Historic Beaufort Foundation will introduce a new series of educational programming May 18th with the first Book & A Bite, author lectures and book signings sponsored in conjunction with Beaufort Bookstore. All Book & A Bite programs will be held at noon in the Verdier House ballroom, 801 Bay Street.
Historian and former Beaufort resident Alexia Helsey will discuss her new book, Wicked Beaufort, a history of misdeeds in Beaufort. Helsey is known to local readers for her 2005 book, Beaufort South Carolina: A History. She was an archivist and historian with the SC Dept. of Archives & History and a professor at the University of South Carolina-Aiken for many years.
According to The History Press, Helsey’s publisher, Beaufort’s long history of wickedness stretches back to 1562 when Capt. Jean Ribaut built the ill-fated French outpost, Charlesfort, on Parris Island, which was eventually destroyed by mutiny and starvation.
Helsey also reports that colonial Beaufortonians were no strangers to thwarting the law and the Revolutionary War brought civil strife and bands of outlaws. The early Federal years saw the gentleman pursuits of drinking, gambling and fighting, while the years after the Civil brought violence as freedmen, carpetbaggers and scalawags worked out a new world order.
Tickets are $5 per person. Those who attend Book & A Bite are invited to bring lunch. Iced tea and water will be served and guests may tour the house after the program. Call 379-3331 with questions.
