GHM wiki - User contributions [en]

Identification Numbering System

2024-05-15T15:36:17Z

GHM director:

'''Number registration:''' to prevent all sorts of problems like double-numbering and duplicate entries, there is an “official” process for creating a new number, assigning it to an item, and registering that number and its item in a special database. To keep this “clean,” only the Director or Registrar may create and assign a new number.

All items in the GHM collections are given an identification number. These numbers follow this structure:

'''YYYY.GG.SS''or''II.ii.1'''

'''YYYY''' = Year (full 4-digit number) of which the ID number is being created.

'''GG''' = Group (or “lot”) number. This usually reflects a single donation of any number of items. The number starts at “1” each year — the first lot received in that year — and each lot is incrementally higher. So the first donated lot of item(s) in 2023 would be given 2023.1, and the second lot would be given 2023.2.

'''II ''or'' SS''' = Item number, or series number.

* '''Item number:''' Most lots consist of individual items, with each one being given an item number. For example, if the first donated lot in 2023 held two items, their complete identification numbers would be 2023.1.1 and 2023.1.2. This is typical of the majority of artifacts in our collection. When the third number is an item number, it will never be followed by another period/number.
* '''Series number:''' sometimes, a lot will contain a “set” of something; we call this a series. For example, imagine that first lot in 2023 consisted of two items; perhaps one item is a toothbrush, while the other is an envelope containing a set of 10 postcards from France. That set of postcards will be given a series number, and each individual postcard given its own item number in that series… which brings us to the last set of numbers:

'''ii''' = items inside a series. In the example above, the toothbrush will be given 2023.1.1, and the postcards given 2023.1.2.1 and 2023.1.2.2 and 2023.1.2.3 and so on, all the way to 2023.1.2.10.

If an identification number has four segments, then segment three is always a series number, and segment four always an item in a series.

'''1''' = separate elements or pages. If an item is a document, the document has a single identification number regardless of many pages are in the document. If the document is bound, nothing more needs to be done. If the sheets are separate, however, or if there is any other chance of the item getting separated, then each part of the item should receive the item number followed by a sequential alphabetic letter. For example, personal correspondence with two loose-leaf pages with the assigned ID 2023.1.1 would have the first page labeled 2023.1.1.1 and the second page labeled 2023.1.1.2.

'''A note about old accession numbers:''' there still are some numbers in our system that were created before this standard system was adopted, and still use atypical numbering; most commonly, a haphazard use of letters. If you find any of these, work with the Director to officially convert them to the correct system.

[[category:Operations]]

New Volunteer Training

2024-03-16T13:43:47Z

GHM director:

__NOTOC__

'''''GHM volunteers serve in many different ways; all of us, however, should make greeting guests and meeting their needs our first priority.'''''

I'm the director, David Lovegrove. If you don't have my cell phone number, ask and I'll be happy to share it! Reach out any time you have a question or need help. Since I have a separate full-time job, I sometimes can’t take a phone call but I can always take a text; please reach out! It’s ''never'' a bother.

== Volunteer Hours ==

You choose how often you want to volunteer at the museum. There is a need for substitutes as well as people who choose a regular schedule, such as once a week or once a month.

We are working toward a standard set schedule, but for now we don't have quite enough volunteers. So at the moment we are creating seasonal schedules about four months at a time, based on volunteer availability in that period. We also prefer to have volunteers work together at least in pairs, but that’s not always possible yet.

It is important to call the volunteer coordinator as soon as possible if there is a schedule change for you. In case of illness, call as early as possible.

== Parking ==

There are two public lots: across the street by the restaurant, and around the corner by the fire station. We prefer our staff use the Century 3 back lot (which guests are also welcome to use, but it's hard to explain and getting harder to find a spot). The two spaces at the Police Station can be used for loading/unloading but must be quickly vacated. In no case should the driveway on the other side of the building be used for any purpose.

== Handicap access ==

Wheelchair access is to the right of the building beside the Police Station. There is a ramp at the rear. Persons using this door will ring a doorbell.

== The Museum ==

The Museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, run by a board of directors. For now, it operates entirely as a volunteer effort. The Museum is funded through donations; in the next months we hope to substantially increase income from grants. Admission is always free, though we occasionally charge for special events.

== The Building ==

Please become familiar with the building. Familiarize yourself with the location of fire extinguishers.

'''Climate control:''' Artifacts need steady temperature and humidity. We keep the temperature set on 70 degrees; a touch cool for some people, but good for our collection. If you open the building and find it off temperature — either too hot or too cold — contact the director immediately.

'''Restrooms:''' The main restrooms are in the back hall. There is a restroom off the library that can be used, but the sink has a leak. The urinal in the men's restroom needs to have the flush handle held down about 20 seconds every few days, to prevent bad smells.

'''Water:''' there is no water fountain. If someone really needs water, there are bottles in the refrigerator.

'''Special features of the building:''' This was built in 1935 as a Post Office. Though often said to have been built by the WPA (Works Project Administration, a Roosevelt Depression-era program), it was actually built by the Treasury Department. A WPA artist painted the mural. The cornerstone gives the date & architect if someone asks. It was a Post Office from 1935-1964; then City Hall 1968-2008; and then GHM 2008–present.

* Cherokee mortar outside
* Original terrazzo flooring in the lobby; original maple flooring elsewhere.
* Original Mural, 1940-41: information on sign
* Skylight and original shade (though the glass is now boarded over)
* Civil Service bulletin boards for postal workers information
* Front service unit came from the 1927-1935 post office on Trade Street (now Blue Ridge Brewery; Price’s Feed & Seed for old-timers)

'''Library:''' Postmaster’s office, later the Mayor’s Office

'''Basement:''' There is a basement, but it is not in usable condition. Do not allow visitors to go downstairs, and volunteers should not go downstairs without an approved purpose.

'''Secret passages and postal inspector’s observation point:''' Perhaps the most interesting part of this building is that it has a secret passage built into the walls to provide lookout spy holes for the postal inspector. A primary viewing platform is behind the wall above the safe. Unfortunately, these passages are not safe at all and we do not allow visitors in them. You ''may'' choose to let people go to the landing behind the postmaster's restroom — use good judgment on who, stay with them, and do not allow them to go up or down.

== OPENING PROCEDURES ==

# If you are assigned to open, use the key from the key box. Disarm the alarm using the code you were assigned in training.
# Turn on lights. The main gallery light switches are in the front seating area, behind the flag. The switch for the left galleries is inside the door to the left. Turn on the lights in the library, side theater room, the safe, and the restroom hallway. Turn on the Dark Corner exhibit using the round white button behind the still.
# Unlock the second front door, using the small flip-lock on the inside edge near the bottom (there’s a matching top lock that we usually don’t flip).
# Put out the flags (American on the right as you exit—it appears on the left when looking from the street) and put the “open” sign down on the sidewalk beside the street. If the sign is too heavy or awkwardly sized for you, please stay safe and don’t risk it.
# In the back hall, check the answering machine for messages. Answer ones that you can, or leave for the director.
# Keep the back office locked when staff is not using it. Keys for the office and mailbox are in the library—top drawer on right.
# Feel free to use the office for lunch, break, etc. There is a coffee pot, coffee, and there is bottled water in the refrigerator. Any candy or snack crackers are for staff.
# Check the mailbox in front; leave mail on the computer desk in the office.

== CLOSING PROCEDURES ==

# Fill out a [https://forms.gle/4NoUphLa2Z9fSDEp6 '''Shift Report'''].
# Check that everyone is out of the building. Check the restrooms.
# Shut down the theatre projector/sound.
# Check that the backdoor is locked and latched. Be sure that the door to the basement is closed.
# Bring in the sign and flags.
# Lock the second door using the lower flip-lock.
# Turn off all lights.
# Activate the alarm using the instructions given in training. If the alarm goes off accidentally, call the director.
# Lock the door. Return the key to the lockbox and make sure it is locked.

== MEETING GUESTS ==
Greet everyone with friendly pleasure at their appearance. The best opening is:

'''1 — “Welcome to the museum! What brings you here today?”'''

While many people come to look around, many others come for a specific other reason. This opening let’s them know you are interested in them and their situation.

'''2 — “Would you sign our guest book?”'''

Tracking attendance is important in funding, grants, accommodation taxes, etc. If they aren’t here to browse the collection, still ask them to sign in (unless they are repair/service personnel).

If they are here for a different reason, of course you can switch to that; otherwise…

'''3 — “Would you like a guided tour?”'''

Some people enjoy browsing by themselves; others appreciate a “tour” and discussion about the items. Give them the option. You can usually tell from their responses if they would like you to go with them. Some will look and then return to ask questions or take you to an area to ask about a specific item. If you don’t know, say so. We don’t know everything about each item.

'''4 — Have you seen my [peanut butter]?'''

Finding a favorite item of your own, when that really is interesting or meaningful to you, can be a great way to strike up a conversation.

'''5 — Engage the children.'''

Kids are often ignored in “adult” museums; but they should ''love'' history after visiting our museum — and it’s usually up to us to make that happen. For example, the peanut butter question to a child acts as a way of showing that history is interesting, and opens a chance to make it real and meaningful: “this is from a time when people had very little money and very little to eat. Someone protected this jar and kept it safe as a last emergency supply in case they had nothing else to eat ever. That we have it still full lets us know that this person came out OK and never needed it - whew!”

'''6 — “We’re beginning work on some new exhibits. This brochure explains more.”'''

Being a free but standalone museum, we are continually in need of funding. This is a current way to help without being pushy.

One docent should stay near the front to greet people. While people are in the galleries, it’s a good idea for the other docent to circulate. Even if they didn’t want a guided tour, watch how they engage with the collection. If they show particular interest in something, engage with them in conversation about it. If they are reticent and don’t want to talk, don’t push it; but many people appreciate the engagement.

== Answering questions ==
People will expect you to know ''everything''! Two sides to the coin: we want to be helpful and help them find answers. But there are many times when we simply say “I don’t know” — you can’t know everything, and it’s okay.

Our research library is packed with answers. Acquaint yourself with the organization of the material, and then the specific items.

Two of our best resources are the Sanborn fire maps and the city directories. City directories hold amazing info: lists of people (including where they lived, where they worked, and what their job was) and — perhaps most valuable — street lists of every building on the street and what it was used for. One side note: there’s a 1947 directory (a decade older than any of ours) in the South Carolina Room of the downtown Greenville library.

