March 12
2019: By act of Congress, the Reconstruction Era National Monument becomes the Reconstruction Era National Historic Park.
March 18
1825: General Lafayette arrives in Beaufort to a 13-gun salute and speaks to citizens from the John Mark Verdier House, also known as the Lafayette Building. Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier – better known as Marquis de La Fayette or simply General Lafayettein the United States – was a French aristocrat and military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War, commanding American troops in several battles, including Yorktown. In 1824, Lafayette returned to the U.S. and traveled through 24 states and the District of Columbia.
2009: Author Pat Conroy, for whom Beaufort played a prominent role both in his work and his life, isinducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame. Among Conroy’s works are“The Water Is Wide,” “The Lords of Discipline,” “The Prince of Tides” and “The Great Santini.”
— Compiled by Mike McCombs