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  Emily Collins Pyatt

  Emily Collins Pyatt and The Athenaeum Press

  Interview between Eric Crawford, Coastal Carolina University faculty researcher, and Emily Collins Pyatt at Rosalyn Geather's home in Georgetown, South Carolina. Pyatt was a teacher at the Sandy Island School, as well as a resident on Sandy Island. Pyatt discusses growing up as a child on the island on her family's farm. She discusses Reverend George Washington and his wife Stella who was a school teacher on the island. She discusses how people would make mattresses on the island and how before they would use fresh straw to sleep on. She discusses the teachers at the school that Mr. Huntington built on the island including Mr. Bolt and Professor Bland. She discusses how some of the men from the island would go to Conway to work in the mills. She also discusses her time at Whittemore High School and how she became involved in teaching while still in school. She discusses how she ended up attending Bentley College. She discusses how she stopped teaching in 1943 and how she was friends with Miss Ruby who was a teacher in Conway. She discusses hurricane Hazel and how she had to use the paddle on some of the children. She discusses how her granddaughter is a chemist for the Coca-Cola Company and how over the years of teaching she has had to give educational advice to many of her students.

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  Charles Alston Interview

  Charles Alston and The Athenaeum Press

  Interview with Charles Alston, a resident of Sandy Island. The video opens as Alston describes an experience he had with Santee Cooper. The electricity provider wanted to do an article based on Sandy Island and its residents and consulted with Alston because he was a resident of the island. After talking about the article, Alston proceeds to talk about traveling away from the island temporarily. The interviewer then guides Alston to talk about who built their family home, and Alston begins to expound upon his family history. Alston speaks about his experience traveling to work from the Island, his job, and how treacherous both of them can be.

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  Martha Cousey Interview, March 2017

  Martha Cousey and The Athenaeum Press

  An interview with Martha Cousey during March 2017 at her home in Conway, South Carolina. The recording begins mid-conversation in a discussion on how safe the island is. She remarks on Geraldine Funderburk's death, and how she was connected to her through her father. She speculates on the future of the island, fearing that soon no one will be living on the island. She remarks how amazing it is to have roots in a space that is as rich as Sandy Island, and remembers Prince Washington and Minrus Tucker and their stern personalities but great responsibility. She remembers folklore, how individuals would cook, and the accents on the island (or lack thereof). She also talks about her brother, who was killed in action during Vietnam.

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  Onethia Elliott Interview, January 2017

  Onethia Elliott and The Athenaeum Press

  A compiled interview with Onethia Elliott in January 2017. The recording begins outside the house, and shows Eric Crawford, Coastal Carolina University faculty researcher, and Coastal Carolina University student Maggie Fernandes walking to Elliott's residence. She is watching television, so the first part of the interview is difficult to hear. Several voices ask her questions about her life on the island, including representatives from the Sun News.

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  Rosalyn Geathers Interview

  Rosalyn Geathers and The Athenaeum Press

  Rosalyn Geathers is a resident of Georgetown, whose family was involved in the tragic boating accident in 2009. In 2009, Rosalyn Geathers' grandson Ziar along with his mom Kita, and Kita's mother were crossing the Waccamaw River when their boat capsized. Ziar was the only one who survived. Ziar was saved by Charles Pyatt, who spotted his diaper floating in the river, and scooped up the infant. Ziar came out of the incident with some problems that affected his learning and talking but that is better than losing a life. Rosalyn describes Ziar as her "little angel" along with his brother Josiah, who was attacked by a dog while unsupervised by his parent, which resulted in Rosalyn taking him in. The kids are doing well, both in school and strongly active in church. Rosalyn still loves Sandy Island and the people on the island regardless of the events that occurred. She views the events as just a part of life and will not change anything she does or feel negative about Sandy Island. She is interviewed by Coastal Carolina University student Quentin Ameris and faculty researcher Eric Crawford.

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  Laura Herriott Interview, April 2017

  Laura Herriott and The Athenaeum Press

  An interview with Laura Herriott at her bed and breakfast on Sandy Island, Wilma's cottage. She is interviewed by Quentin Ameris, Eric Crawford, and Brooks Liebee. She discusses her and her children's schooling. Her cottage bed and breakfast, Wilma's Cottage, attracts visitors from all over the nation to see Sandy Island, and sometimes they stay on the island and sometimes they just come to go on a tour and eat. She discusses the dishes that she cooks, including string beans, rice, chicken, and more regional dishes. The interviewees and interviewers talk through the various fundraisers the island does, as well as the business outlets she has at farmers' markets for her cooking.

