#110: Historic Textiles at the Charleston Museum (Interview w/ Virginia Theerman), Stede Bonnet the Gentleman Pirate, and the new CEO of the SC Historical Society
For South Carolina history lovers far and wide! Published weekly on Monday mornings. Enjoy weekly SC history articles and upcoming SC historical events.
Dear reader,
Welcome to SC History Newsletter #110!
I hope you are having a wonderful last few weeks of summer. Here in Greenville, the temperature is starting to cool and I couldn’t be more excited for fall to arrive. Also, for those of you with children heading back to school, I hope it has been a smooth transition. I am sending you positivity from afar! :)
This week, I was honored to interview Virginia Theerman, Curator of Historic Textiles, at the Charleston Museum for our Podcast #3 of the SC History Newsletter! You’ll be able to read, listen to, or watch my interview with Virginia in our “SC History Topic of the Week” section at the bottom of the newsletter below.
Great news! I have successfully connected to Apple Podcasts (dream come true!) and you can now listen to and follow the SC History Newsletter Podcast at this link. For those of you who choose to listen to the podcast on Apple, could I ask you a favor? If you could please subscribe and rate the podcast (5-star would be great!), that will help with the algorithm for us to reach even more SC History enthusiasts like yourself. Thank you so much!
As always, I’d like to welcome the following new subscribers to our community. Thank you for your interest in South Carolina history!
mwade16277
vtheerman
ebrown
New friends! If you are new to the newsletter, please note that there are over 100 previous SC History newsletters on topics ranging from the founding of Charleston, sunken Confederate submarines, railroad tunnels filled with blue cheese, and so much more! I encourage you to take a look at our archive here.
Send me your topic ideas: I love it when subscribers write to me! Have a SC History topic or question you’d like for me to write about? Just reply to this email and let me know!
Join us on social: Please join us & keep the conversation going by becoming a member of our SC History Newsletter Facebook Community here! I can’t wait to meet you. :)
If your email “cuts off”: In your email app or website, if my emails “cut off” for you, please click the title of the email and it will take you to the full post on the Substack. I don’t want you to miss any content!
And now, let’s learn some South Carolina history!
Yours truly,
Kate
(Writing from Greenville, SC)
➳ Featured SC History Events
Please note our featured SC History Event below, and click here to visit my SC History Events Calendar that organizes all the upcoming SC history events I have discovered.
Please let me know if you’d like to add an event to the calendar! Reply to this email to send me your events.
Event Recommendation of the Week:
Saturday, September 14th at 1:00 pm | “Elizabeth Chew: South Carolina History is American History” | Horry County Museum | Conway, SC | FREE!
“The Horry County Museum presents a program by Elizabeth Chew, CEO of the South Carolina Historical Society, on Saturday, September 14th, at 1:00 PM. In this slide lecture, Chew will show how central the history of South Carolina has been to the story of the United States. From the Spanish colony of Santa Elena on present-day Parris Island in the late 16th century to foundational events of the Civil Rights Movement in the 20th, South Carolina has played a major role in the trajectory of the nation.
Elizabeth Chew became CEO of the South Carolina Historical Society in January 2024. A historian, curator, and educator, she has worked at museums and historic sites since 1985.”
➳ SC History Book & Article Recommendations
“Stede Bonnet: Charleston's Gentleman Pirate” by Christopher Bryd Downey
(Note from Kate: In our Podcast #2 with Trish Lowe Smith and Luke Pecoraro of Drayton Hall, Trish shared that she read a book in 4th grade about Stede Bonnet, the Gentleman Pirate, and the book inspired her to pursue a career in historic preservation. While I unfortunately didn’t ask the title of the exact book Trish read, I went on GoodReads.com to find the top-rated book on the fascinating subject of Stede Bonnet and I present it above and below. I am adding this to my reading list!)
Here is the publisher’s description:
“Originally a wealthy plantation owner from Barbados, Bonnet abandoned his wife and children in 1717 to set sail on the pirate ship Revenge. He soon fell into company with Blackbeard in the Bahamas and headed for America. In May 1718, they arrived in Charleston and held the entire city hostage in a daring siege. Bonnet was eventually captured in North Carolina and transported back to Charleston, where he was brought to justice and executed on December 10, 1718. Join local pirate tour guide Captain Christopher Byrd Downey as he recounts the swashbuckling life of the most infamous pirate to ever darken the Holy City's waters.”
Do you have a book or article on South Carolina history that has caught your attention? Reply to this email and let me know!
➳ SC History Topic of the Week:
In our SC History Podcast #3, I was honored to interview Virginia Theerman, Curator of Historic Textiles, at the Charleston Museum!
In our interview, Virginia and I discussed an array of fascinating topics, including:
Virginia’s top 3 most exciting projects she has worked on as the Curator of Historic Textiles at the Charleston Museum
The “gem” of the textile collection, the “Robe a la Francaise” worn by SC Founding mother Eliza Lucas Pinckney in 1753
The life and legacy of SC Founding Mother, Eliza Lucas Pinckney, and her impact on early indigo and sericulture (silk) cultivation in South Carolina
The typical wardrobes of wealthy plantation families
How clothing in the 18th century was repurposed in various interesting ways
What it would have been like to go to a dressmaker’s shop in Charleston in colonial times
Virginia’s impressive career path from Drexel University, to the Fashion Institiute of Technology, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, (and more!) and how she ended up at the Charleston Museum!
Virginia’s upcoming exhibit at the Charleston Museum “Lovely & Lethal: Killer Fashions from the collection”
A very sad but “breakthrough” moment when Virginia realized she was handling the apron of an enslaved child in the museum’s archive
A prominent African American dress designer in Charleston named Madame Seba
Unique Lowcountry textiles including a historic quilt that depicts everyday life in Charleston in the early 19th century
I also had Virginia answer our “Carolina Questionnaire” and she answered a few very interesting reader questions as well!
There are 3 ways to digest our interview:
Listen to the Podcast (and read the transcription) on Substack:
Listen to the Podcast on Apple Podcasts (be sure to “rate” and subscribe!):
You can also view the interview on YouTube below so you can see Virginia’s beautiful presentation and visuals of the textiles she discusses:
Did you enjoy today’s interview? Any additional questions for Virginia? Leave a comment below!
➳ Charleston Museum Helpful Links
I always want to improve my work. Answer the poll below to give me your review of today’s newsletter. I also welcome your suggestions for new content! Simply reply to this email with your ideas. Thank you!