBIT SPACE RIGHT NOW, HOW ARE YOU GUYS DOING ALL OF THIS IN THE MIDDLE OF COVID PANDEMIC? WE, WE BOTH HAVE OUR MASKS, UH, HANDY HERE, BUT WE'RE MAINTAINING THE SOCIAL DISTANCING, RIGHT? WELL, UH, YOU KNOW, LIKE A LOT OF NATIONAL PARKS AND LIKE A LOT OF ENTITIES, YOU KNOW, WE, WE CERTAINLY HAD TO KIND OF PIVOT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT A YEAR AGO AND FIGURE OUT WHAT WE WERE GOING TO DO NOW WHAT'S MADE THAT, UH, AN INTERESTING CHALLENGE FOR US IS THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE ARE SUCH A NEW NATIONAL PARK, YOU KNOW, WE WERE IN THE PROCESS OF SAYING, OKAY, WELL, WHAT DOES STAFFING LOOK LIKE HERE? HOW MANY EMPLOYEES DO WE NEED? WHAT DOES OUR VISITATION FLOW LOOK LIKE? WHEN, WHEN IS IT GOING TO BE OUR BUSY SEASON? WHEN IS, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN'S THE SLOW SEASON. 
          I MEAN, TRYING TO GO THROUGH AND FIGURE OUT GETTING OUR PERMANENT EXHIBITS PUT IN ALL OF THAT KIND OF STUFF. 
          AND SO THAT'S BEEN SORT OF, THE MORE INTERESTING THING TO ME IS FIGURING OUT, OKAY, WELL, HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE SORT OF MANAGE THAT WHEN SUDDENLY, LIKE SAY THE GROUPS AND PEOPLE THAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH ON THAT ARE ALL WORKING FROM HOME OR QUARANTINING, OR, OR MAYBE EVEN OUT SICK OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE. 
          SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S CERTAINLY BEEN ONE OF OUR CHALLENGES, BUT, UH, WE'VE GOT A GREAT STAFF. 
          UH, WE'VE GOT, UH, ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC VOLUNTEER TEAM IN PLACE. 
          UH, AND I SAID, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES OUR PARKS SO UNIQUE IS THE FACT THAT WE DO WORK WITH A LOT OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS. 
          I MEAN, WE ABSOLUTELY COULDN'T, UH, BE FUNCTIONING WITHOUT, YOU KNOW, THE TOWN OF PORT ROYAL, RIGHT. 
          THEY'VE BEEN DOING SOME WORK, THE NAVY, THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, UH, AND CERTAINLY THE STATIC AND CENTER AS WELL, SINCE YOU WERE THE, REALLY THE FIRST PERSON IN THAT HEADED UP THIS, UH, NATIONAL HISTORIC ERA RECONSTRUCTION PARK. 
          UM, WAS IT YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO REACH OUT TO ALL OF THESE, UM, ENTITIES AND KIND OF INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND SEE IF YOU COULD GET THEM INVOLVED IN SOME CAPACITY? WELL, I'M NOT THE FIRST PERSON, SO WE, WE, YOU KNOW, BUT I AM CERTAINLY ONE OF, ONE OF THE EARLY EMPLOYEES HERE. 
          UM, AND SO AGAIN, THE PARK WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2017. 
          I GOT HERE IN 2019. 
          AND SO THE PARK SERVICE HADN'T BEEN HAVING, UH, YOU KNOW, EMPLOYEES COMING DOWN TO SORT OF WORK AS A, I WOULD CALL THEM ACTING SUPERINTENDENTS WAS THE TITLE THEY WOULD USE. 
          I WOULD COME IN AND START TO LAY THAT GROUNDWORK. 
          UM, AND THEN IN THE FALL OF 2019, WE BEGAN HIRING, YOU KNOW, OUR FIRST SORT OF PERMANENT, UH, RANGERS WHO WERE GOING TO BE W W THE WORD WE USE IS INTERPRETIVE RANGERS. 
          THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING TO GO OUT AND, UH, START TO DEVELOP WHETHER THAT'S TOURS OR, UH, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPING EXHIBITS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          AND SO THAT'S REALLY BEEN WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING, DOING A LOT MORE IS, IS HELPING TO, UH, GET SOME OF THAT STUFF UP AND RUNNING. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'VE BEEN WALKING AROUND DOWNTOWN BUFORD OVER THE LAST, YOU KNOW, COUPLE OF MONTHS, UH, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'VE SEEN SOMEBODY WALKING AROUND WITH A PARK RANGER HAT, THEY'RE NOT LOST, THEY'RE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE MI OH, WELL, YOU KNOW, LISTENING TO YOU. 
          AND I TOLD YOU THIS BEFORE WE BEGAN TAPING THAT YOU REALLY SEEM TO HAVE A LOVE OF HISTORY. 
          TELL OUR VIEWERS ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND AND WHAT REALLY INTERESTED YOU ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR POSITION THAT YOU ACCEPTED. 
          [00:10:01]
YEAH. 
          SO, UH, BEFORE I BECAME A PARK RANGER, I WAS A HIGH SCHOOL HISTORY TEACHER. 
          UH, AND WHAT I TELL PEOPLE ALL THE TIME IS BEING A PARK, RANGERS, EVERYTHING I LOVED ABOUT TEACHING, EXCEPT I DON'T HAVE TO GRADE PAPERS OR CALL PEOPLE'S PARENTS WHEN MY, UH, TOUR PARTICIPANTS MISBEHAVE. 
          SO THOSE ARE TWO VERY IMPORTANT, UH, THINGS FOR ME. 
          BUT, UM, BUT SO I STARTED WORKING WITH PARK SERVICE AT ANDERSONVILLE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE, WHICH IS OF COURSE A CIVIL WAR PRISON CAMPUS, BUT MOST PEOPLE KNOW IT AS, BUT, UM, RIGHT AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, THERE WAS THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY THERE. 
          THE FRIEDMAN COMMUNITY HAD SORT OF MOVED INTO THE PRISON SITE, UM, STARTED WORKING AT THE NATIONAL CEMETERY. 
          AND SO THOSE, THIS WHOLE RECONSTRUCTION STORY TO BE TOLD THERE. 
          SO I STARTED DOING SOME WORK ON THAT, UH, AND THEN ENDED UP WORKING AT CHICKAMAUGA AND CHATTANOOGA NATIONAL MILITARY PARK UPON THE GEORGIA TENNESSEE LINE UP IN THE MOUNTAINS THERE, UH, AND KIND OF DOING A LOT OF THE SAME KIND OF STUFF. 
          A LOT OF POST CIVIL WAR AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY WAS JUST SORT OF BECAME MY PASSION. 
          UM, AND SO WHEN THIS PARK WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2017, I WAS WORKING UP AT CHICKAMAUGA AND CHATTANOOGA, AND THEY ASKED IF I COULD SORT OF HELP OUT WITH THE WEBSITE A LITTLE BIT FROM AFAR. 
          AND, UH, AND THEN THAT JUST, YOU KNOW, OVER TIME KIND OF TURNED INTO, WELL, I'M HERE. 
          SO I SAID, I GOT HERE IN THE FALL OF 2019. 
          AND, AND, AND THE INTERESTING THING IS YOU'VE GOT A VERY, UM, VERY LIGHT SOUTHERN ACCENT, AND PEOPLE WOULD NEVER GUESS THAT YOU ARE FROM AMERICA'S GEORGIA. 
          I AM, I'M FROM I'M FROM JIMMY CARTER COUNTRY. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, WE, PEOPLE TELL ME ALL THE TIME, IT'S, IT'S SOME PEOPLE SWEAR UP AND DOWN THAT I HAVE THE THICKEST ACCENT THEY'VE EVER HEARD. 
          AND SOME PEOPLE SAY I DON'T HAVE ONE AT ALL. 
          SO I DON'T KNOW, I GUESS IT DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH COFFEE I'VE HAD THAT YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY EVER TO SEE THE PRESIDENT. 
          OH, UH, PRESIDENT CARTER. 