Artifact questions are often answered by information sheets with the artifact; it’s amazing how many times I’ve answered a question just by reading the card. Sometimes, more information can be found with the accession record online (and you can help us grow that information).

== Filling out shift reports ==
As noteworthy things happen during your shift, make note of them on a [https://forms.gle/4NoUphLa2Z9fSDEp6 Shift Report]. Most critical is taking the name and contact information of people with questions, important information, or objects to donate. At the end of your shift, complete the form and put it in the Office inbox.

== What to do when no one is here ==

* Acquaint yourself with the collection. One idea is to find a new interesting object every time you work a shift, and learn about that item during that shift.
* Acquaint yourself with the library.
* Research city building history (for the interactive map).
* Expand our accession records.
* Add photos of objects.
* Read Joada‘s books.
* Time to lean is time to clean. :)
* What are you interested in? Let’s talk. Museum operation is very large and complex, and we need help in dozens of areas.

== Item donations ==
Visitors often ask or offer to donate historic items. If they ask “are you interested in __________?” the answer is always “yes;” ''we’re at least interested in evaluating the item''. We have a full '''[[collections management policy]]''' which provides specific details about donations, but the simple version is this:

* Have them fill out a Donations Form.
* Gather as much information as possible about it. Who used it, when, where? Do you have a picture of that person? Do you know where it came from?
* Note the gift on your Shift Report, and submit the donation form with it.
* Place the item on the “incoming” shelf of the accession processing shelves.
* We reserve the right to ''decline'' an item (it might be too big, heavy, dangerous, or costly to maintain).
* All donations are permanent gifts into the public trust and ''cannot be reclaimed''.
* We ''do not'' accept loans.

== Monetary donations ==
While most visitors will put donations in the box by the front door, occasionally one will hand you money directly. In most instances you can accept the donation and simply put it in the donation box after they leave — even checks. If it's a large enough donation that you're concerned about it, put the money in the change box in the right-hand drawer of the library (where the keys are) and notify David or Mike immediately.

== Volunteers and interns ==
We rely entirely on volunteer efforts, so it's exciting whenever someone inquires about helping out. When they do, immediately ask them to fill out the volunteer application. There are separate applications for volunteers and for interns.

== Museum people ==
Volunteers are often asked about other museum staff. Here are the most common:

* '''Carm Hudson''' was the founder of the Museum. She died in 2017.
* '''Joada Hiatt''' was the director of the Museum for many years and then historian. She retired and moved away to be near her grandchildren.
* '''David Duncan''' was president of the board for many years, and served as interim director after Joada left.
* '''Val Owens''' is our volunteer coordinator — you probably already know her!
* '''Nannette Iatesta''' is a volunteer docent; she is a retired history teacher. You will meet her and love her (I promise).
* '''Mike Iatesta''', Nannette's husband, is on the board of directors and is our Treasurer. He's the kindest person you'll ever meet.
* '''Ellen Henson''' is a volunteer docent with deeeeep community roots. She knows everybody in town.
* '''Jonathan Lovegrove''' runs the Museum's social media accounts and manages most Museum events.
* '''Bethany Lovegrove''' is David's wife and volunteers as a docent.

== FAQ’s ==
'''Do you buy or sell artifacts?''' NO. All items are donated and become part of the public trust.

'''Do you take items on loan?''' No (only under special, rare circumstances).

'''When was Greer founded?''' 1876

'''Why was it named Greer?''' It was first called “Greer’s Depot” because James Manning Greer sold right of way for tracks and land for a depot to the Airline RR. When it was incorporated in 1876, Greer no longer owned the land but the town was named “Greers.” The “s” was dropped in everyday use in the early part of the 20th century, and officially dropped in 1976.

'''Who really started Greer?''' Terry Shumate, who bought Greer’s land and subdivided it into lots.

'''What was the industry?''' Greer began as a farming town buying cotton from local farmers; Greer’s first mill was a cottonseed oil company. Between 1895 and 1909 four textile mills were built. Greer was a mill town until the 1980s.

'''Any famous people connected to Greer?''' Shoeless Joe Jackson played his first professional season for Victor Mill. Dr. Few, the founder of Trinity College (now Duke University), was from Greer.

'''Besides cotton, what other crops were grown?''' Peach orchards surrounded Greer. South Carolina Peach Festivals were held in Greer from 1957–67.

'''What is unique about Greer?''' It is a city in 2 counties. This division is based on an old Indian Boundary Line, drawn by the British with the Cherokees. It is a city that is not a suburb of Greenville or Spartanburg. It has always had its own identity and reinvents itself with the times.

'''Does the museum catalog artifacts?''' Yes. The museum uses a standard museum accession system; the catalog is publicly available on our website.

New Volunteer Training

2024-03-16T13:43:21Z

GHM director:

__NOTOC__

'''''GHM volunteers serve in many different ways; all of us, however, should make greeting guests and meeting their needs our first priority.'''''

I'm the director, David Lovegrove. If you don't have my cell phone number, ask and I'll be happy to share it! Reach out any time you have a question or need help. Since I have a separate full-time job, I sometimes can’t take a phone call but I can always take a text; please reach out! It’s ''never'' a bother.

== Volunteer Hours ==

You choose how often you want to volunteer at the museum. There is a need for substitutes as well as people who choose a regular schedule, such as once a week or once a month.

We are working toward a standard set schedule, but for now we don't have quite enough volunteers. So at the moment we are creating seasonal schedules about four months at a time, based on volunteer availability in that period. We also prefer to have volunteers work together at least in pairs, but that’s not always possible yet.

It is important to call the volunteer coordinator as soon as possible if there is a schedule change for you. In case of illness, call as early as possible.

== Parking ==

There are two public lots: across the street by the restaurant, and around the corner by the fire station. We prefer our staff use the Century 3 back lot (which guests are also welcome to use, but it's hard to explain and getting harder to find a spot). The two spaces at the Police Station can be used for loading/unloading but must be quickly vacated. In no case should the driveway on the other side of the building be used for any purpose.

'''Handicap access''':

Wheelchair access is to the right of the building beside the Police Station. There is a ramp at the rear. Persons using this door will ring a doorbell.

== The Museum ==

The Museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, run by a board of directors. For now, it operates entirely as a volunteer effort. The Museum is funded through donations; in the next months we hope to substantially increase income from grants. Admission is always free, though we occasionally charge for special events.

== The Building ==

Please become familiar with the building. Familiarize yourself with the location of fire extinguishers.

'''Climate control:''' Artifacts need steady temperature and humidity. We keep the temperature set on 70 degrees; a touch cool for some people, but good for our collection. If you open the building and find it off temperature — either too hot or too cold — contact the director immediately.

'''Restrooms:''' The main restrooms are in the back hall. There is a restroom off the library that can be used, but the sink has a leak. The urinal in the men's restroom needs to have the flush handle held down about 20 seconds every few days, to prevent bad smells.

'''Water:''' there is no water fountain. If someone really needs water, there are bottles in the refrigerator.

'''Special features of the building:''' This was built in 1935 as a Post Office. Though often said to have been built by the WPA (Works Project Administration, a Roosevelt Depression-era program), it was actually built by the Treasury Department. A WPA artist painted the mural. The cornerstone gives the date & architect if someone asks. It was a Post Office from 1935-1964; then City Hall 1968-2008; and then GHM 2008–present.

* Cherokee mortar outside
* Original terrazzo flooring in the lobby; original maple flooring elsewhere.
* Original Mural, 1940-41: information on sign
* Skylight and original shade (though the glass is now boarded over)
* Civil Service bulletin boards for postal workers information
* Front service unit came from the 1927-1935 post office on Trade Street (now Blue Ridge Brewery; Price’s Feed & Seed for old-timers)

'''Library:''' Postmaster’s office, later the Mayor’s Office

'''Basement:''' There is a basement, but it is not in usable condition. Do not allow visitors to go downstairs, and volunteers should not go downstairs without an approved purpose.

'''Secret passages and postal inspector’s observation point:''' Perhaps the most interesting part of this building is that it has a secret passage built into the walls to provide lookout spy holes for the postal inspector. A primary viewing platform is behind the wall above the safe. Unfortunately, these passages are not safe at all and we do not allow visitors in them. You ''may'' choose to let people go to the landing behind the postmaster's restroom — use good judgment on who, stay with them, and do not allow them to go up or down.

== OPENING PROCEDURES ==

# If you are assigned to open, use the key from the key box. Disarm the alarm using the code you were assigned in training.
# Turn on lights. The main gallery light switches are in the front seating area, behind the flag. The switch for the left galleries is inside the door to the left. Turn on the lights in the library, side theater room, the safe, and the restroom hallway. Turn on the Dark Corner exhibit using the round white button behind the still.
# Unlock the second front door, using the small flip-lock on the inside edge near the bottom (there’s a matching top lock that we usually don’t flip).
# Put out the flags (American on the right as you exit—it appears on the left when looking from the street) and put the “open” sign down on the sidewalk beside the street. If the sign is too heavy or awkwardly sized for you, please stay safe and don’t risk it.
# In the back hall, check the answering machine for messages. Answer ones that you can, or leave for the director.
# Keep the back office locked when staff is not using it. Keys for the office and mailbox are in the library—top drawer on right.
# Feel free to use the office for lunch, break, etc. There is a coffee pot, coffee, and there is bottled water in the refrigerator. Any candy or snack crackers are for staff.
# Check the mailbox in front; leave mail on the computer desk in the office.

== CLOSING PROCEDURES ==

# Fill out a [https://forms.gle/4NoUphLa2Z9fSDEp6 '''Shift Report'''].
# Check that everyone is out of the building. Check the restrooms.
# Shut down the theatre projector/sound.
# Check that the backdoor is locked and latched. Be sure that the door to the basement is closed.
# Bring in the sign and flags.
# Lock the second door using the lower flip-lock.
# Turn off all lights.
# Activate the alarm using the instructions given in training. If the alarm goes off accidentally, call the director.
# Lock the door. Return the key to the lockbox and make sure it is locked.

== MEETING GUESTS ==
Greet everyone with friendly pleasure at their appearance. The best opening is:

'''1 — “Welcome to the museum! What brings you here today?”'''

