Beaufort, South Carolina: Pages from the Past (American Chronicles) [Paperback]

Gerhard Spieler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2008 | Series: American Chronicles

For more than forty years, Gerhard Spieler has collected the captivating history of Beaufort, South Carolina, and shared it with others in a weekly column in the Beaufort Gazette. These articles are an excellent introduction to one of the nation's most historic towns, from the Spanish explorers and early settlers to Revolutionary War battles and unique architecture.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: The History Press (April 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596294280
• ISBN-13: 978-1596294288
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,279,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars What a fun way to get to know Beaufort!, October 6, 2008

By 

Kraig W. Mcnutt (Franklin, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beaufort, South Carolina: Pages from the Past (American Chronicles) (Paperback)

The author, a longtime resident of Beaufort, a writer for the Beaufort Gazette, and an historian, provides a very entertaining almost Lake Wobegonish look at Beaufort - pronounced Bew-furt - South Carolina.

One can read through it in a couple hours with just 120+ pages. It's really meant to whet ones appetite more than anything else. There are generous pictures.

It lacks even a basic bibliography or an index. Keep the bibliography but gimme an index, c'mon. The book also lacks maps. One map is provided (1721) but the author teases the reader by trying to describe a part of Beaufort from maps made in 1716 and 1729.

The book is sourced with numerous firsthand quotes from explorers and pioneers as far back as the 16th century.

Of the more interesting things I learned is:

- Where the term 'cowboy' originated in 1741. The answer is surprising.

- The origin of the word 'buckaroo' (apparently sourced in the Gullah culture).

- Many 18th and 19th century plantation houses in the Beaufort region were not the palatial Gone-with-the-Wind types.

- Beaufort even has a National Cemetery were between 6,000 - 7,000 Union soldiers are buried; including about 120 Confederate soldiers. And guess what? The cemetery still has burial plots available for veterans of service.

Overall, this is a fun book but not one would cite in a serious bibliography. Nonetheless, impress your friends by being one of the very few to know the real origin of the 'American Cowboy'.