(c)General James Williams Chapter of the South Carolina Society of the Sons of the American Revolution 

(Updated December 16, 2011)

A Monument for Memorial Park

- Compatriot Jim Livingston

In 1882 our local treasure The Newberry Opera House opened.  It was built with local material using local workmanship at a cost of $30,000.  The entrance to the performing area (top floor) was from McKibben Street up the Grand Stair.  The second stair, added later, as was the double door to the lobby, was a solid wall, the sheriff’s office being where the stair on left now stands. Downstairs was off limits to performers and theater goers alike.  The single stair led to the auditorium. A stage door on what is now front of the house, led performers to their space beneath the stage, the green room.  In addition to what was the opera house area was a fire station with fire wagons, three jail cells, the sheriff’s office and the court room where the lobby is now located.  McKibben was at the time a major street and the only entrance to the performing area (discounting the court room).  What is now Memorial Park in 1882 was a bare open area for carriages.

Ninety feet up from the street the opera house  “haunted” clock and bell tower  is crowned with the fighting, unfit for consumption, cantankerous Gar fish.  As only the top floor was open to paying public, your tour guide here contends it was a subtle political statement from theater lovers to city restrictions.

The park is now a splendid place much loved by locals and appreciated by people from all over the world.  Many visit the opera house for touring as well as performances.  A good many Saturday’s ago a direct descendant of Frederick Nance, from Scotland, took a tour of your writers.  

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Being George Washington

By Glenn Beck

Book report by Compatriot Jim Livingston

Placing true history, that minuscule unmoving past, in an imagined context requires extraordinary honesty and care to keep close to the truth as it is traditionally understood to be. The truth is that which is commonly held to have happened. It is based on the reliable uncluttered accounts garnered by historians. Although an embellished contemporary believable setting developed around the history can serve mightily to memorialize it, when doing so great care must be made to keep close to the truth.

Glenn Beck is a gifted writer who embellished past incidents in a remarkable and pleasing way with apparently few new discoveries. Beck, not known for subtle understatement, gives us a clear easy read with well placed emphasis on the remarkable man of Washington. Washington in his success served an additional benefit to humanity openly hosting the power of a caring and controlling God.

Alongside praise of General Washington and council to become more George-like Glenn Beck provides an easy to digest and remember account of The American Revolution, ideal for young and formative minds to enjoy. Throughout the book readers are provided self help techniques to become more like the Father of our country. “Be great in your own city your own neighborhood, and, most important, your own family. Be someone who relies on character and honor to lead and there will be no bounds to what you can accomplish.”

Taking his authors imaginative liberty Beck makes the happenings attractive to the reader. He provides liberal details of conditions at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania : “ A shoeless body, dressed in blue rags, tumbled from the cart down into the mud. With this sorry remainder of what had once been a farmer, a husband, a father---a soldier--- .” Elsewhere he details that while about ten thousand men arrived at Valley Forge in December 1777 2,500 died, 2,000 doing without blankets the entire stay, thousands without shoes left blood on the icy paths and their clothes were so ragged that they fell off the wearers, causing them to became too embarrassed to leave their quarters.

In spite of all the military shortages, Washington’s extraordinary leadership at Valley Forge so impressed the French, who Benjamin Franklin had carefully primed for help, that they joined the Continental forces against the British. We are told when the French arrived their 4,000 crisp brightly colored uniforms stood alongside dirty, ragged uniforms of our 3,000 Americans. .

We are told of the heroics of Benedict Arnold, his background, his extraordinary fighting ability and his causes for contention with a detail of what was, what happened and what might have been.

Fine tuned to effective presentation, Beck’s keen imagination places the reader front row center of action. “The Frenchman sat upon a small barrel he had turned over for a stool. He was weary to the bone. War was excruciating work. A drop of sweat dripped from his nose and he lifted an arm to wipe his sleeve across his forehead. A gust of humid air blew in from the beach and he caught a whiff of decaying flesh. Without thinking, he turned away.” Beck’s recall of the Yorktown victory tells us “Soon after eight thousand defeated troops marched between parallel lines of allied soldiers to surrender their arms. Many of the British soldiers were openly weeping. Instead of handing over their weapons, some smashed them against the ground and sullied off.” Later we find Beck’s special telling of the Generals need of glasses for reading, provide a way to lead readers to acknowledge the presence of Divine Guidance at one of the many such opportunities for appreciating the Invisible Hand.

