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BURKE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY – FEB 19, 2023 – MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
February 19, 2023 @ 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Free
A Place and Its People: Using a Historic Site to Enhance Community
MEET AUTHOR GEORGE W. MCDANIEL
Author George McDaniel will give a presentation about the recent history of a historic site, drawing from his book, Drayton Hall Stories: A Place and Its People. He will show the audience how places in their communities can be used to bring people together and he will present actionable ideas on how individuals can make a difference through the many resources found in his book and on his website.
Drayton Hall is an 18th-century unrestored plantation house established by John Drayton, a white man whose wealth came from plantations worked primarily by enslaved labor. Dr. McDaniel will focus on the site’s recent history using interviews with descendants (both White and Black), staff, architects, historians and more. He will showcase how the book uses oral history to build community and transform this Southern plantation into a site for racial conciliation.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
George W. McDaniel, PhD, is the President of McDaniel Consulting, LLC, a strategy firm that helps organizations use history to build bridges within itself and to its broader constituents. For 25 years, he served as the Executive Director of Drayton Hall, a historic site in Charleston, SC. A native of Atlanta, he earned a BA from Sewanee, a MAT (history) from Brown University, and PhD (history) from Duke. For 40 years, he built a career working in education and history museums, beginning with the Smithsonian Institution, and earning awards at the local, state, and national levels. Following the 2015 massacre at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC, he helped lead volunteer efforts with the church and other organizations to enhance racial conciliation and healing.
This program is appropriate for ages 18+. Please check the website for additional information as it becomes available.
The author is available for speaking engagements and workshops for organizations of all sizes, including museums and historic sites, civic groups, schools, and libraries. While his much-acclaimed book centers on a particular site, the approach is universal to any place. Please click here for additional information.