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  Martha Cousey Interview, March 2016

  Martha Cousey and The Athenaeum Press

  Martha Cousey, a resident of Conway, South Carolina, has parents, Helen Harriet Lance and Georget Lance, from Sandy Island. She spent summers and breaks on the island growing up and spending time with her grandparents and extended family in the Mount Arena area. She discusses nature-based remedies she developed on the island and wildlife that could be found on the island. She remembers the two churches on the island, Gordon Chapel, alongside the still-extant New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church. She remembers life being plentiful and self-sufficient on Sandy Island. She remembers the funeral traditions and quilting. She recalls where Sandy Islanders would go to school after graduating the sixth grade.

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  Martha Cousey, November 2016 Interview

  Martha Cousey and The Athenaeum Press

  Interview with Martha Cousey at her residence in Conway, South Carolina. Cousey's parents, Helen Herriot Lance and George Lance, grew up in the Georgia Hill community of Sandy Island. Although Cousey grew up principally in Conway she did spend her time on Sandy Island. This interview covers much of the same information of her March audio interview. She discusses the employment of her parents, and that she would return to Sandy Island during the summers to stay with her extended family, especially her aunt Isabella Lance. Her husband was Gabriel Lance. She describes the using the mortar and pestle to remove the husk from the rice grains. She describes the chores that she and other children would do to help at the house, which she describes as fun. She describes the way to Sandy Island via paddled boat from the Brookgreen Gardens landing. She remembers the garden that would be on the island, but she also remembers that at Whittemore school would teach you how to speak proper English. Cousey owns property on Sandy Island, and she has politely refused all attempts to purchase the property. She remarks that Sandy Island has a rich heritage, and she remarks that Sandy Island has always been a family.

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  Onethia Elliott Interview, July 2016

  Onethia Elliott and The Athenaeum Press

  In this 2016 interview, Onethia Elliott is interviewed by Eric Crawford, Coastal Carolina University faculty researcher. She reviews photographs and discusses multiple topics related to her life on Sandy Island. Born on August 10, 1914, Elliott is the oldest resident on Sandy Island. Onethia remembers in the distant past a time without electricity on Sandy Island and living by kerosene lamplight. She also remembers Archie Huntington and his wife Anna, and the contributions they made to establish a school on the island. She specifically remembers Mr. Huntington being nice to her and the other children and wearing a big jacket with short pants. She recalls a male schoolteacher who lived on the island as well. Onethia touches on her memories of the agriculture and animals on the island. She describes parts of the "hard work" of the rice making process, including bundling, threshing, winnowing, and grinding the hull off using a mortar and pestle. She describes oxen being used on the island to carry wood and also during funeral times. She reflects on her relationship with those in the Pyatt family, including James Pyatt. She knew of him as a good-looking, tall man but didn't know him well because he went to the Methodist church and she went to the Baptist church, New Bethel. Although she no longer retains any of her quilts, she remembers gathering at "the center" to quilt with several friends. She recalls her involvement at the New Bethel Baptist Church. She remembers baptisms where the congregants would be taken down to the river and plunged under the water to be baptized, which was especially enjoyable to her when the tide was high. She mentions hopes for a pool to be built for baptisms at the church. She also discusses her recent attendance to a church event where she spoke publicly to honor the pastor and Reverend Weathers. Onethia emphasizes that she loves Sandy Island: "Because it's my home, I was born and raised here, and I love it."

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  Onethia Elliott Interview, November 2016

  Onethia Elliott and The Athenaeum Press

  An interview in November 2016 with Onethia Elliott, the oldest person on Sandy Island, at her residence on Sandy Island. She discusses her long life on the island and how it has changed over time. She begins by discussing her immediate family and their connection with the area, her childhood home, and her connection with the Sandy Island School. She discusses the food that she used to eat, both at school and at home, and how it was prepared. After this, they talk briefly about some of the modern conveniences that have been brought to the island, namely electricity. Then they start talking about people that she knew. Teachers at the school house, Prince Washington, and her children are all discussed. She segues into her connection with New Bethel Baptist Church. They talk about traditional services, hymns, baptisms, and the importance of shouting in worship practices. They then talk briefly about Butler Chapel, an AME church that was on the island until it was torn down in the 1960s. Ameris asks Miss Onethia about her love for the island, about what makes it her home. She expresses that her connection with the island is unlike anywhere else in the world, that she misses it as soon as she leaves and cannot wait to return to it when she does. They discuss her mobility and ability to traverse the island, then they talk about her ability to attend church at her age. They talk about the history of the church, the construction of the new building, and the preachers, deacons, and pastors that she's known throughout the years. They talk about her keys to a long, healthy life and her connection with having to traverse the river in order to get anywhere. She discusses her history of working off of the island, the life-long friendships she made through work, and how her community on the island is growing with the experience the workers and carpenters bring. They can build buildings and furniture without having to call for somebody off of the island, and because of that, her house had seen significant renovation until her son (who had been doing much of the construction) passed away a few months before the interview. The interview ends with the interviewers telling Miss Onethia that they hope she's feeling better (she's been worried that she's getting sick) and that she'll hopefully be able to attend church on the following Sunday. They thank her for taking the time to speak with them.