          CERTAINLY, CERTAINLY YOU CAN'T LIVE IN SOUTHWEST GEORGIA, NOT, NOT STUMBLE INTO PRESIDENT CARTER AND OF COURSE HIS HOME AND, UH, AND HIS BIRTHPLACE AND THE, HIS HIGH SCHOOL IS ACTUALLY A NATIONAL PARKSIDE AS WELL. 
          JIMMY CARTER, NATIONAL HISTORIC SITES. 
          SO I KNOW A NUMBER OF THEIR, THEIR STAFF MEMBERS AND RANGERS THERE. 
          SO YOU'LL SEE PARK RANGERS WALKING OUT OF HERE IN BUFORD, YOU'LL SEE, PARK RANGERS WALKING AROUND IN PLAINS, GEORGIA. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          SO PEOPLE THAT ARE COMING TO VISIT, UH, CAN SEE YOU AT THE, UM, DOWNTOWN AREA, WHICH IS, UH, RIGHT BY THE OLD FIRE STATION. 
          THAT'S IN THE OLD FIREHOUSE BUILDING, UH, WHICH IS JUST RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE ARSENAL THEY'RE ON RIGHT NEXT TO THE LIBRARY RIGHT NEXT, RIGHT NEXT TO THE LIBRARY THERE. 
          SO, UH, THAT'S WHERE, UH, UH, WHERE OUR PARK HEADQUARTERS IS RIGHT NOW, WE'RE SORT OF OPERATING, UH, OUTDOOR CONTACT STATIONS. 
          USUALLY WE TRY TO HAVE THAT STAFFED WITH A RANGER, A VOLUNTEER, UH, OUT THERE TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. 
          UM, WE ALSO HAVE RANGERS STAFFED OUT AT, UH, UH, AT, AT DARRYL HALL, UM, A FEW DAYS A WEEK. 
          UH, AND WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO HOPEFULLY SOONER, RATHER THAN LATER, BEING ABLE TO HAVE SOME RANGERS SET UP OUT THERE AND YOUR CAMP SAXTON AS WELL. 
          UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S HAPPENED OVER THE LAST YEAR IS WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HIRE, EXCUSE ME, A FEW MORE RANGERS. 
          SO IT'S NOT JUST ME AND THE PARK SUPERINTENDENT, THE VOLUNTEERS ANYMORE. 
          WE'VE GOT TO, WE'VE GOT TO GET A FULL, YOU KNOW, GOOD SIZE, A LITTLE RANGER STAFF GOING HERE. 
          AND IF PEOPLE WANT TO FIND OUT ABOUT ALL OF THIS THAT YOU HAVE TO OFFER, YOU'VE GOT A WEBSITE IT'S, UH, UH, NPS.GOV/R E E R. 
          YES, SIR. 
          AND, UH, UH, I WENT TO THAT SITE THE OTHER DAY AND LOOKED AT IT, AND IT'S GOT A NICE LAYOUT ABOUT THE RECONSTRUCTION ERA AND KIND OF GETS PEOPLE THINKING ABOUT THINGS LIKE WHAT DOES FREEDOM MEAN AND, UH, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO PLAN YOUR VISIT. 
          SO, UH, I THANK YOU SO MUCH, CHRIS, UH, CHRIS BARR, WHO IS A PARK RANGER WITH THE RECONSTRUCTION ERA NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK RIGHT HERE IN BUFORD. 
          AND AGAIN, IF YOU WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HIM AND ABOUT THE, UH, NATIONAL, UH, ERA, UH, RECONSTRUCTION ERA NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK, UH, JUST GO TO NPS.GOV/R E E R. 
          WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE OUR HISTORIC TOUR LOOKING AT PORT ROYAL. 
          SO STAY WITH US, WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK I'M SARAH ROCK CLERK TO COUNSEL FOR BUFORD COUNTY COUNCIL THAT, YOU KNOW, BUFORD COUNTY HAS 29 ACTIVE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS. 
          THESE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS SERVE A VITAL ROLE IN BUFORD COUNTY AND ALLOW CITIZENS LIKE YOU TO GET INVOLVED WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND ADVISE YOUR COUNCIL MEMBERS ON A WIDE RANGE OF ISSUES. 