While many people come to look around, many others come for a specific other reason. This opening let’s them know you are interested in them and their situation.

'''2 — “Would you sign our guest book?”'''

Tracking attendance is important in funding, grants, accommodation taxes, etc. If they aren’t here to browse the collection, still ask them to sign in (unless they are repair/service personnel).

If they are here for a different reason, of course you can switch to that; otherwise…

'''3 — “Would you like a guided tour?”'''

Some people enjoy browsing by themselves; others appreciate a “tour” and discussion about the items. Give them the option. You can usually tell from their responses if they would like you to go with them. Some will look and then return to ask questions or take you to an area to ask about a specific item. If you don’t know, say so. We don’t know everything about each item.

'''4 — Have you seen my [peanut butter]?'''

Finding a favorite item of your own, when that really is interesting or meaningful to you, can be a great way to strike up a conversation.

'''5 — Engage the children.'''

Kids are often ignored in “adult” museums; but they should ''love'' history after visiting our museum — and it’s usually up to us to make that happen. For example, the peanut butter question to a child acts as a way of showing that history is interesting, and opens a chance to make it real and meaningful: “this is from a time when people had very little money and very little to eat. Someone protected this jar and kept it safe as a last emergency supply in case they had nothing else to eat ever. That we have it still full lets us know that this person came out OK and never needed it - whew!”

'''6 — “We’re beginning work on some new exhibits. This brochure explains more.”'''

Being a free but standalone museum, we are continually in need of funding. This is a current way to help without being pushy.

One docent should stay near the front to greet people. While people are in the galleries, it’s a good idea for the other docent to circulate. Even if they didn’t want a guided tour, watch how they engage with the collection. If they show particular interest in something, engage with them in conversation about it. If they are reticent and don’t want to talk, don’t push it; but many people appreciate the engagement.

== Answering questions ==
People will expect you to know ''everything''! Two sides to the coin: we want to be helpful and help them find answers. But there are many times when we simply say “I don’t know” — you can’t know everything, and it’s okay.

Our research library is packed with answers. Acquaint yourself with the organization of the material, and then the specific items.

Two of our best resources are the Sanborn fire maps and the city directories. City directories hold amazing info: lists of people (including where they lived, where they worked, and what their job was) and — perhaps most valuable — street lists of every building on the street and what it was used for. One side note: there’s a 1947 directory (a decade older than any of ours) in the South Carolina Room of the downtown Greenville library.

Artifact questions are often answered by information sheets with the artifact; it’s amazing how many times I’ve answered a question just by reading the card. Sometimes, more information can be found with the accession record online (and you can help us grow that information).

== Filling out shift reports ==
As noteworthy things happen during your shift, make note of them on a [https://forms.gle/4NoUphLa2Z9fSDEp6 Shift Report]. Most critical is taking the name and contact information of people with questions, important information, or objects to donate. At the end of your shift, complete the form and put it in the Office inbox.

== What to do when no one is here ==

* Acquaint yourself with the collection. One idea is to find a new interesting object every time you work a shift, and learn about that item during that shift.
* Acquaint yourself with the library.
* Research city building history (for the interactive map).
* Expand our accession records.
* Add photos of objects.
* Read Joada‘s books.
* Time to lean is time to clean. :)
* What are you interested in? Let’s talk. Museum operation is very large and complex, and we need help in dozens of areas.

== Item donations ==
Visitors often ask or offer to donate historic items. If they ask “are you interested in __________?” the answer is always “yes;” ''we’re at least interested in evaluating the item''. We have a full '''[[collections management policy]]''' which provides specific details about donations, but the simple version is this:

* Have them fill out a Donations Form.
* Gather as much information as possible about it. Who used it, when, where? Do you have a picture of that person? Do you know where it came from?
* Note the gift on your Shift Report, and submit the donation form with it.
* Place the item on the “incoming” shelf of the accession processing shelves.
* We reserve the right to ''decline'' an item (it might be too big, heavy, dangerous, or costly to maintain).
* All donations are permanent gifts into the public trust and ''cannot be reclaimed''.
* We ''do not'' accept loans.

== Monetary donations ==
While most visitors will put donations in the box by the front door, occasionally one will hand you money directly. In most instances you can accept the donation and simply put it in the donation box after they leave — even checks. If it's a large enough donation that you're concerned about it, put the money in the change box in the right-hand drawer of the library (where the keys are) and notify David or Mike immediately.

== Volunteers and interns ==
We rely entirely on volunteer efforts, so it's exciting whenever someone inquires about helping out. When they do, immediately ask them to fill out the volunteer application. There are separate applications for volunteers and for interns.

== Museum people ==
Volunteers are often asked about other museum staff. Here are the most common:

* '''Carm Hudson''' was the founder of the Museum. She died in 2017.
* '''Joada Hiatt''' was the director of the Museum for many years and then historian. She retired and moved away to be near her grandchildren.
* '''David Duncan''' was president of the board for many years, and served as interim director after Joada left.
* '''Val Owens''' is our volunteer coordinator — you probably already know her!
* '''Nannette Iatesta''' is a volunteer docent; she is a retired history teacher. You will meet her and love her (I promise).
* '''Mike Iatesta''', Nannette's husband, is on the board of directors and is our Treasurer. He's the kindest person you'll ever meet.
* '''Ellen Henson''' is a volunteer docent with deeeeep community roots. She knows everybody in town.
* '''Jonathan Lovegrove''' runs the Museum's social media accounts and manages most Museum events.
* '''Bethany Lovegrove''' is David's wife and volunteers as a docent.

== FAQ’s ==
'''Do you buy or sell artifacts?''' NO. All items are donated and become part of the public trust.

'''Do you take items on loan?''' No (only under special, rare circumstances).

'''When was Greer founded?''' 1876

'''Why was it named Greer?''' It was first called “Greer’s Depot” because James Manning Greer sold right of way for tracks and land for a depot to the Airline RR. When it was incorporated in 1876, Greer no longer owned the land but the town was named “Greers.” The “s” was dropped in everyday use in the early part of the 20th century, and officially dropped in 1976.

'''Who really started Greer?''' Terry Shumate, who bought Greer’s land and subdivided it into lots.

'''What was the industry?''' Greer began as a farming town buying cotton from local farmers; Greer’s first mill was a cottonseed oil company. Between 1895 and 1909 four textile mills were built. Greer was a mill town until the 1980s.

'''Any famous people connected to Greer?''' Shoeless Joe Jackson played his first professional season for Victor Mill. Dr. Few, the founder of Trinity College (now Duke University), was from Greer.

'''Besides cotton, what other crops were grown?''' Peach orchards surrounded Greer. South Carolina Peach Festivals were held in Greer from 1957–67.

'''What is unique about Greer?''' It is a city in 2 counties. This division is based on an old Indian Boundary Line, drawn by the British with the Cherokees. It is a city that is not a suburb of Greenville or Spartanburg. It has always had its own identity and reinvents itself with the times.

'''Does the museum catalog artifacts?''' Yes. The museum uses a standard museum accession system; the catalog is publicly available on our website.

Collections Management Policy

2024-03-16T13:42:52Z

GHM director:

__NOTOC__

''A collections management policy articulates the museum’s activities in its collections care, demonstrating that the museum is behaving legally and responsibly towards its collections. GHM is a very small museum and does not need a large policy, but it does need protection from the problems it is most likely to face.''

==Mission Statement==

''The mission of GHM forms the basis for decision-making on what policies we will follow in managing our collection.''

As a repository of local history, Greer Heritage Museum (GHM) fosters appreciation for the history and culture of Greer, SC and its surroundings through the educational exhibition of artifacts, the study of local history and genealogy, original research, and compelling storytelling.

==Delegation of Responsibility==

''A well-run museum needs clear governance, controls, and authority structure. Best practice, whenever possible, is to delegate decision-making authority to one individual or group.''

===Functional Positions===

'''Board of Directors'''

The Board of Directors of the GHM is ultimately responsible for the management of the GHM, its collections and records. The Board shall make final decisions regarding the control of objects in the collection.

'''Board Personnel''': According to the GHM Constitution, the Board of Trustees of the GHM shall elect members to the roles of President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary and Treasurer, following the process described in the Constitution.

'''Director'''

The GHM Constitution states that the Board of Trustees of the GHM may appoint a Director to be the functional representative of the Board in discussions, plans and matters regarding operation of the Museum that do not require Board votes of approval.

'''Curator'''

The Board of Trustees of the GHM should appoint a Curator for the museum. The Curator shall be responsible for the implementation of the Collections Management Policy, collections management activities, and collections development. The Curator shall supervise the Collections Registrar and Collection Staff members and volunteers. The Curator shall serve as Selector for the museum.

'''Registrar'''

The Curator of the GHM should appoint a Collections Registrar for the museum. The Registrar shall be responsible for maintaining muniment, accession and deaccession records, and the Collections Register. The Registrar shall be responsible to the Curator, assist in supervision of the Collections Staff and assist the Curator in the review and proposed revision of the Collections Management Policy.

'''Volunteers'''

Volunteer members of the staff shall be recruited and trained by the Curator and the Registrar to assist in the operation of the museum. These should include:
* '''Docents''', trained guides who are familiar with the Museum, its collections, and local history. They will engage the public in friendly, interesting, compelling dialog.
* '''Collections staff''', trained volunteers who work with the Curator and Registrar on operations of the Museum.
* '''Security staff''', often doubling in one of the duties above, go through a more restrictive selection process and receive extra training.
* '''Combined Functions'''

A Board of Directors and its member roles are required at all times. GHM will function best with different qualified individuals in each of the other positions, but that will not always be possible. In those situations, the functions of Director, Curator, and Registrar may be shared in any combination of individuals.

==Description and Process of Collection==

''We must know exactly what GHM does (and does not) collect, and why; how it acquires objects and manages ownership; and how it removes objects from the collection. Collecting is not free; there are many hidden and real costs which much be managed.''

===Collections===

The total collection of the museum shall consist of museum artifacts and the museum archive. The objects in the collection will relate directly to the museum’s purpose and be used primarily for education, exhibition, and research.