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  James Gourdine Interview

  James Gourdine and The Athenaeum Press

  In this 2016 interview, Dr. Eric Crawford, Coastal Carolina University faculty researcher, interviews James Raymond Gourdine, a genealogist, historian, and author of "African Americans in the Civil War in South Carolina". Gourdine details how Major General David Hunter unofficially organized the first black regiment in the Union army in 1862, despite President Lincoln's objections. This force consisted of freedmen and runaway slaves from South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. They also discuss how education levels varied amongst the slaves held in Florida and South Carolina, leading to the Floridian freedmen to be considered of "better stock". In 1863, the rest of the Union followed suit, raising several exclusively African-American regiments of their own, following in Hunter's example. Gourdine and Crawford discuss General Potter, who followed in Sherman's March to the Sea, burning and looting Confederate land and homes. He then describes the creation of the 54th Massachusetts regiment by General Andrews and the taking of Georgetown in February 1865. James Gourdine was interviewed in his home outside of Florence, South Carolina.

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  Laura Herriott Interview

  Laura Herriott and The Athenaeum Press

  Interview with Laura Herriott, owner and operator of Wilma's Cottage Bed and Breakfast and a caterer. The interview takes place at Wilma's Cottage before she serves lunch. Herriott remembers growing up on Sandy Island and the types of food that would be grown on the island. She grew up going to Gordon Chapel United Methodist Church with her grandmother, Georgie Brown Herriott. She describes the seeking ritual that she went through as a child before joining the Methodist church, where she was paired with a spiritual mother (the deaconess of the church). Crawford asks Herriott about songs that were performed by her mother and grandmother, who were both in the choir. She recalls the long walk from Georgia Hill (at the north end of the community) to the Sandy Island School (near the Mount Arena community). Herriott discusses the types of materials used at the Sandy Island School, and what children would do as part of their work.

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  Beulah Pyatt, Discussing Historic Photographs

  Beulah Pyatt and The Athenaeum Press

  Eric Crawford, researcher at Coastal Carolina University, asks Beulah Pyatt, owner of the Pyatt General Store and resident of Sandy Island, about historic photographs that were taken by Bayard Wootten as part of a commission by Archer Huntington, owner of Brookgreen Gardens.

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  Beulah Pyatt, Tour of Pyatt General Store

  Beulah Pyatt and The Athenaeum Press

  Beulah Pyatt, owner of the Pyatt General Store on Sandy Island, offers a narrative tour of the store and the history of the parts of the store.

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  Charles Pyatt, Discussion inside House in Construction

  Charles Pyatt and The Athenaeum Press

  Interview with Charles Pyatt, community leader on Sandy Island, during a tour of a home under construction for Pyatt's brother. He discusses how materials get over to the island as well as the future of the island in general.

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  Charles Pyatt, Discussion outside New Bethel Church

  Charles Pyatt and The Athenaeum Press

  Discussion between Charles Pyatt, community leader on Sandy Island, and Eric Crawford, Coastal Carolina University faculty and researcher. Pyatt discusses the challenges faced by the island and how he's taken initiative on the island. They discuss the future of the island leadership.

