History of our World: Mitchelville

In 2005, a group of historians, professors and native islanders joined forces to preserve, protect and promote the heritage of the forgotten town by forming the Mitchelville Preservation Project. The non-profit organization is focused on educating the public on the sacrifice, resilience and perseverance of those first freedmen.

“One of the most important things we have to do is preserve that memory,” Dolyniuk said. “Preserve the idea. Honor those people who early in their freedom were given the opportunity to self-govern.”

Eventually organizers would like to recreate parts of the historic town. Mitchelville has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988, but until this year, the only monument was a small historic marker on Beach City Road.

The 2012 Chamber Leadership Class unveiled the first significant monument in May – the informational kiosk inside Fish Haul Creek Park. The Mitchelville Preservation Project worked with the class to develop a storyline of historical facts, providing a closer look at life in 1862. QR codes on some of the signs allow visitors to pull up articles and other information from the Mitchelville Preservation Project website.

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History of our World: Ralph Lynes

The years of those days blend together in the mind of Ralph “Pap” Lynes. At times, his gaze wanders as he digs back deep into his memories, like a man rummaging through albums looking for some long-lost photograph. Then, something will click. Seated in the family home on Point Comfort, on land he bought from Charles Fraser in 1958 for $1,900, it isn’t long before something on this historic plot triggers a memory, and the stories come rolling out.

Catching nude bathers on the beach. Sharing a ferry ride onto the island with Charles Fraser’s father. How he (sort of) learned Gullah. Why he could only use a power saw between the hours of 12 and 1 p.m. And there is, of course, the story of a friendly competition with his closest friend.

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The Lowdown on the Showdown

Some of the Lowcountry’s biggest acts come together for a one-night show at The Smokehouse.
Treble Jay members (L-R): John Cranford, Jesse Watkins, Phillip Sirmans, and John Ruxton.

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History of our World: Kay Moore, island pioneer

When Kay Moore speaks, it’s with a gentility and grace that could only be found in the South. Her Sea Pines home is as instantly welcoming as it is comfortable. She blesses your heart. At 12 o’clock noon, without so much a glance at a clock, she declares that it’s Coca-Cola time.

Moore is every bit the Southern belle her Savannah upbringing infers; endlessly charming and full of stories. And as it happens, most of those stories dovetail with the island’s modern march through history. Her family knew the island well before anyone had spoken the word “resort” here. She can tell you about walking through the wilds of the island as a teenager; about stumbling across parties at pavilions that were once the heart of town, and are now long-forgotten; she can tell you about the island’s first bootleggers. And she can tell you what it was like the day the bridge opened, because she was there to cut the ribbon.

Which bridge, you ask? Both of them. First the swing bridge in 1956, then our current concrete span in 1982.

We couldn’t possibly do her stories of the island’s adolescence justice, but fortunately she’s written down a few for us. Collected here are a mere handful, culled from a manuscript thick with stories. Moore is currently shopping it around for publishers, but in the meantime was gracious enough to let us publish a few.

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Oliver! is a family affair

“Consider yourself at home. Consider yourself part of the family.” These lyrics are from one of the most recognizable musical numbers in “Oliver!,” the Main Street Youth Theatre’s fall production.  And a family show it is! There are fathers and daughters, a father and son, a mother and daughter, a mother and son, a husband and wife, a brother and sister, sisters and sisters and a brother and brother for a grand total of five sets of siblings in this Tony award-winning musical.

More than 50 adults and children from Beaufort, Bluffton and Hilton Head; from private and public schools and from elementary to high school age will perform under the direction of long-time director/choreographer Jodi Layman. Bill and Betsy Peterson are musical directors.

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Honored Collectors: Milli and Frank Ricciardelli

Several exhibitors have supported the Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival & Concours d’Elegance from its humble beginnings. To show its appreciation, the Motoring Festival Selection Committee is introducing the Honored Collector award at the 11th annual event, set for Oct. 26-Nov. 4  in Savannah and Hilton Head Island.

The recipients of the inaugural award are Milli and Frank Ricciardelli of Monmouth Beach, N.J.

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Return of the Wheelmen (and Woman)

Bryan Puffinburger’s 1972 Stingray doesn’t transform into a long-haul truck or morph into an intergalactic robot. He named his ride “Optimus Prime” for its ability to transform noise into motion. Bill Hughes’ 1957 Chevy Belair earned the name “Marilyn” because “she’s as curvy as Monroe.”

Laurie Towler drives a 1968 Pontiac Firebird called “The Possum.” The name honors an opossum she nailed the day she bought the car (thankfully, it’s not called “Elderly Woman in Wheelchair”).

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Bob Lutz: Do not challenge this man to a push-up contest

The thumbprint of former auto executive Bob Lutz can be found on many significant vehicles, ranging from the strapping Dodge Viper down to the conservative Chevrolet Volt.

His most-recent book, “Car Guys vs. Bean Counters: The Battle for the Soul of American Business” chronicles the challenges he faced after being coaxed out of retirement by General Motors in 2001.

In Lutz’s eyes, there are two types inside the industry — the car guys, responsible for the iconic brands of the past and visionaries of the future; then the spreadsheet-loving bean counters that led to the industry’s dramatic decline.

Lutz, now 80, has always considered himself a car guy.

That’s what makes him a strong honorary chairman  for the 11th annual Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival and Concours d’Elegance.

Lutz will attend the Hilton Head Island portions of the event, set for Nov. 3-4 at the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn. Along with public Q&A sessions during the main attractions, he will host an exclusive dinner on Nov. 3 and serve as a guest judge on Nov. 4.

Lutz took a few moments to speak with Hilton Head Monthly about the upcoming Motoring Festival, the boring future of automobiles and why Stephen Colbert recently challenged him to a push-up contest. 

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