          MEMBERS SERVE IN A VARIETY OF CAPACITIES FROM ADVISING COUNCIL REGARDING THE SELLING AND PURCHASING OF LAND HEARING APPEALS, ALLOCATING TAX MONIES, ADVOCATING FOR SPECIFIC ORGANIZATIONS, WORKING ON STORMWATER RELATED ISSUES, ZONING ISSUES, DESIGN REVIEW, HISTORICAL PRESERVATION, YOU NAME IT, VISIT WWW DOT BUFORD COUNTY, SC.GOV/COUNCIL/BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS TODAY TO SEE A LIST OF OUR ACTIVE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AND FILL OUT AN APPLICATION SIGN UP TODAY. 
          SO YOU CAN HAVE A HAND IN MAKING OUR COMMUNITY EVEN GREATER THAN IT ALREADY IS. 
          WE'RE BACK ON COASTLINE. 
          AND OUR TOPIC TODAY 
          [00:15:01]
IS HISTORY, AND WE'RE JOINED BY EILEEN NEWTON. 
          SHE IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE PORT ROYAL, A HISTORIC PORT ROYAL FOUNDATION AND MUSEUM. 
          AND, UH, IT'S GOOD TO HAVE YOU EILEEN. 
          I TOOK A LOOK AT YOUR WEBSITE AND I WAS BLOWN AWAY BY HOW LITTLE I KNEW ABOUT PORT ROYAL. 
          YOU KNOW, MOST PEOPLE JUST KIND OF GO CRUISING DOWN, UM, REBO ROAD AND, UH, THEY SEE PORT ROYAL OFF TO THE SIDE THERE, BUT I DON'T THINK MANY PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF THE RICH HERITAGE THAT YOUR COMMUNITY HAS. 
          UM, UH, I WAS SHOCKED TO FIND OUT THAT ACTUALLY, UM, PORT ROYAL WAS FIRST VISITED, UM, 45 YEARS BEFORE JAMESTOWN, I BELIEVE. 
          UM, AND WAS IT BY GENRE? NO, THE SPANISH WERE THE FIRST TO COME AND THEY WERE LOOKING FOR SLAVES TO WORK IN THEIR MINDS. 
          UM, AND THEN, UM, THEY HAD A, UM, THERE WAS A STORM AND THEY HAD TO LEAVE, SO THEY DID NOT STAY VERY LONG. 
          AND THEN THEY TRIED TO FIND IT AGAIN AND THEY COULDN'T. 
          SO I'M SURE THE INDIANS WERE APPRECIATIVE OF THAT. 
          AND THEN THE FRENCH CAME ABOUT 40 YEARS LATER AND IT WAS THE FRENCH HUGUENOTS WHO WERE ESCAPING RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION. 
          AND THEY CAME WITH CAPTAIN JOHN REPO, WHICH OF COURSE IS WHO REBOW ROAD IS NAMED AFTER. 
          AND HE IS ALSO, UH, THE MAN TO NAME PORT ROYAL. 
          AND HE CALLED IT AN OLD ENGLISH PORT ROYAL, NO FAIR OR FITTER PLACE. 
          OF COURSE EVERYTHING'S SPELLED WITH Y'S DOUBLE TEES AND THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          AND THEN THE NEXT PEOPLE TO COME ON BOARD WERE THE SPANISH AND THEY ACTUALLY HAD A PERMANENT SETTLEMENT AT SANTA ELENA. 
          YEAH. 
          AND ONE THING THAT I DISCOVERED THAT I HAD NEVER KNOWN AND I'VE LIVED HERE NOW FOR OVER 30 YEARS, BUT THE STREETS IN PORT ROYAL PARIS AVENUE, LONDON AVENUE, UH, COLUMBIA AVENUE, MADRID AVENUE, ALL OF THOSE ARE THE CAPITAL CITIES OF THE COUNTRY THAT AT ONE TIME OCCUPIED PORT ROYAL. 
          AND SO YOU'VE GOT A TOTAL, I THINK, OF SEVEN AND RICHMOND WAS THE CONFEDERACY, COLUMBIA BEING THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 
          THAT'S REALLY COOL. 
          YES. 
          AND WE USUALLY START OFF OUR TOURS IN THE MUSEUM BY SHOWING EVERYONE THE FLAGS. 