Being George Washington seems especially suited for the novice and young generation to gain a fuller apreciation of our freedom provided by General Washington, our Patriots and the unstinted watch of our Higher Power.

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Being George Washington The Indispensable Man, as You’ve Never Seen Him

Glenn Beck & Kevin

Balfe. © 2011 by Mercury Radio Arts, Inc. 287 Pages , $26.oo U.S.

The park, owned by the city of Newberry, is named Memorial Park.  Within its bounds are large statues commemorating the first and second world wars.  Most conspicuously placed for foot and vehicular traffic along the sidewalk of McKibben is a time capsule commemorating The Declaration of Independence.  As there is no monument to the American Revolution, it was suggested a modest well placed monument be placed between the time capsule and McKibben Street.

Understandable in order to place anything within Memorial Park a careful review of the subject and placement is required.  Within the city of Newberry contact was required with the architectural review board, the city planner, the city manager and the elected Mayor and City Council.  It pleases me more than can be said, all approved  the design and placement.

The simple monument will be prominently positioned along side McKibben Street out front the historic Newberry Opera House and 1976 - 2076 Time Capsule.  The new monument is by design low profile so as to enhance the Time Capsule without obstructing it.  The text will be:

HONORING

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

PATRIOTS

1775 - 1783

Please help us with funding of the less than $2,000 to dedicate this monument next July 4^th with your contribution of a check For Monument to GJWSAR Treasurer. Mail check to: Treasurer Charles McKinney 1063 Old Milton Rd., Clinton, SC 29325. Thank you !

[ Jim Livingston is a Charter member and Vice President General James Williams Chapter SCS Sons of the American Revolution and volunteer tour guide at the Newberry Opera house.]

LINKS

 STATE SAR

NATIONAL SAR

NATIONAL DAR

NATIONAL CAR

LAURENS HISTORICAL SOCIETY

NEWBERRY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

OLD NEWBERRY DISTRICT GENEALOGY

SALUDA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

CALENDAR

CLOTHING OF 18TH CENTURY

SC ARCHIVES & HISTORY CNTR

SOUTHERN CAMPAIGNS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

AMERICAN REVOLUTION IN S.C.

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Upcoming SAR Events from the state calendar

REQUESTING MORE SUPPORT FOR AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR PATRIOTS

While the importance of the American Revolution War is realized still it may not be common knowledge that while we in SC were not the first to fire the shot, it was here that a great many of the battles happened, fighting the great British empire for independence. The severe hardships these patriot men and women voluntarily submitted themselves to was to secure safety and independence for themselves, their families, neighbors and an independent nation.

Never more than now has there been a time when the brave Patriots deserve recognition and respect. This is best done by the proven blood descendants of the Patriots, organized in patriotic promotion societies known as Daughters of American Revolution and Sons of the American Revolution.

While most counties here in SC are represented by organized societies mentioned in preceding paragraph, I urge membership of all who are so qualified. At this writing we here in SC have over 1100 documented known gravesites of Patriots who fought for our independence, not counting 59 documented but with unknown gravesites. Consider- in the over 230 years since these sacrifices, how many millions in direct blood line have descended that are with us. Yet at this writing in all of SC there are less than 700  Sons of the American Revolution members (SAR).

All county SAR chapters as well as the State Society have genealogists and registrars ready to assist anyone desiring to give the love and respect to an ancestor who gave their all for our free nation.

Jim Livingston, Vice President

General James Williams Chapter SC S Sons of the American Revolution

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CHAPTER NEWS

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                             GOOD STUFF...

For those who are not yet members (Compatriots) of Sons of the American Revolution THE SAR MAGAZINE is available to provide excellent information to all who choose to subscribe. This is the quarterly published national magazine.

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A classroom session