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website art by
Henry thor Straten
historic site photography by Mark D. Lax
and
Mitchell Erauth
biography photograph by
Steven E. Purcell
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Living History:
Thoughts and Observations
from Recent Research
I think most thoughtful people would agree that preservation of historic sites is a worthwhile goal for a community. But what exactly is the best way to preserve a site?
This question came up during a recent visit to Charleston. I think preservation advocates (like myself) tend to see the issue in black and white: the good citizens fighting to preserve their heritage vs. the evil corporate moguls who want to develop property solely for economic gain. It’s never that simple, of course. But the case in Charleston is even more striking. It pits preservationists against what I can only describe as other preservationists. The good guys vs. more good guys. Who do you root for?
The battleground in this instance is the McLeod Plantation on James Island, just across the harbor from the old city of Charleston. First developed in the mid 18th Century, the plantation produced Sea Island cotton and was occupied by both Confederate and Union forces during the Civil War, including the African-American troops of the 54th and 55th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiments.
The site includes a three-story antebellum house and numerous outbuildings, but its most remarkable feature is probably the row of intact slave quarters, something that has long been erased from most sites. McLeod Plantation now sits as a 60-acre island of rural past in the midst of suburban housing developments. And the neighbors who have banded together to form the Friends of McLeod, Inc. would like it to stay that way. But Historic Charleston Foundation, to whom Mr. McLeod willed the property at his death, decided that the best way to preserve and maintain the property was to sell it to a new school called the American College of Building Arts, which, according to its website, “trains future generations of building artisans to foster exceptional craftsmanship and leadership and encourages the preservation, enrichment, and understanding of the world's architectural heritage.”
The decision to sell off the site was not made out of laziness, certainly. The property will take a lot of money to restore and maintain, and HCF probably did not have anywhere near the resources to manage this plantation in addition to their other sites. Something had to be done. But was this the right something?
Yes, the college is dedicated to preserving significant historical architecture. But American College of Building Arts plans to move virtually all of their school facilities to the site. The Friends of McLeod claim that the school will build 21 new buildings on the site, thoroughly disrupting the plantation setting. The College itself is more vague, claiming final plans and designs aren’t finished yet and that it will “take a number of years to appropriately and sympathetically create the permanent campus at McLeod Plantation.”
Instead of seeing the construction of new school buildings and the existing buildings turned into office space, the Friends of McLeod would rather see the site preserved as a “passive park” with a heritage center and numerous walking paths filled with information about the culture and history of the sea islands. But their website makes it appear as though the group has a big cache of wishes, but only a very small cache of cash. Grants would be terrific. Corporate sponsors ideal. Unfortunately for them, the other side seems to have all the monetary and political support at this time.
So what’s the right thing to do? If the college carries through with its plans, much of the character of the site, and possibly artifacts as well, will be lost to development. On the other hand, even if the Friends of McLeod were able to scrape up enough money to buy the site, would they be able to maintain it? How long should they be given to raise the money?
The Friends of McLeod are currently battling in the courts to block construction, and I wouldn’t trade places with the judge on this one for anything. It’s no easy call. Since I described this as a battle of good guys vs. good guys, it seems like either outcome should produce a win. But I have a feeling that whoever wins, something will be lost.
Only time will tell...
--K
copyright 2008 Kate Dolan |
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What's New?
Yes, I haven't even finished building this website, and I've already added a second site that is in even worse shape than this one. The Heartsong Presents Mystery book club is about to launch so I decided I should finally register the domain name I'm using for my contemporary books.
And while I was doing that, I thought I should see if I could remember how to launch a site. So I did, without really bothering to build most of it first. You can visit at www.kdhays.com and let me know what you think. That way, I can take comments and criticism into account before I go to the trouble of doing much work.
The new site also features a new column, Life Beyond the Lunchboxes. In that column, I will talk about writing while trying to deal with kids, housework, paying work, and everything else we deal with that keeps us from writing.
Since I like pirates (which doesn't make sense, because by and large they are not likeable guys) I will probably keep the link for the trailer to Avery's Treasure on here for a long time. Click on pirate flag to watch the book trailer and click on the Howard Pyle painting below to read more about the book. I had a lot of fun writing it, but I have fun with all my books or I wouldn't be doing this!
I have two books due out this year. The first of my mysteries, George Washington Stepped Here (written under the pseudonym K.D. Hays) will be a selection in the Heartsong Mysteries Bookclub. And the sequel to my first Regency (better known as the "crazy people story") will come out in ebook format under the title The Appearance of Impropriety.
Both books should be in stores later in the year.
Right now I'm working on the second book in the mystery series (Worth Its Weight in Old) and the third "crazy people" book, which has a working title that is too crazy to print here.
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