          WE HAVE THEM HANGING UP ON THE WALL AND THEN WE HAVE A LITTLE LEGEND THAT GIVES A BRIEF DESCRIPTION. 
          AND WE GO THROUGH EACH DESCRIPTION AND TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHO WAS FLYING THE FLAG AND WHY THEY WERE THERE AND POSSIBLY HOW LONG THEY WERE THERE AND WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THEY LEFT. 
          SO WE DO, WE HAVE SEVEN FLAGS. 
          UM, AFTER THE ENGLISH CAME, THEN WE HAD THE PARAMOUNT OF FLAG FOR THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 
          WE HAD THE CONFEDERATE FLAG FOR THE CIVIL WAR, AND THEN OF COURSE THE U S FLAG AS WELL. 
          OKAY. 
          YOU OFFER A LOVELY WALKING TOUR OF PORT ROYAL. 
          UH, WHAT WOULD PEOPLE ENCOUNTER ON THIS? WELL, FIRST OF ALL, LET'S TALK ABOUT THE RICH, UH, HERITAGE THAT THIS TOWN HAD AS FAR AS A, A TRADING PLACE, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR, UH, COTTON PROCESSORS AND OF SEAFOOD, UH, YOU KNOW, FISHERMEN AND ALL TO DO THEIR, THEIR, UH, MERCANTILE BUSINESS THERE. 
          AND YOU ALSO HAD, UH, THE RAILROAD, WHICH IS NOW THE TRAIL, THE WALKING TRAIL, UNFORTUNATELY, UH, FOR THOSE THAT WANTED TO CONTINUE THAT RAIL, BUT THAT RAILROAD WENT ALL THE WAY TO AUGUSTA GEORGIA, RIGHT. 
          AND IT ENDED UP THAT WAS THE LAST PLACE THAT WAS THEIR GOAL WAS TO GET TO AUGUSTA GEORGIA. 
          UM, I THINK IT TOOK TWO DAYS FROM THE TOWN OF PORT ROYAL TO GET FROM PORT ROYAL TO AUGUSTA. 
          AND THERE WAS A LITTLE DIDDY, UM, THAT CAME OUT OF THAT AND THEY SAID, UM, IT WAS BLACK AND RUSTY GOING TO A GUSTY. 
          AND WE HAVE A LOT OF, UH, HISTORY IN THE MUSEUM ABOUT THE RAILROAD AND ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT WORKED ON THE RAILWAY AND THEIR LIVES AND THEIR STORIES ON, YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT HAPPENED WHILE THEY WERE ON THE TRAINS. 
          UM, THERE, THEY WOULD OFTEN BUILD HOMES. 
          THEY HAVE MANY OF THE SMALLER HOMES THAT ARE BUILT IN THE OLDER SECTION OF PORT ROYAL, WHICH IS PART OF OUR SCAVENGER HUNT, WHICH YOU JUST MENTIONED, UM, WHICH GIVES, UH, 23 LOCATIONS, THE HISTORY OF 23 LOCATIONS IN THE TOWN OF PORT ROYAL. 
          AND YOU HAVE 23 RIDDLES TO SOLVE, BUT WITH SOME HELP. 
          AND, UM, AND THAT KIND OF ALL TIES IN THE HISTORY OF PORT ROYAL FROM ABOUT 1874 WHEN THE TOWN WAS INCORPORATED THROUGH THE TURN OF THE CENTURY. 
          SO, UH, SOME OF THOSE LOCATIONS THAT, UH, PEOPLE WOULD GO, UH, YOU'VE GOT BY THE WAY, A BEAUTIFUL, UH, WEBSITE, PORT ROYAL HISTORY.ORG, AND IT LISTS THE 
          [00:20:01]
23 LOCATIONS. 
          AND I RECOGNIZE A LOT OF THESE, UH, CARPENTER'S HALL IS ONE OF THE FIRST STOPS, UM, ON PARIS AVENUE. 
          UM, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. 
          CARPENTER'S HALL WAS USED FOR MANY THINGS. 
          UM, IT WAS THE TOWN HALL AT ONE TIME IS WHERE THEY HAD DANCES. 
