Carolina Day 2007

NPS photo by Bill Martin

News Release Date: June 11, 2007

Contact: Rick Hatcher, [phone] x 22

On Thursday, June 28, 2007, the National Park Service will commemorate the 231^st anniversary of the battle of Sullivan’s Island at Fort Moultrie. Admission is free all day with a special event from 4:00-8:00 p.m. Three authors of children’s books on the Revolutionary War will be a part of this year’s festivities, along with living history and a presentation by the staff historian. Portions of the event will be held outdoors, weather allowing. Families are encouraged to bring a blanket or lawn chairs, a picnic supper and enjoy the evening with authors, re-enactors and historians in a traditional Carolina Day celebration. This program is part of the Carolina Day activities being held in Charleston to honor the first major and decisive victory of Patriots over the British during the Revolutionary War.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

9:00 a.m. – Fort Moultrie and the visitor center open.

4:00 p.m. – Author Sheila Ingle presents her new book at the Fort Moultrie Visitor Center.

6:30 p.m. – Readings and book-signing at the Fort Moultrie Visitor Center by authors Sheila Ingle, Kate Salley Palmer and G. Walton Williams.

7:00 p.m. – Members of the 2^nd South Carolina Regiment present living history programs, including musket firing at Colonel Moultrie’s grave.

7:30 p.m. – Presentation at Colonel Moultrie’s grave on General William Moultrie and the significance of Carolina Day by National Park Service Historian Richard W. Hatcher III.

8:30 p.m. – Fort Moultrie and the visitor center close.

Sheila Ingle, author of Courageous Kate: A Daughter of the American Revolution, will present a 4:00 p.m. program on her new fictional biography for young adults. Based on the life of Kate Moore Barry, the book is a compelling account of a young heroine who rode out from her Carolina backcountry home to warn Patriot militias of enemies on the move. The author weaves together history, folklore and fiction to create a memorable story about life in the South Carolina Upcountry during the 1700s.

At 6:30 p.m. Ms. Ingle will be joined by Kate Salley Palmer and G. Walton Williams. Ms. Palmer is the author and illustrator of Palmetto: Symbol of Courage, the story of South Carolina’s state tree and the June 28, 1776 battle of Sullivan’s Island. The South Carolina Department of Education has endorsed Palmer’s book as a resource for teaching South Carolina history in 3^rd grade social studies. This colorful book captures the action of this important Revolutionary War victory over the British.

The Palmetto Fort: A Young Volunteer in the Revolution, 1776 by G. Walton Williams is another work of historical fiction for young readers. It presents a look at Charleston, the construction of the fort on Sullivan’s Island and the historic battle through the eyes of a young boy. An author and native Charlestonian, Dr. Williams is a retired professor from Duke University who introduced this popular little book on Carolina Day in 2005.

At 7:00 p.m. reenactors from the 2^nd South Carolina regiment will present a living history program, followed by a presentation at 7:30 p.m. by National Park Service Historian Richard W. Hatcher III on Colonel William Moultrie and the significance of Carolina Day.

Fort Moultrie mirrors the 171-year history of seacoast defense in the United States. The first fortification was constructed of palmetto logs in 1776. The existing fort was built in 1809 and was in use until 1947. A unit of Fort Sumter National Monument, Fort Moultrie is administered by the National Park Service. The park is open daily from 9:00-5:00 except for New Year’s, Thanksgiving and Christmas Days. The normal $3.00 entrance fee is waived for Carolina Day. Fort Moultrie and the visitor center are located at 1214 Middle Street, Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, 29482.

For more information please call [phone].