The Beech Island Historical Society presents
Beech Island Heritage Day 2000
April 29th - Beech Island, SC
      The somber silence of an 1860s Civil War funeral for a little Confederate drummer boy will be interrupted by the sounds of gunfire from some uninvited guests Saturday, April 29, at Granville Plantation.

      The Beech Island Historical Society's 14th Annual Heritage Day will get under way at Granville Plantation, located at 6198 Atomic Road ( SC Highway 125) between Beech Island and Jackson at 10 am with house tours, living history, entertainment, crafts, historical exhibits and antique autos and classic tractors. The day's festivities will end at 5 pm.

      At 11 am in front of the 1840s antebellum home of James Goodman, the society's president, Confederates and yankees will battle it out during amock funeral for a little drummer boy who died in battle nearby. A group of Yankees will arrive unexpectedly on horseback in the middle of the funeral and disrupt it with lots of gunfire until the Rebs ride in and save the day!

      Civil War re-enactors with the 14th and 25th S.C. Volunteers, the 6th S.C. Cavalry and the 21st Ohio will take part in the Civil War drama in front of Granville from 11 am until noon. All day long, except during the drama, Southern ladies in 1860s costume willshow guest through the three-story home built by Alfred Dicks from materials off his swamp plantation in Beech Island. Admission to the house is $2 for adults, $1 for children and under age 6 free.
      Under the moss-draped trees of Granville, old-timey crafters will be demonstrating skills of a bygone era, such as chair caning, spinning and weaving, blacksmithing, milling, coap making,and flintknapping. Around the grounds near the Dicks family cemeter, contemporary crafters will be selling handcrafted wares.
      The theme of this year's Heritage Day is "Beech Island - Past, Present & Future." A "2000 Millennium Parade" had been scheduled to kick off the celebration, but had to be canceled due to the lack of a marching band. Inside the Cultural Center at Granville, historical exhibits illustrating this theme will be on display and include a Beech Island Time Line, the Savannah River Site 50th Anniversary exhibit, old Beech Island photos, Old Ellenton stories and three local students' History Day exhibits.
      This year's Heritage Day will be dedicated to Frank Atkinson, Jr., one of the society's founding members, who died March 15. Atkinson, a Beech Island farmer, had served as secretary of the historical Beech Island Agricultural Club for the past 30 years, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather and great uncle who had served as the club's past secretaries.

      All-day entertainment will begin at 10 am with Smooth Country on the stage in front of the Cultural Center, followed at 11 am with the Civil War drama in front of Granville, a Heritage day program at noon ont he stage, Beech Island's own Flo Carter and the Sounds of Joy at 1 pm, the 1860s fashion show at 2 pm, the Scottish Pan-Celtic Pipes and Drums at 3 pm and gospel singers, Higher Ground, at 4 pm. During the noon program, the society will award three local history students with cash prizes for their History Day Projects.

      Admission to the festival and parking are free. Barbecue dinners and sandwiches and other type of food will be available all day long. For more information, call Jackie Bartley at 803-827-0184.



  Click here for more pictures.