          THEY HAD THE, UH, CARPENTERS UNION MET THERE, UM, AND WHERE THE BUILDING IS LOCATED RIGHT NOW IS NOT THE ORIGINAL SITE. 
          IT WAS MOVED IN ORDER TO BUILD A NEW, UM, THE CITY, THE CITY HALL IN PORT ROYAL. 
          SO CITY HALL KIND OF SITS WHERE CARPENTERS ALL USED TO BE. 
          AND CARPENTER'S HALL IS UP ON THE CORNER OF 10TH AND PARIS. 
          YEAH. 
          I WAS ACTUALLY WORKING IN PORT ROYAL, WHEN THAT ALL TRANSITION, THEN THEY MOVED THAT BUILDING AND, UH, W I USED TO BE, UH, AFFILIATED WITH THE CABLE COMPANY AND WE OCCUPIED SPACE. 
          WASN'T IT? WELL, UH, BACK WHEN I WAS WITH THEM, IT WAS A FALCON CABLE TV. 
          THAT'S HOW LONG AGO? THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY, RIGHT? YEAH. 
          YEAH. 
          WELL, SO WE ARE PART OF HISTORY AND, UH, SO WE OCCUPIED A SPACE IN TOWN HALL, UH, WITH THE CITY, THE TOWN AND, UH, THE, THAT 7 0 9 PARIS AVENUE, WHICH IS THE SECOND STOP AND YOUR WALKING TOUR. 
          UH, WHEN I WAS THERE, IT WAS A DELIGHTFUL ICE CREAM SHOP AND A CANDY STORE. 
          YOU COULD GET ALL SORTS OF GOODIES THERE. 
          TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE 7 0 9 PARIS AVENUE. 
          IT'S A KIND OF, UH, A FOLK STYLE COMMERCIAL BUILDING THAT WAS, I GUESS, BUILT IN 1880 IS WHAT IT SAYS. 
          AND MY SECOND STOP I HAVE, HERE'S THE JERNIGAN HOUSE SURPRISE AT HOME. 
          SO YOU WERE THROWING ME THERE. 
          ALL RIGHT, I'M LOOKING AT A DIFFERENT, UH, SELECTION HERE. 
          MAYBE I'M GOING BY, AND THIS INDIAN, YOU MUST BE TALKING ABOUT THE ZEN DAM, WHICH IS FURTHER DOWN PARIS AND THE TWO LITTLE SMALL BUILDINGS THERE. 
          UM, ONLY ONE OF THOSE BUILDINGS IS ACTUALLY HISTORIC. 
          THE SECOND BUILDING HAS BEEN REBUILT A COUPLE OF TIMES. 
          UM, AND THAT, AGAIN, SERVED AS MANY, MANY LITTLE BUSINESSES IS ONLY LIKE SIX OR 700 SQUARE FEET BIG, IF THAT, UM, AND IT WAS EVEN A TIRE SHACK AT ONE POINT IN TIME. 
          AND NOW IT'S A RETAIL STORE THAT SELLS, UM, YOU KNOW, OILS AND, AND THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          WELL, THE GENTLEMAN THAT YOU MENTIONED EARLIER THAT, UH, REALLY HELPED DEVELOP, UH, THE COMMERCIAL DISTRICT, IF YOU WILL. 
          UM, SOME OF THE AREAS THAT HE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR INCLUDED, UH, PLACES LIKE THE SHEPHERD GENERAL STORE. 
          TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THOSE DIFFERENT STORES THAT FORM THE COMMERCIAL DISTRICT. 
          SURE. 
          THE SHEPHERD'S STORE, UM, CAME IN ABOUT 1870, EXCUSE ME, IN ABOUT 1883, THE ORIGINAL SHEPHERD STORE BURNED DOWN AND WAS REBUILT IN 1885. 
          AND IT WAS BUILT BY A GERMAN IMMIGRANT NAMED FW SHEPHERD WHO ACTUALLY BUILT THE STORE FOR HIS SON TO RUN. 
          AND IT WAS A MERCANTILE STORE. 
          THEY SOLD, YOU KNOW, SUPPLIES TO THE SHIPS AND, AND GOODS TO THE PEOPLE THAT LIVED AROUND IN THE AREA. 