====Scope of Collection====

* '''Artifacts'''. The scope of collecting is limited to those objects which are clearly representative of Greer, the upstate of South Carolina as it reflects the cultural context and heritage of Greer, and the experience of those living in the area.
* '''Library'''. The scope of collecting is limited to those manuscripts, photographs, books, records, maps, or other materials clearly representative of Greer, the upstate of South Carolina as it reflects the cultural context and heritage of Greer, and to historical research in the area described.

====Collection Objectives====

'''Artifacts'''. To maintain and strengthen the present collection of objects with items which preserve the essential material history of Greer and objects which more clearly explain the story of the city.
* Decorative arts, particularly of Greer and its environs: textiles, clothing, glass, ceramics, etc.
* Fine arts, landscapes, portraits, genre paintings and others made by local artists or which document the area.
* Folk art which reflects the lives and perspectives of the craftspersons and their environment around the area.
* Objects related to the following activities in the area: business, industry, local government, agriculture, education, religion, and organizations, both present and historical.
* Objects that relate to the domestic life of men, women, and children in the area.
* Objects reflecting the social and cultural life and communities of the area.

'''Archive'''. To maintain and acquire manuscripts, photographs, etc. pertinent to the interests of the museum’s commitment to promote and encourage the study of local history and original research.

* Personal correspondence and papers of individuals who lived, served, or loved Greer.
* Manuscripts pertaining to all aspects of the history of Greer and its environs with emphasis on social, political, educational, business, religious, cultural, and economic activities.
* Published works which reveal the history of life, culture and history of the area, especially local authors.
* Periodicals of the area including newspapers, newsletters, bulletins, etc.
* Records of permanently inactive organizations as well as those of some currently-active organizations that are critical parts of the cultural fabric of Greer.

====Acquisition of Collections====

For the purposes of this policy, acquisition is defined as the discovery, preliminary evaluation, taking physical and legal custody of, and acknowledging receipt of materials and objects as well as the recording of this process. Decisions regarding acceptance of objects into the collection by the Curator are subject to review by the Board of Trustees.

'''Guidelines for Accepting Objects'''

''We cannot and do not want to accept and own anything and everything; we must carefully select the most important items that promote our mission and are within our capacity to maintain.''

The Curator shall determine if an object can be accepted according to the Collection Policy and the following considerations:
* Consistency with the collection objectives and mission statement of the GHM.
* The object’s historical, cultural, or social significance to GHM and its environs.
* Uniqueness of the object and/or existence of similar objects in the collection.
* Condition of the object, whether it can be properly cared for and potential maintenance costs.
* Size or other physical restrictions.
* Restrictions or conditions on its use imposed by either the donor or the nature of the article itself.
* Whether the object is a donation or for sale. Generally it is the policy of the GHM to accept only those objects offered as gifts.
* Present or future utilization in education programs or research.
* Whether acquisition of sacred objects and/or human remains may be objectionable to the community, people or cultures they represent; or have legal considerations or requirements.
* Whether the removal of archaeological materials resulted in the damage or destruction of the original site or monument or involved misrepresentation to the owner or governmental entity.
* Whether collection of the objects resulted in an adverse effect on the natural resources or environment.

Restricted/conditional donations will not be accepted except in extraordinary circumstances and only after the approval of the Curator, Director, and/or the Board of Trustees.

Should a proposed acquisition have an exceptionally high valuation, high maintenance cost, or restrictions on its use, the Curator may request an opinion from the Director and/or the Board of Trustees.

If the prospective donation is refused, the Curator may refer the donor to another institution for which the object is appropriate, giving first consideration to other local institutions.

'''Conditions of Transfer of Title'''

* All donations are considered outright and unconditional gifts to be used at the discretion of the GHM.
* No object may be accepted with the understanding that it is to be permanently exhibited.
* No collection may be accepted with the understanding that it is to be kept intact.
* The GHM retains the right to dispose of gifts in accordance with the Collections Management Policy.
* Permission may be granted by the GHM for scholarly use of aural and visual materials provided proper credit is given.

'''Appraisals and Donor Tax Deductions'''

Gifts to the GHM qualify as charitable deductions under section 501c(3) of the Internal Revenue Service tax code.

It is the responsibility of the donor to obtain necessary appraisals of donated material. To avoid conflicts of interest, Museum staff members, employees, and volunteers cannot appraise objects donated to the Museum.

'''United States and International Regulations'''

The Board of Directors, volunteer staff and employees will abide by all United States and International laws and regulations concerning the transfer of ownership and transportation of objects across national boundaries.

The Museum will not knowingly accept any object that is illegally imported into or illegally collected in the United States or that is collected or recovered under circumstances that would support or encourage irresponsible damage to public or private property.

====Objects Found in the Collection====

'''Undocumented Objects'''

Our collection contains undocumented objects, and in many cases we have no idea where they came from. We must have a process for appropriately and formally adding them to the collection.

These objects will be accessioned and cared for as if they were owned by the Museum until such time as:
* The object has been in the collection for five years or more, and will become Museum property if there has been no claimant during that period.
* If, during that 5-year period, a claimant comes forth and provides satisfactory proof of ownership, the object will be turned over to that owner through a process managed by the Curator.
* The Curator shall decide whether these objects will be made part of the collection or will be recommended for deaccession.
* These objects shall be recorded on the Accessions form as “Found in Collection” and be processed according to Museum practice.

'''Object(s) with Incomplete Documentation'''

* Objects with a known donor and no record of date received shall be assigned an appropriate accession number.
* Objects with a known date of reception but no known donor shall be assigned an accession number from the year of donation and listed as “Found in Collection” in museum records.
* Objects with no known donor or record of date received may be accessioned if they have not been claimed by a person within 90 days after discovery.

'''Objects left in the custody of the museum'''

It is common to have items dropped off “on the doorstep” with no record of who left them with us.

Abandoned objects without a known owner will be processed by the Curator following the policy for Undocumented Objects.

The Museum rarely accepts objects left for such purposes as examination, research and identification. When it does, the object must:
* Be approved for custody by the Curator prior to acceptance;
* Be accompanied with a Registration of Custody form prior to acceptance;
* Be handled expeditiously to minimize risk and impact to the Museum.

===Procedure for Accessioning Collections===

''Proper accessioning is essential for museum operations, and there must be a standard method for doing so.''

Upon acceptance of the donation, the Donor shall be given a Deed of Gift form, which shall be completed in duplicate and signed by the Donor and the Curator or Curator’s representative. The museum shall retain an original copy.

* A formal letter of appreciation or other statement of gratitude shall be sent by the Curator to the Donor as soon as possible.
* At the time of the donation, provenance and all available information concerning the object(s) shall be obtained.
* The object(s) shall be assigned an accession number from the Collections Register, following the standard system of year.lot.item (e.g., 1996.9.4 is the 9th lot added to the collection in 1996, and this item is number 4 in the lot) or year.lot.group.item.
* The object(s) shall be marked, cataloged, and otherwise recorded in the records of the Museum per accepted procedures.

'''Confidentiality'''

Confidential information regarding donors, negotiations, and private collections shall be held in trust by the Board of Trustees, employees, and volunteers.

=====Loans=====

''The more professional we become in our operations, the more likely we will be asked to loan objects or to request loans from other museums or individuals.''

'''Outgoing Loans'''

Museum artifacts or archival materials are available for loan to other similar educational and cultural institutions, not to individuals, for the purpose of public exhibit, research, and scanning or copying.
* The Curator is responsible for making the decision to loan artifacts or archival materials.
* The Curator is responsible for all due diligence regarding safety in handling, transportation, storage, and display.
* The borrowing institution is expected to bear all costs related to the loan.
* No loan may occur without an established date of return.
* An Outgoing Loan form must be completed by the borrowing institution.

'''Incoming Loans'''

The museum will accept loans from individuals, groups, and institutions for the purpose of copying, photographing, scanning, exhibition, and/or research. The Curator is responsible for making the decision to borrow artifacts or archival materials. A Temporary Loan form must be completed by the Museum and the loaning party.

'''Insurance'''

In some cases, additional insurance for incoming loans may be acquired by the Museum to protect the lender. For outgoing loans, borrowers may be required to purchase and show proof of additional insurance for the object(s) before taking custody. The determination of the need for insurance will be made by the Curator, Director, and/or Board.

====Deaccessioning====

''There will be occasions when GHM needs to remove objects from the collection, which is often emotional and comes with legal complications.''

'''Restrictions on Deaccessioning'''

* An object in the Collection shall not be returned to the original donor. Such action constitutes improper return of a public asset to private hands.
* No donated object shall be deaccessioned for three (3) years after the date of its accession. (U.S. Tax Reform Act of 1984 and I.R.S. Regulations.)

'''Guidelines for Deaccessioning Objects'''

The Curator shall consider the following guidelines to determine whether an object should be deaccessioned.

* The object’s relevancy to the purpose and activities of the Museum.
* Whether there is a real danger the object cannot be adequately preserved in the storage facilities available to the Museum.
* Whether the condition of the object poses a danger to the Museum or its Collection.
* Whether the object has deteriorated beyond any usefulness.
* Whether the object can be used in the foreseeable future.
* Whether there is a need to improve another area of the collections in order to further the goals of the Museum.
* Whether the Museum has a clear and unrestricted title to the object.
* Whether the possession of the object is objectionable to the community, people, or culture it represents.

'''Deaccessioning Objects Without Clear Title'''

There are additional factors to consider when dealing with objects in the Museum Collections for which there are no clear titles:

* The value of the object. This could indicate the extent of potential liability. It may also indicate whether an individual would come forth to make a claim.
* The object’s distinction. The more common an artifact, the more difficult it will be for an individual to establish ownership.
* Whether the object has ever been displayed publicly as property of the Museum. If so, this may be the basis for establishing title.
* The proposed method of disposal, sale, or donation.
* Urgency of the need to dispose of it.
* Whether the room is needed for something else.
Whether its presence poses a threat to the rest of the Collection.
* If the Loaner is identified or the object is considered Abandoned, and whether efforts have been made to contact the Loaner in compliance with South Carolina law on Abandoned and Loaned Cultural Property, Section 25: 45.

