About the host of the podcast: Walter Edgar’s Journal delves into the arts, culture, history of South Carolina and the American South. In 2021, Walter Edgar’s Journal celebrated 21 years on South Carolina Public Radio.
Dr. Edgar asked me about my recent book “Drayton Hall Stories: A Place and Its People.” Hailed as the first book in the nation to focus on a historic place’s recent history, it features interviews with descendants (both White and Black), board members, staff, donors, architects, historians, preservationists, tourism leaders, and more. The result is a new portrayal of this 18th-century icon among America’s historic sites.
Click below to play the complete interview:
George W. McDaniel, Ph.D., is President of McDaniel Consulting, LLC, a strategy firm that helps organizations use history to build bridges within itself and to its broader constituents. The company’s tag line, “Building Bridges through History,” is grounded in McDaniel’s personal beliefs and his experience in site management, preservation, education, board development, fundraising, and community outreach. Rather than using history to divide us, he strives to help organizations use history, especially local history, to enhance cross-cultural understanding and to support local museums, preservation, and education. Dr. McDaniel led volunteer efforts with Emanuel AME Church and historical organizations in Charleston to use historic preservation to enhance racial reconciliation and healing. McDaniel is also the Executive Director Emeritus of Drayton Hall, a historic site in Charleston, SC, owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He retired from Drayton Hall in 2015 after 25 years of distinguished service.
A frequent writer, speaker, and facilitator about such issues, he can be reached at gmcdaniel4444@gmail.com or through his website at www.mcdanielconsulting.net.
All images courtesy of the author unless otherwise noted.
McDaniel Consulting LLC is a strategy firm that helps organizations use history to build bridges within itself and its broader constituents.