Charleston Library Society – June 30th at 6:00pm

Each year, the Charleston Library Society hosts over 200 events ranging from author lectures and concerts to book clubs, children’s programs, and galas.  The founding members were an intellectually curious and culturally productive group and their desire to be at the heart of discussions about important issues is a trait that not only continues to resonate with our members today, but also provides the foundation for program development and enrichment.

On June 30th at 6:00 pm, Charleston Library Society is pleased to host author George W. McDaniel and his new book Drayton Hall Stories: A Place and Its People.

This is the first book in the nation to focus on a historic place’s recent history and to feature interviews with a range of people to do so. They include 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 and a book that as one public-school teacher declared, “deals with topics like diversity, equity and inclusion but does so in a way that recognizes and respects people and tells interesting stories.”

Like different pieces of a mosaic, each interview combines with others to create an engaging picture of this one place, revealing never-before-shared family moments, major decisions in preservation and site stewardship, and pioneering efforts to transform a Southern plantation into a site for racial conciliation. Readers will come to see Drayton Hall’s people not as stereotypes, but as the real people they were — and are. Maps, photographs, lines of descent, interview questions, a how-to guide, and related website, all provide blueprints for readers who wish to undertake similar endeavors to build community in today’s world.

This event is free and open to the public, but an RSVP is required. To RSVP, click here or call 843-723-9912.

About the Author: George W. McDaniel, PhD, is the President of McDaniel Consulting, LLC, a strategy firm that helps organizations and museums build bridges to its broader constituents. For 26 years, he served as the Executive Director of Drayton Hall, a historic site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Charleston, South Carolina. A native of Atlanta, he earned a BA from Sewanee, a MAT (history) from Brown University, and PhD (history) from Duke. Interspersed through those years were travels to many places — Europe, Africa, Vietnam — where he saw peace and war and learned by experience about cultural differences and commonalities. Beginning with the Smithsonian Institution, he has built a career in education and history museums, earning awards at local, state, and national levels. A nationally respected museum professional and author, he helps organizations to use history, place, and culture to enhance community