'''Procedure for Deaccessioning Objects from the Collection'''

The Curator shall recommend the deaccessioning of objects to the Director and/or Board of Trustees.
Upon approval, a deaccessioned object shall be disposed of in one of the following ways:
* Donation to a scholarly, cultural, or other non-profit organization.
* Exchange or trade with a scholarly, cultural or other non-profit institution provided the value of the object to be received is reasonably commensurate with the value of the object to be disposed of, or that the object to be received will fulfill a particular need in the Museum programs.
* Objects may be disposed of by destruction when deterioration or infestation is such that display or exhibition is inappropriate and/or educational potential is minimal.
* After all reasonable attempts to donate, exchange or trade a deaccessioned object have been made, a deaccessioned object may be offered for sale. They shall be given for sale at advertised public auction or to the public market in a manner that will best protect the objectives and legal status of the Museum.
* A Deaccession Record describing complete details of the transaction shall be placed in the permanent collections records.
* Following the deaccessioning of an artifact, appropriate notations shall be made in the Museum Collection Records and all records will be retained in a deaccession file.

'''Disposition of Deaccessioned Objects'''

Deaccessioned objects shall not be given, sold or otherwise transferred privately to GHM employees, volunteer staff, their immediate families or representatives, nor to a member of the Board of Trustees, as this would constitute a conflict of interest.

'''Proceeds from Sale of Deaccessioned Objects'''

Any proceeds from the sale of deaccessioned objects shall be used for the development and/or maintenance of the Museum collections and not for general operating revenue.

===Care of Collections===

The safety, security and preservation of objects in the Museum Collections are the responsibility of the Board of Directors, Museum employees, volunteers, Director and Curator. All staff volunteers and employees should continuously be aware of their responsibility for the safety, security and preservation of the Museum Collections. A procedural plan for the care of the collection will be implemented and made available for all Museum personnel.

====Security====

The Director and Curator are responsible for development and implementation of a Security Plan. This plan will include:

* Facility systems for security and fire detection, alarm, and monitoring;
* Acquisition and access to necessary equipment such as fire extinguishers;
* Trust requirements for volunteers at varying levels of access;
* Management and record-keeping of keys and other building access;
* Development and procedures for Security volunteers and staff;
* Procedures for appropriate staffing (in particular, minimum number of people in the building at any time, and any requirements for Security staff to be present);
* Staff training on security issues.

====Preservation====

The Curator will develop and implement a plan for continuous improvement of the evaluation, condition, care, storage, and conservation of artifacts and archives.

====Records====

The development and maintenance of records pertaining to the Collections of the GHM are the responsibility of the Curator and the Registrar. A procedural plan for record-keeping will be implemented and made available for all Museum personnel. Records for each object will be divided into two sections:

* '''Registration functions''' — clear identification of each object; record and evidence of legal ownership and possession of each object; records of all movement of the object while under museum care, including current location; records of all care taken while under museum possession, including cleaning, maintenance, conservation, and restoration.
* '''Curatorial functions''' — a descriptive catalogue entry, and the broad body of information about the object which establishes the object’s proper place and importance within its cultural or scientific sphere.

'''Inventories'''

Taking and reporting physical inventories of the collections on a periodic basis should be planned and made available for Museum personnel.

'''Insurance'''

The Collections of the GHM are not insured except as they may be covered in building ownership policies carried by the city of Greer. (Is this correct?) Objects placed in the care of the museum will not be covered by museum insurance and should be covered by the owner’s insurance; the museum is not responsible for damage done to objects placed in its care.

===Collections Ethics and Conflict of Interest===

''We must protect ourselves and our people from any complaints of unethical behavior.''

All individuals appointed, elected and/or serving as members of the GHM Board of Trustees, the Director, Curator, Registrar, Museum and City employees and all volunteers shall abide by the guidelines of the Collections Management Policy. In addition to guidelines outlined elsewhere in this policy, the following shall be included:

'''Responsibility to the Collections and Other Museum Property'''

* The objects in the Museum Collections shall not be used as collateral in financial transactions or in any way that compromises the object’s clear title.
* Any object that is part of the Museum Collections or in the custody of the Museum or any other property, supplies or resources of the Museum shall be used only for the official business of the institution.
* The reputation and name of the Greer Heritage Museum shall not be exploited for personal advantage or the advantage of any other person or entity.
* Information about the administrative and non-scholarly activities of the Museum that is acquired in the course of duties and which is not generally known to the public shall be treated as proprietary to the Museum. Such information shall not be used for personal advantage or other purposes detrimental to the GHM.
* Referring members of the public to outside suppliers of services such as appraisers or restorers shall be done circumspectly. Whenever possible, more than a single qualified source shall be provided.
* No deaccessioned objects shall be purchased by or donated to a member of the Board of Trustees, Museum staff or volunteers.

'''Personal Collecting'''

Personal collecting shall not compete with the Museum nor shall advantage be taken of information proprietary to the Museum. Museum affiliation shall not be used to promote personal, family or associates’ personal collecting activity.

'''Dealing'''

Buying and selling objects similar to or related to objects in the Museum Collections as a personal business is prohibited. Occasional selling or exchanging such objects in the management of a collection is acceptable.

'''Acceptance of Gifts'''

Acceptance of personal gifts of more than a nominal value from artists, craftspeople, dealers or suppliers connected with the Museum is prohibited. Such prohibition includes not only objects of collectible value but also includes discounts on personal purchases greater than those offered the Museum. Gifts derived from purely personal and family relationships are acceptable.

'''Confidentiality'''

Matters of Museum administration shall be held in confidence.

'''Appraisals'''

Greer Heritage Museum does not provide appraisals. Upon request, the Curator may suggest appraisers or other sources so long as more than one name is given. The Museum should not make arrangements for the appraisal and cannot pay for the appraisal.

===Collections Management Information===

'''Public Disclosure'''

* The Museum shall respond to all responsible inquiries about the management of Collections.
* A published copy of the Collection Management Policy shall be made available to donors and other responsible parties upon request.
* Public disclosure of acquisitions shall be made on a periodic basis through annual reports, newsletters, or other publications.

'''Scholarship Materials'''

Documentation of objects accrued or developed following their acquisition is the property of the Museum. Interpretative notes, outlines, and illustrative material produced by volunteers and employees working for the Museum shall be the property of the Museum. The Curator shall determine the effective and timely dissemination of information derived from the Collections.

'''Public Use of Archival Materials'''

Copies of photographs and other archival materials in the Museum Collections may be provided to interested and qualified persons upon written request and payment of reasonable copy fees. A separate procedure will be available giving the requirements and copy fees for use of archival materials in the Collections.

==Appendix: Definitions==

A collection object is an item that has been or is in the process of being accessioned into the collections.
Accessioning is the formal process used to accept and record an item as a collection object.
De-accessioning is the formal process used to remove permanently an object from the collections.
Loans are temporary assignments of collection objects from the museum, or temporary assignments of similar objects to the museum, for stated museum purposes such as exhibition and research. These assignments do not involve a change in ownership.
Objects placed in the custody of the museum are items that are not owned by the museum but are left temporarily in the museum for other than loan purposes, such as for attribution, identification or examination for possible gift or purchase.

[[category:Operations]]

New Volunteer Training

2024-03-16T13:42:05Z

GHM director:

'''''GHM volunteers serve in many different ways; all of us, however, should make greeting guests and meeting their needs our first priority.'''''

I'm the director, David Lovegrove. If you don't have my cell phone number, ask and I'll be happy to share it! Reach out any time you have a question or need help. Since I have a separate full-time job, I sometimes can’t take a phone call but I can always take a text; please reach out! It’s ''never'' a bother.

== Volunteer Hours ==

You choose how often you want to volunteer at the museum. There is a need for substitutes as well as people who choose a regular schedule, such as once a week or once a month.

We are working toward a standard set schedule, but for now we don't have quite enough volunteers. So at the moment we are creating seasonal schedules about four months at a time, based on volunteer availability in that period. We also prefer to have volunteers work together at least in pairs, but that’s not always possible yet.

It is important to call the volunteer coordinator as soon as possible if there is a schedule change for you. In case of illness, call as early as possible.

== Parking ==

There are two public lots: across the street by the restaurant, and around the corner by the fire station. We prefer our staff use the Century 3 back lot (which guests are also welcome to use, but it's hard to explain and getting harder to find a spot). The two spaces at the Police Station can be used for loading/unloading but must be quickly vacated. In no case should the driveway on the other side of the building be used for any purpose.

'''Handicap access''':

Wheelchair access is to the right of the building beside the Police Station. There is a ramp at the rear. Persons using this door will ring a doorbell.

== The Museum ==

The Museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, run by a board of directors. For now, it operates entirely as a volunteer effort. The Museum is funded through donations; in the next months we hope to substantially increase income from grants. Admission is always free, though we occasionally charge for special events.

== The Building ==

Please become familiar with the building. Familiarize yourself with the location of fire extinguishers.

'''Climate control:''' Artifacts need steady temperature and humidity. We keep the temperature set on 70 degrees; a touch cool for some people, but good for our collection. If you open the building and find it off temperature — either too hot or too cold — contact the director immediately.

'''Restrooms:''' The main restrooms are in the back hall. There is a restroom off the library that can be used, but the sink has a leak. The urinal in the men's restroom needs to have the flush handle held down about 20 seconds every few days, to prevent bad smells.

'''Water:''' there is no water fountain. If someone really needs water, there are bottles in the refrigerator.

'''Special features of the building:''' This was built in 1935 as a Post Office. Though often said to have been built by the WPA (Works Project Administration, a Roosevelt Depression-era program), it was actually built by the Treasury Department. A WPA artist painted the mural. The cornerstone gives the date & architect if someone asks. It was a Post Office from 1935-1964; then City Hall 1968-2008; and then GHM 2008–present.

* Cherokee mortar outside
* Original terrazzo flooring in the lobby; original maple flooring elsewhere.
* Original Mural, 1940-41: information on sign
* Skylight and original shade (though the glass is now boarded over)
* Civil Service bulletin boards for postal workers information
* Front service unit came from the 1927-1935 post office on Trade Street (now Blue Ridge Brewery; Price’s Feed & Seed for old-timers)

'''Library:''' Postmaster’s office, later the Mayor’s Office

'''Basement:''' There is a basement, but it is not in usable condition. Do not allow visitors to go downstairs, and volunteers should not go downstairs without an approved purpose.