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  Franklin Tucker Interview

  Franklin Tucker and The Athenaeum Press

  This interview takes place on Sandy Island, with Coastal Carolina University faculty researcher Eric Crawford interviewing Franklin Tucker in his home in 2016. It was done to get more information on Sandy Island's past, during its heyday. Franklin Tucker was born and raised on Sandy Island in the first-half of the 20th century. Crawford's conversation with Franklin Tucker touches on many facets of life in Sandy Island's past. The discussion mostly focuses on what growing up on Sandy Island during its peak was like. This entails a deep conversation on what education, church, free-time, and local life was like. While there are similarities that can be found with growing up in rural South Carolina, many of his experiences are distinctly unique to his home. The ways he learned how he spoke both English and Gullah, for instance, is an experience belonging only to Gullah-Geechee corridor of the South-East. Along with that, there lies an undercurrent of discussion on the fear of Sandy Island's community and culture becoming a thing of the past as the older members pass on and the younger members move away and strike out on their own. Franklin Tucker served 4 years in the US Navy. Being a Sandy Island native, he experiences growing up and living in a community that's unique in the US. It's a shorter interview that touches on a variety of topics extremely quickly. Military deployments is the first. It then transitions into discussions on home life such as getting Ice before the island had consistent electricity. It also talks about a house fire where the community helped the affected family.

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  Yvonne Tucker Harris Interview

  Yvonne Tucker-Harris and The Athenaeum Press

  Yvonne Tucker Harris was born and raised on Sandy Island, experiencing several of the huge cultural shifts in the community that took place in the late 20th century; including the closing of the School, the bringing of electricity and telephone service to the island, and the reintegration of Georgetown area schools after the era of Jim Crow segregation. Her parents were Hattie Tucker and Alfred Davis, but she was raised by her grandparents, Minrus and Louise Tucker. Both of her grandparents were pillars of the community, serving both as active community members and strong moral centers to Yvonne and the other children they raised alongside her. This communal family life imparted her with a strong sense of filial piety, a healthy respect for her grandparents, uncles, and aunts, but also the community leaders of the island's past. She is a veteran who served in the US Air Force and comes from a long line of soldiers, serving in the military since the Civil War. In this interview from 2016, Dr. Eric Crawford, Coastal Carolina University faculty researcher, interviews Yvonne Lovinia Tucker Harris. In the interview, she recalls these events and, with occasional interjections from her mother, covers a wide array of subjects from her life on the island. She begins by discussing her family life, explaining that she was raised by her grandparents alongside many of her other, younger family members. They looked towards their elders as role models and moral leaders, both serving to educate in matters of self-discipline, duty to one's community, and spiritual growth. She also talks about her relation to the island's only extant church, New Bethel Baptist Church, and what she knows about the now-defunct Methodist church, Butler Chapel. Butler Chapel was demolished in the 1960s, so records of how its services were done and how its practices differed from the Baptist doctrine practiced by most of the island. This segues into how she and her friends were largely unable to leave the island for much of their childhood and, because of this, had to learn to appreciate the natural resources on the island. Her experiences on and off of the island are a major point of identification for Yvonne, as much of her interview is about how and why she eventually decided to leave the island and join the Air Force as an adult. The act of leaving the island was something that she holds as being important, and that access to the island would be key to bringing back those that left the island in the first place. The interview ends with Harris' fears for the future of the island and that, in a hundred years, the only thing left of her home would be the cemeteries that they leave behind. She doesn't regret that she left the island years ago, but that the recent activism to help the island and its people should have begun long ago.

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  Beulah Pyatt Interview 2015

  Beulah Pyatt and The Athenaeum Press

  In this 2015 interview, Dr. Eric Crawford, Coastal Carolina University faculty researcher, and a student (Quentin Ameris) interview the owner and proprietor of the Pyatt General Store on Sandy Island, Mrs. Beulah Pyatt. They discuss that, even though she was not born and raised on the island, it quickly became her home. She talks about how she first moved onto the island, her interactions with the locals and how they invited her into the fold. She also confesses that, in the early years, she felt almost like she was trapped. She didn't have a boat of her own and, because everyone else worked during the day, she was essentially left alone with her newborn child for long swathes of time. She connected with the local community quickly, though, and through this she became tied into New Bethel Baptist Church, a local landmark. She discusses the importance of song in worship and as an expression of spirituality, including the usage of "Shouting" and "Stomping". Ultimately, this is tied into her family and their involvement on the island. Finally, they move to the creation of the Pyatt General Store and its role in her family. She established the business in the late eighties, working when she wanted and becoming her own boss. It serves not only her local community, but as a gift shop for visitors to the island. This interview was conducted at the Pyatt General Store on Sandy Island, South Carolina. This oral history was developed as part of a student-driven project on Sandy Island by The Athenaeum Press at Coastal Carolina University in 2015, resulting in the publication At Low Tide: Voices of Sandy Island (2017). Its digitization is made possible by the National Historic Publications & Records Commission at the National Archives.