          AND THERE'S SOME REALLY, UM, COLORFUL STORIES ABOUT MR. SHEPPER. 
          UH, HE WAS ONE OF THE ONLY PEOPLE IN PORT ROYAL THAT OWNED AN AUTOMOBILE, AND HE ALSO HAD A SMALL BOAT THAT HE WOULD LIKE TO GATHER AROUND FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND RIGHT ACROSS THE BUFORD RIVER TO GO OVER TO CAT ISLAND TO VISIT, TO SEE IF THEY COULD SEE ANYONE FROM THE NUDIST COLONY THERE. 
          SO, SO YES, I'M SURE THEY PROBABLY KNOW ABOUT THAT NUDIST COLONY. 
          AND, UM, AND SO MR. SHAW, UH, MR. SHEPHERD HAD THE STORE AND MR. SHEPHERD WAS ALSO, HIS SON WAS ALSO ONE OF OUR POST-MASTER'S AND THEY BUILT A LITTLE POST OFFICE ON THE SIDE OF THAT STORE. 
          THAT WAS THE POOR OLD POST OFFICE FOR A NUMBER OF, OKAY. 
          WHEN I WAS OCCUPYING SPACE DOWN THERE, UH, DIRECTLY BEHIND WHAT IS NOW, THE TOWN HALL WAS, UM, THE CUSTOMS HOUSE. 
          AND, UH, WHEN I WAS THERE, THEY HAD JUST REDONE IT AND IT WAS A DELIGHTFUL, I THINK, ITALIAN RESTAURANT. 
          UM, UH WHAT'S WHAT IS IT NOW, UM, TELL US A LITTLE BACKGROUND ABOUT THE CUSTOMS HOUSE. 
          UM, I THINK RIGHT NOW IT'S A SALON AND A PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP, ALTHOUGH IT HAS CHANGED HANDS, UH, BUSINESSES SEVERAL TIMES. 
          SO, UM, THE LAST I REMEMBER WAS THE PHOTOGRAPHY SHOP AND, UM, AND A SOLO HAIR SALON, BUT IT WAS ALSO A PLACE, UM, WHERE THEY TALK COOKING LESSONS. 
          UM, IT WAS A SALOON FOR MANY YEARS, THE LAST CHANCE SALOON REMEMBERED. 
          OH YEAH, I THINK A FEW OF US DO. 
          AND, UM, AND SO, AND IT REALLY BACK THERE WAS A MAJOR SHOOTING THAT TOOK PLACE IN THAT SALON. 
          I THINK THE OWNERS SHOT THE WIFE OR THE WIFE SHOT DOLLY. 
          YES. 
          [00:25:01]
SO IT'S ONE OF OUR INFAMOUS PLACES IN PORT ROYAL. 
          I'M SURE THEY KEPT THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT VERY BUSY. 
          SO, AND OF COURSE IT WAS LOCATED DIRECTLY BEHIND THE DOCKS AT THE PORT THERE. 
          AND SOMETHING ELSE THAT'S FASCINATING THAT I DISCOVERED WAS THAT THE PORT OF PORT ROYAL IS ACTUALLY THE DEEPEST NATURAL PORT ON THE EAST COAST. 
          IT WASN'T ONE TIME. 
          IT IS NOW ONE OF THE DEEPEST AND IT WAS DREDGED IN THE FIFTIES, UM, TO, TO, UM, DEEPEN IT FOR THE POOR THAT THEY WERE RE-ESTABLISHING AT THAT TIME. 
          UM, I THINK THERE HAD BEEN SOME, UM, LACK OF ACTIVITY FOR A WHILE AFTER MAYBE THE TWENTIES UNTIL ABOUT THE FIFTIES. 
          AND, UM, THEY DREDGED THE PORT AND CREATE, AND THEN THEY PUSHED ALL THAT MUD UP ONTO, INTO THE MARSH, WHICH IS NOW WHAT WE CALL THE SANDS BEACH, RIGHT. 
          WHERE YOU CAN USE TO CONFINE THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF SHARKS TEETH, BECAUSE THEY DREDGED THEM ALL UP FROM THE BOTTOM OF THAT VERY DEEP RIVER, THAT TO RECREATE AND, AND DUMPED THEM UP THERE ON THE LAND, RIGHT. 