'''Secret passages and postal inspector’s observation point:''' Perhaps the most interesting part of this building is that it has a secret passage built into the walls to provide lookout spy holes for the postal inspector. A primary viewing platform is behind the wall above the safe. Unfortunately, these passages are not safe at all and we do not allow visitors in them. You ''may'' choose to let people go to the landing behind the postmaster's restroom — use good judgment on who, stay with them, and do not allow them to go up or down.

== OPENING PROCEDURES ==

# If you are assigned to open, use the key from the key box. Disarm the alarm using the code you were assigned in training.
# Turn on lights. The main gallery light switches are in the front seating area, behind the flag. The switch for the left galleries is inside the door to the left. Turn on the lights in the library, side theater room, the safe, and the restroom hallway. Turn on the Dark Corner exhibit using the round white button behind the still.
# Unlock the second front door, using the small flip-lock on the inside edge near the bottom (there’s a matching top lock that we usually don’t flip).
# Put out the flags (American on the right as you exit—it appears on the left when looking from the street) and put the “open” sign down on the sidewalk beside the street. If the sign is too heavy or awkwardly sized for you, please stay safe and don’t risk it.
# In the back hall, check the answering machine for messages. Answer ones that you can, or leave for the director.
# Keep the back office locked when staff is not using it. Keys for the office and mailbox are in the library—top drawer on right.
# Feel free to use the office for lunch, break, etc. There is a coffee pot, coffee, and there is bottled water in the refrigerator. Any candy or snack crackers are for staff.
# Check the mailbox in front; leave mail on the computer desk in the office.

== CLOSING PROCEDURES ==

# Fill out a [https://forms.gle/4NoUphLa2Z9fSDEp6 '''Shift Report'''].
# Check that everyone is out of the building. Check the restrooms.
# Shut down the theatre projector/sound.
# Check that the backdoor is locked and latched. Be sure that the door to the basement is closed.
# Bring in the sign and flags.
# Lock the second door using the lower flip-lock.
# Turn off all lights.
# Activate the alarm using the instructions given in training. If the alarm goes off accidentally, call the director.
# Lock the door. Return the key to the lockbox and make sure it is locked.

== MEETING GUESTS ==
Greet everyone with friendly pleasure at their appearance. The best opening is:

'''1 — “Welcome to the museum! What brings you here today?”'''

While many people come to look around, many others come for a specific other reason. This opening let’s them know you are interested in them and their situation.

'''2 — “Would you sign our guest book?”'''

Tracking attendance is important in funding, grants, accommodation taxes, etc. If they aren’t here to browse the collection, still ask them to sign in (unless they are repair/service personnel).

If they are here for a different reason, of course you can switch to that; otherwise…

'''3 — “Would you like a guided tour?”'''

Some people enjoy browsing by themselves; others appreciate a “tour” and discussion about the items. Give them the option. You can usually tell from their responses if they would like you to go with them. Some will look and then return to ask questions or take you to an area to ask about a specific item. If you don’t know, say so. We don’t know everything about each item.

'''4 — Have you seen my [peanut butter]?'''

Finding a favorite item of your own, when that really is interesting or meaningful to you, can be a great way to strike up a conversation.

'''5 — Engage the children.'''

Kids are often ignored in “adult” museums; but they should ''love'' history after visiting our museum — and it’s usually up to us to make that happen. For example, the peanut butter question to a child acts as a way of showing that history is interesting, and opens a chance to make it real and meaningful: “this is from a time when people had very little money and very little to eat. Someone protected this jar and kept it safe as a last emergency supply in case they had nothing else to eat ever. That we have it still full lets us know that this person came out OK and never needed it - whew!”

'''6 — “We’re beginning work on some new exhibits. This brochure explains more.”'''

Being a free but standalone museum, we are continually in need of funding. This is a current way to help without being pushy.

One docent should stay near the front to greet people. While people are in the galleries, it’s a good idea for the other docent to circulate. Even if they didn’t want a guided tour, watch how they engage with the collection. If they show particular interest in something, engage with them in conversation about it. If they are reticent and don’t want to talk, don’t push it; but many people appreciate the engagement.

== Answering questions ==
People will expect you to know ''everything''! Two sides to the coin: we want to be helpful and help them find answers. But there are many times when we simply say “I don’t know” — you can’t know everything, and it’s okay.

Our research library is packed with answers. Acquaint yourself with the organization of the material, and then the specific items.

Two of our best resources are the Sanborn fire maps and the city directories. City directories hold amazing info: lists of people (including where they lived, where they worked, and what their job was) and — perhaps most valuable — street lists of every building on the street and what it was used for. One side note: there’s a 1947 directory (a decade older than any of ours) in the South Carolina Room of the downtown Greenville library.

Artifact questions are often answered by information sheets with the artifact; it’s amazing how many times I’ve answered a question just by reading the card. Sometimes, more information can be found with the accession record online (and you can help us grow that information).

== Filling out shift reports ==
As noteworthy things happen during your shift, make note of them on a [https://forms.gle/4NoUphLa2Z9fSDEp6 Shift Report]. Most critical is taking the name and contact information of people with questions, important information, or objects to donate. At the end of your shift, complete the form and put it in the Office inbox.

== What to do when no one is here ==

* Acquaint yourself with the collection. One idea is to find a new interesting object every time you work a shift, and learn about that item during that shift.
* Acquaint yourself with the library.
* Research city building history (for the interactive map).
* Expand our accession records.
* Add photos of objects.
* Read Joada‘s books.
* Time to lean is time to clean. :)
* What are you interested in? Let’s talk. Museum operation is very large and complex, and we need help in dozens of areas.

== Item donations ==
Visitors often ask or offer to donate historic items. If they ask “are you interested in __________?” the answer is always “yes;” ''we’re at least interested in evaluating the item''. We have a full '''[[collections management policy]]''' which provides specific details about donations, but the simple version is this:

* Have them fill out a Donations Form.
* Gather as much information as possible about it. Who used it, when, where? Do you have a picture of that person? Do you know where it came from?
* Note the gift on your Shift Report, and submit the donation form with it.
* Place the item on the “incoming” shelf of the accession processing shelves.
* We reserve the right to ''decline'' an item (it might be too big, heavy, dangerous, or costly to maintain).
* All donations are permanent gifts into the public trust and ''cannot be reclaimed''.
* We ''do not'' accept loans.

== Monetary donations ==
While most visitors will put donations in the box by the front door, occasionally one will hand you money directly. In most instances you can accept the donation and simply put it in the donation box after they leave — even checks. If it's a large enough donation that you're concerned about it, put the money in the change box in the right-hand drawer of the library (where the keys are) and notify David or Mike immediately.

== Volunteers and interns ==
We rely entirely on volunteer efforts, so it's exciting whenever someone inquires about helping out. When they do, immediately ask them to fill out the volunteer application. There are separate applications for volunteers and for interns.

== Museum people ==
Volunteers are often asked about other museum staff. Here are the most common:

* '''Carm Hudson''' was the founder of the Museum. She died in 2017.
* '''Joada Hiatt''' was the director of the Museum for many years and then historian. She retired and moved away to be near her grandchildren.
* '''David Duncan''' was president of the board for many years, and served as interim director after Joada left.
* '''Val Owens''' is our volunteer coordinator — you probably already know her!
* '''Nannette Iatesta''' is a volunteer docent; she is a retired history teacher. You will meet her and love her (I promise).
* '''Mike Iatesta''', Nannette's husband, is on the board of directors and is our Treasurer. He's the kindest person you'll ever meet.
* '''Ellen Henson''' is a volunteer docent with deeeeep community roots. She knows everybody in town.
* '''Jonathan Lovegrove''' runs the Museum's social media accounts and manages most Museum events.
* '''Bethany Lovegrove''' is David's wife and volunteers as a docent.

== FAQ’s ==
'''Do you buy or sell artifacts?''' NO. All items are donated and become part of the public trust.

'''Do you take items on loan?''' No (only under special, rare circumstances).

'''When was Greer founded?''' 1876

'''Why was it named Greer?''' It was first called “Greer’s Depot” because James Manning Greer sold right of way for tracks and land for a depot to the Airline RR. When it was incorporated in 1876, Greer no longer owned the land but the town was named “Greers.” The “s” was dropped in everyday use in the early part of the 20th century, and officially dropped in 1976.

'''Who really started Greer?''' Terry Shumate, who bought Greer’s land and subdivided it into lots.

'''What was the industry?''' Greer began as a farming town buying cotton from local farmers; Greer’s first mill was a cottonseed oil company. Between 1895 and 1909 four textile mills were built. Greer was a mill town until the 1980s.

'''Any famous people connected to Greer?''' Shoeless Joe Jackson played his first professional season for Victor Mill. Dr. Few, the founder of Trinity College (now Duke University), was from Greer.

'''Besides cotton, what other crops were grown?''' Peach orchards surrounded Greer. South Carolina Peach Festivals were held in Greer from 1957–67.

'''What is unique about Greer?''' It is a city in 2 counties. This division is based on an old Indian Boundary Line, drawn by the British with the Cherokees. It is a city that is not a suburb of Greenville or Spartanburg. It has always had its own identity and reinvents itself with the times.

'''Does the museum catalog artifacts?''' Yes. The museum uses a standard museum accession system; the catalog is publicly available on our website.

New Volunteer Training

2024-03-16T13:40:39Z

GHM director: Created page with "'''''GHM volunteers serve in many different ways; all of us, however, should make greeting guests and meeting their needs our first priority.''''' I'm the director, David Lovegrove. If you don't have my cell phone number, ask and I'll be happy to share it! Reach out any time you have a question or need help. Since I have a separate full-time job, I sometimes can’t take a phone call but I can always take a text; please reach out! It’s ''never'' a bother. '''Voluntee..."

'''''GHM volunteers serve in many different ways; all of us, however, should make greeting guests and meeting their needs our first priority.'''''

I'm the director, David Lovegrove. If you don't have my cell phone number, ask and I'll be happy to share it! Reach out any time you have a question or need help. Since I have a separate full-time job, I sometimes can’t take a phone call but I can always take a text; please reach out! It’s ''never'' a bother.

'''Volunteer Hours''':

You choose how often you want to volunteer at the museum. There is a need for substitutes as well as people who choose a regular schedule, such as once a week or once a month.

We are working toward a standard set schedule, but for now we don't have quite enough volunteers. So at the moment we are creating seasonal schedules about four months at a time, based on volunteer availability in that period. We also prefer to have volunteers work together at least in pairs, but that’s not always possible yet.

It is important to call the volunteer coordinator as soon as possible if there is a schedule change for you. In case of illness, call as early as possible.

'''Parking''':

There are two public lots: across the street by the restaurant, and around the corner by the fire station. We prefer our staff use the Century 3 back lot (which guests are also welcome to use, but it's hard to explain and getting harder to find a spot). The two spaces at the Police Station can be used for loading/unloading but must be quickly vacated. In no case should the driveway on the other side of the building be used for any purpose.

'''Handicap access''':

Wheelchair access is to the right of the building beside the Police Station. There is a ramp at the rear. Persons using this door will ring a doorbell.

'''The Museum:'''

The Museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, run by a board of directors. For now, it operates entirely as a volunteer effort. The Museum is funded through donations; in the next months we hope to substantially increase income from grants. Admission is always free, though we occasionally charge for special events.

'''The Building''':

Please become familiar with the building. Familiarize yourself with the location of fire extinguishers.

'''Climate control:''' Artifacts need steady temperature and humidity. We keep the temperature set on 70 degrees; a touch cool for some people, but good for our collection. If you open the building and find it off temperature — either too hot or too cold — contact the director immediately.

'''Restrooms:''' The main restrooms are in the back hall. There is a restroom off the library that can be used, but the sink has a leak. The urinal in the men's restroom needs to have the flush handle held down about 20 seconds every few days, to prevent bad smells.

'''Water:''' there is no water fountain. If someone really needs water, there are bottles in the refrigerator.

'''Special features of the building:''' This was built in 1935 as a Post Office. Though often said to have been built by the WPA (Works Project Administration, a Roosevelt Depression-era program), it was actually built by the Treasury Department. A WPA artist painted the mural. The cornerstone gives the date & architect if someone asks. It was a Post Office from 1935-1964; then City Hall 1968-2008; and then GHM 2008–present.

* Cherokee mortar outside
* Original terrazzo flooring in the lobby; original maple flooring elsewhere.
* Original Mural, 1940-41: information on sign
* Skylight and original shade (though the glass is now boarded over)
* Civil Service bulletin boards for postal workers information
* Front service unit came from the 1927-1935 post office on Trade Street (now Blue Ridge Brewery; Price’s Feed & Seed for old-timers)

'''Library:''' Postmaster’s office, later the Mayor’s Office

'''Basement:''' There is a basement, but it is not in usable condition. Do not allow visitors to go downstairs, and volunteers should not go downstairs without an approved purpose.

'''Secret passages and postal inspector’s observation point:''' Perhaps the most interesting part of this building is that it has a secret passage built into the walls to provide lookout spy holes for the postal inspector. A primary viewing platform is behind the wall above the safe. Unfortunately, these passages are not safe at all and we do not allow visitors in them. You ''may'' choose to let people go to the landing behind the postmaster's restroom — use good judgment on who, stay with them, and do not allow them to go up or down.

== OPENING PROCEDURES ==

# If you are assigned to open, use the key from the key box. Disarm the alarm using the code you were assigned in training.
# Turn on lights. The main gallery light switches are in the front seating area, behind the flag. The switch for the left galleries is inside the door to the left. Turn on the lights in the library, side theater room, the safe, and the restroom hallway. Turn on the Dark Corner exhibit using the round white button behind the still.
# Unlock the second front door, using the small flip-lock on the inside edge near the bottom (there’s a matching top lock that we usually don’t flip).
# Put out the flags (American on the right as you exit—it appears on the left when looking from the street) and put the “open” sign down on the sidewalk beside the street. If the sign is too heavy or awkwardly sized for you, please stay safe and don’t risk it.
# In the back hall, check the answering machine for messages. Answer ones that you can, or leave for the director.
# Keep the back office locked when staff is not using it. Keys for the office and mailbox are in the library—top drawer on right.
# Feel free to use the office for lunch, break, etc. There is a coffee pot, coffee, and there is bottled water in the refrigerator. Any candy or snack crackers are for staff.
# Check the mailbox in front; leave mail on the computer desk in the office.

== CLOSING PROCEDURES ==

# Fill out a [https://forms.gle/4NoUphLa2Z9fSDEp6 '''Shift Report'''].
# Check that everyone is out of the building. Check the restrooms.
# Shut down the theatre projector/sound.
# Check that the backdoor is locked and latched. Be sure that the door to the basement is closed.
# Bring in the sign and flags.
# Lock the second door using the lower flip-lock.
# Turn off all lights.
# Activate the alarm using the instructions given in training. If the alarm goes off accidentally, call the director.
# Lock the door. Return the key to the lockbox and make sure it is locked.

== MEETING GUESTS ==
Greet everyone with friendly pleasure at their appearance. The best opening is:

'''1 — “Welcome to the museum! What brings you here today?”'''

While many people come to look around, many others come for a specific other reason. This opening let’s them know you are interested in them and their situation.

'''2 — “Would you sign our guest book?”'''

Tracking attendance is important in funding, grants, accommodation taxes, etc. If they aren’t here to browse the collection, still ask them to sign in (unless they are repair/service personnel).

If they are here for a different reason, of course you can switch to that; otherwise…

'''3 — “Would you like a guided tour?”'''

Some people enjoy browsing by themselves; others appreciate a “tour” and discussion about the items. Give them the option. You can usually tell from their responses if they would like you to go with them. Some will look and then return to ask questions or take you to an area to ask about a specific item. If you don’t know, say so. We don’t know everything about each item.

'''4 — Have you seen my [peanut butter]?'''

Finding a favorite item of your own, when that really is interesting or meaningful to you, can be a great way to strike up a conversation.

'''5 — Engage the children.'''

Kids are often ignored in “adult” museums; but they should ''love'' history after visiting our museum — and it’s usually up to us to make that happen. For example, the peanut butter question to a child acts as a way of showing that history is interesting, and opens a chance to make it real and meaningful: “this is from a time when people had very little money and very little to eat. Someone protected this jar and kept it safe as a last emergency supply in case they had nothing else to eat ever. That we have it still full lets us know that this person came out OK and never needed it - whew!”

'''6 — “We’re beginning work on some new exhibits. This brochure explains more.”'''

Being a free but standalone museum, we are continually in need of funding. This is a current way to help without being pushy.

One docent should stay near the front to greet people. While people are in the galleries, it’s a good idea for the other docent to circulate. Even if they didn’t want a guided tour, watch how they engage with the collection. If they show particular interest in something, engage with them in conversation about it. If they are reticent and don’t want to talk, don’t push it; but many people appreciate the engagement.

== Answering questions ==
People will expect you to know ''everything''! Two sides to the coin: we want to be helpful and help them find answers. But there are many times when we simply say “I don’t know” — you can’t know everything, and it’s okay.

Our research library is packed with answers. Acquaint yourself with the organization of the material, and then the specific items.

Two of our best resources are the Sanborn fire maps and the city directories. City directories hold amazing info: lists of people (including where they lived, where they worked, and what their job was) and — perhaps most valuable — street lists of every building on the street and what it was used for. One side note: there’s a 1947 directory (a decade older than any of ours) in the South Carolina Room of the downtown Greenville library.

Artifact questions are often answered by information sheets with the artifact; it’s amazing how many times I’ve answered a question just by reading the card. Sometimes, more information can be found with the accession record online (and you can help us grow that information).

== Filling out shift reports ==
As noteworthy things happen during your shift, make note of them on a [https://forms.gle/4NoUphLa2Z9fSDEp6 Shift Report]. Most critical is taking the name and contact information of people with questions, important information, or objects to donate. At the end of your shift, complete the form and put it in the Office inbox.

== What to do when no one is here ==

* Acquaint yourself with the collection. One idea is to find a new interesting object every time you work a shift, and learn about that item during that shift.
* Acquaint yourself with the library.
* Research city building history (for the interactive map).
* Expand our accession records.
* Add photos of objects.
* Read Joada‘s books.
* Time to lean is time to clean. :)
* What are you interested in? Let’s talk. Museum operation is very large and complex, and we need help in dozens of areas.

== Item donations ==
Visitors often ask or offer to donate historic items. If they ask “are you interested in __________?” the answer is always “yes;” ''we’re at least interested in evaluating the item''. We have a full '''[[collections management policy]]''' which provides specific details about donations, but the simple version is this:

* Have them fill out a Donations Form.
* Gather as much information as possible about it. Who used it, when, where? Do you have a picture of that person? Do you know where it came from?
* Note the gift on your Shift Report, and submit the donation form with it.
* Place the item on the “incoming” shelf of the accession processing shelves.
* We reserve the right to ''decline'' an item (it might be too big, heavy, dangerous, or costly to maintain).
* All donations are permanent gifts into the public trust and ''cannot be reclaimed''.
* We ''do not'' accept loans.

== Monetary donations ==
While most visitors will put donations in the box by the front door, occasionally one will hand you money directly. In most instances you can accept the donation and simply put it in the donation box after they leave — even checks. If it's a large enough donation that you're concerned about it, put the money in the change box in the right-hand drawer of the library (where the keys are) and notify David or Mike immediately.

== Volunteers and interns ==
We rely entirely on volunteer efforts, so it's exciting whenever someone inquires about helping out. When they do, immediately ask them to fill out the volunteer application. There are separate applications for volunteers and for interns.

== Museum people ==
Volunteers are often asked about other museum staff. Here are the most common:

* '''Carm Hudson''' was the founder of the Museum. She died in 2017.
* '''Joada Hiatt''' was the director of the Museum for many years and then historian. She retired and moved away to be near her grandchildren.
* '''David Duncan''' was president of the board for many years, and served as interim director after Joada left.
* '''Val Owens''' is our volunteer coordinator — you probably already know her!
* '''Nannette Iatesta''' is a volunteer docent; she is a retired history teacher. You will meet her and love her (I promise).
* '''Mike Iatesta''', Nannette's husband, is on the board of directors and is our Treasurer. He's the kindest person you'll ever meet.
* '''Ellen Henson''' is a volunteer docent with deeeeep community roots. She knows everybody in town.
* '''Jonathan Lovegrove''' runs the Museum's social media accounts and manages most Museum events.
* '''Bethany Lovegrove''' is David's wife and volunteers as a docent.