          PEOPLE CAN SEE, STILL SEE SOME PRETTY LARGE SHARKS TEETH AT YOUR MUSEUM, RIGHT? AM WE HAVE MEGLA DON SHARK'S TEETH? AND WE HAVE, UM, WHALE, EARDRUM PIECES, AND WE, AND WE HAVE RIBS AND WE HAVE DIFFERENT KINDS OF SHIT, COCKLE SHELLS. 
          YOU CAN'T FIND COCKLE SHELLS ANYMORE. 
          THE KIND OF THE RIDGE, THEY LOOK LIKE A CLAM SHELL, BUT THEY'RE RED, VERY DEEP RIDGE, RIGHT? AND WE HAVE FOSSILIZED OYSTER SHELLS. 
          AND MANY OF THOSE THINGS WERE FOUND IN THE BATTERY CREEK OR IN THE SURROUNDING RIVERS IN THIS AREA AND ALL OF THIS, YOU KNOW, MUSEUM AND, UM, THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE CARE OF THE SCAT TAKE PARTICIPATE IN THE SCAVENGER HUNT. 
          THAT'S ALL FREE, RIGHT? THE SCAVENGER HUNT IS A LITTLE BIT OF A FUNDRAISER FOR US. 
          SO WE DO ASK $5 FOR THE BROCHURE, BUT IT'S YOURS AND YOU CAN USE IT MULTIPLE TIMES, BUT THE ADMISSION INTO THE MUSEUM IS FREE. 
          OKAY. 
          IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SPEND A SATURDAY. 
          AND, UM, ARE YOU GUYS LIKE TAKING SPECIAL PRECAUTIONS DURING THE PANDEMIC? OH, YES. 
          WE CERTAINLY ARE. 
          WE'VE ADHERED TO ALL THE PRECAUTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN OUTLINED FOR US. 
          IT MADE IT VERY INTERESTING. 
          ONE SATURDAY WHEN WE KICKED OFF A SCAVENGER HUNT AND IT WAS WAY MORE POPULAR THAN WE THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE HARD. 
          SO WE HAD TO KEEP, WE HAD TO KEEP ASKING PEOPLE, PLEASE GO BACK OUTSIDE, PLEASE GO BACK OUTSIDE. 
          UH, SO IT HAS BEEN A LITTLE BIT OF A CHALLENGE FOR US ON OUR BUSIER DAYS, BUT FOR THE MOST PART, EVERYONE IS USUALLY VERY POLITE AND VERY WILLING TO, TO TRY TO KEEP EVERYONE SAFE. 
          SO HARD TO SAY THAT WE'VE ONLY SCRATCHED THE SURFACE OF PORT ROYAL'S HISTORY. 
          AND IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY FASCINATING. 
          EILEEN NEWTON, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. 
          UH, EILEEN AGAIN IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE PORT ROYAL, UH, HISTORICAL FOUNDATION AND THE MUSEUM. 
          AND, UH, THAT IS LOCATED WHERE IN PARIS, IT'S LOCATED AT 1634 PARIS AVENUE, WHICH IS BEHIND THE CORNER CAFE. 
          UM, IT SITS BACK IN WHAT THEY CALL HARBOR VILLAGE THAT JOHN KEITH, UH, CREATED A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO. 
          HE BROUGHT OLD BUSINESSES AND HOMES AND THE BEAUTIFUL CYPRESS RIGHT NEXT TO THE BEAUTIFUL CYPRESS WETLANDS. 
          WE GET A LOT OF PEOPLE OFF THE TRAIL AND, UM, WE'RE OPEN ON THURSDAYS THROUGH SUNDAYS, TEND TO, WELL, THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US EILEEN AND I HOPE TO GET OUT THERE AND REDISCOVER PORT ROYAL. 
          OH, WE HOPE THAT YOU DO AND BRING SOME FRIENDS. 
          WE'LL DO. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          THAT'S ANOTHER COASTLINE. 
          THANKS FOR JOINING US. 
          WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER GREAT SERIES OF GUESTS NEXT MONTH. 
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.