== FAQ’s ==
'''Do you buy or sell artifacts?''' NO. All items are donated and become part of the public trust.

'''Do you take items on loan?''' No (only under special, rare circumstances).

'''When was Greer founded?''' 1876

'''Why was it named Greer?''' It was first called “Greer’s Depot” because James Manning Greer sold right of way for tracks and land for a depot to the Airline RR. When it was incorporated in 1876, Greer no longer owned the land but the town was named “Greers.” The “s” was dropped in everyday use in the early part of the 20th century, and officially dropped in 1976.

'''Who really started Greer?''' Terry Shumate, who bought Greer’s land and subdivided it into lots.

'''What was the industry?''' Greer began as a farming town buying cotton from local farmers; Greer’s first mill was a cottonseed oil company. Between 1895 and 1909 four textile mills were built. Greer was a mill town until the 1980s.

'''Any famous people connected to Greer?''' Shoeless Joe Jackson played his first professional season for Victor Mill. Dr. Few, the founder of Trinity College (now Duke University), was from Greer.

'''Besides cotton, what other crops were grown?''' Peach orchards surrounded Greer. South Carolina Peach Festivals were held in Greer from 1957–67.

'''What is unique about Greer?''' It is a city in 2 counties. This division is based on an old Indian Boundary Line, drawn by the British with the Cherokees. It is a city that is not a suburb of Greenville or Spartanburg. It has always had its own identity and reinvents itself with the times.

'''Does the museum catalog artifacts?''' Yes. The museum uses a standard museum accession system; the catalog is publicly available on our website.

Training documents

2024-03-16T13:19:19Z

GHM director: /* Volunteer Guides */

==Volunteer Guides==
* [[New Volunteer Training]]
* [[Theatre Exhibit]]
* [[Dark Corner Exhibit]]
* [[Before Greer: Native American history]]

==For anyone who needs it==
* [[Safe handling of artifacts and documents]]
* [[Processing: documents]]
* [[Processing: archive folders]]
* [[Conservation: paper and documents]]
* [[Oral History: how to do an interview]]

==Omeka==

* [[Omeka: Take your first step]]
* [[Omeka: Add a physical location]]
* [[Omeka: Updating existing records]]
* [[Omeka: Physical item records (artifacts and documents)]]
* [[Omeka: Person records]]
* [[Omeka: Place records]]
* [[Omeka: Business records]]
* [[Omeka: Collections, and finding aids]]
* [[Omeka: photography and scanning]]
* [[Omeka: Dealing with errors]]

==For individual projects==
* [[Dark Corner newspaper archive]]

[[category:Training]]

Training documents

2024-03-16T13:19:02Z

GHM director: /* Volunteer Guides */

==Volunteer Guides==
* [[New Volunteer Introductory Training]]
* [[Theatre Exhibit]]
* [[Dark Corner Exhibit]]
* [[Before Greer: Native American history]]

==For anyone who needs it==
* [[Safe handling of artifacts and documents]]
* [[Processing: documents]]
* [[Processing: archive folders]]
* [[Conservation: paper and documents]]
* [[Oral History: how to do an interview]]

==Omeka==

* [[Omeka: Take your first step]]
* [[Omeka: Add a physical location]]
* [[Omeka: Updating existing records]]
* [[Omeka: Physical item records (artifacts and documents)]]
* [[Omeka: Person records]]
* [[Omeka: Place records]]
* [[Omeka: Business records]]
* [[Omeka: Collections, and finding aids]]
* [[Omeka: photography and scanning]]
* [[Omeka: Dealing with errors]]

==For individual projects==
* [[Dark Corner newspaper archive]]

[[category:Training]]

Oral History: how to do an interview

2024-03-09T18:34:48Z

GHM director: /* Critical ethical and legal issues */

==Overview==

==Preparing for the Interview==

*'''Get an Interview Release Form.''' Printed copies should be available at the Museum, but you can also download the form.
*'''Call or write well in advance.'''
**Will start the respondent thinking about your interests, resulting in a better interview.
**Always be courteous and show appreciation.
**Give the interviewee a clear idea of the purpose of the interview.
**Show a serious attitude toward the project; this encourages the interviewee to believe their memories are important and worth their time.
*'''Gather as much background information about the respondent as you can.''' Most are flattered when it’s obvious you know their work and accomplishments.
**They don’t feel as compelled to explain basic info, leading them to talk about the complexities and nuances. And you need a basic understanding of the context so you know what questions to ask.
** Letting the interviewee know you’ve done your homework leads them to talk more openly.
** If you’ve done due diligence, they will work harder not to distort the topic (i.e., ''they are less likely to lie'').
** They are more likely to talk about sensitive topics if you are already aware of the situation. They don't want to bring up the bad thing.
** Do they have diaries, memoirs, or even a rudimentary autobiography? Ask!
* '''Outline the main points of interest.''' These should be notes, not formal questions.
** Too much and too little organization are undesirable. Too much and you stifle the conversation, keeping it from going to interesting places you didn't know about. Too little, and the conversation will be limited and disjointed.
** Have a list of topics prepared but don’t be inflexible.
** Don’t make questions too easy or too hard, and best if they can't be answered with "yes" or "no." For example, "why?"
** Easy, non-controversial questions should come first; hold the tougher topics until you gain their confidence.
** Oral histories are dangerous. They are more aware of the traps and snares than you are.
** Good interviewers are the opposite of brash, in-your-face reporters. They are mild, polite, nonthreatening, and bubbling with contagious enthusiasm.
** Be genuinely interested in what they have to say.
* '''Acquaint yourself with your recording equipment.''' Don't end up without a recording! Avoid that by over-preparation and testing with equipment. Make multiple test recordings just like the real one. Note that interviewees tend to forget about recorders after the first ten minutes or so.
* '''Pick a good interview location.''' Will there be interruptions, distractions, noise? Their house is a good location for their comfort and ease, but don't do it in the kitchen; there can be lots of noise interruptions (like ice machines).
* '''Plan for all the mundane matters.'''
** That includes logistics: drive time, parking problems, and security guards.
** It also includes your clothing — try to dress just a little better than you think they will dress.

==Running the Interview==
People usually enjoy talking about themselves to someone who seems genuinely interested. When people talk to you long enough about themselves, they will inevitably tell you things about themselves that reveals aspects of their character. Your job is to get them talking freely.

* '''Use silence''' as a tool to get them talking. Most people have strong natural aversion to long pauses; they will fill in the silence. This is a good technique for shy or reluctant interviewees.
* But '''don't let it backfire''' — if they are being quiet, don't fill in the silence for them! “Silence is the weapon, silence and people’s need to fill it—as long as the person isn’t you, the interviewer.” – Robert Caro
* '''What to do if they have wandered too far''' '''from the question:'''
** Usually let them go, unless they go way-way-way-way off track.
** Don’t interrupt any stories regardless how off the track; sometimes they know what they are doing and are leading you somewhere.
** Err on the side of politeness.
* '''What do do if they have inaccurate memories:'''
** Don’t take issue with them or argue a point. Let them tell their memory, their way.
** Maybe offer an alternative version; “some people say…” or “I’ve heard….” Often they will have insight on why there is a discrepancy

* '''Stay in the background.''' This is not a conversation; you’re here to learn. Except for asking questions, '''keep your voice off the recording.'''

* '''Exaggerate your facial expressions in response''' to what they are are saying. It will feel a bit uncomfortable to you, but it will energize them and communicate that you are listening and really care about what they are saying.

* '''Note taking is helpful;''' it helps them think you’re serious, it keeps you from feeling uncomfortable, it gives you a place to jot down questions you think of while they are talking.

'''How long?''' Everyone starts getting antsy after about an hour. If it looks like it's going to go longer than than, ask if you can schedule another meeting… and then another after that, if needed. After about an hour and a half, really try to stop the interview and arrange another meeting.

== Post-interview conversation ==
When you wrap up the interview, don't just leave; there should be a brief conversation.

* '''Mention something you found useful right up front.''' Many people don't think they have anything important to say, and even feel guilty for wasting your time. Tell them something specific you appreciate.
* '''Ask how to spell''' names and places; ask about locations, even to "show me on a map."
* '''Schedule another interview''' if appropriate.
* '''Act like a real person again,''' engaging in personal conversation, even talk about yourself if appropriate.

==After the Interview==

* '''Send a thank-you note''' after the interview. They question their value, so ''make a point of identifying their value'' — saying something like "you really helped me understand what was happening there" is very rewarding to them.
* '''Transcribe the interview.''' Ideally, you will post the recording with the interview transcription in Omeka. Do this immediately; transcriptions rarely happen if they don't occur immediately.

== Critical ethical and legal issues ==

* '''Get an Interview Release Form and sign before the interview.''' Without a release form, you and the interviewee own the recording together. The signed release is a “deed of gift” to turn over the rights of the recording to the Museum, so ''neither you nor they can use it badly''.
* '''We do not send them transcriptions, or give them a chance to change or clarify.''' They will often hate it or even try to suppress it. Everyone likes to think they talk like they write; when they hear their ramblings, they are deeply opposed to it.

* '''Release forms are not a substitute for sensitivity and good sense.''' The Internet in particular can make an interview instantly available to anyone at any time anywhere in the world. '''''<big>Any content that could be harmful or damaging to anyone, any topics that could be painful or offensive, or any other concern should be reviewed by the director before posting in Omeka.</big>'''''

Oral History: how to do an interview

2024-03-09T18:32:06Z

GHM director:

==Overview==

==Preparing for the Interview==

*'''Get an Interview Release Form.''' Printed copies should be available at the Museum, but you can also download the form.
*'''Call or write well in advance.'''
**Will start the respondent thinking about your interests, resulting in a better interview.
**Always be courteous and show appreciation.
**Give the interviewee a clear idea of the purpose of the interview.
**Show a serious attitude toward the project; this encourages the interviewee to believe their memories are important and worth their time.
*'''Gather as much background information about the respondent as you can.''' Most are flattered when it’s obvious you know their work and accomplishments.
**They don’t feel as compelled to explain basic info, leading them to talk about the complexities and nuances. And you need a basic understanding of the context so you know what questions to ask.
** Letting the interviewee know you’ve done your homework leads them to talk more openly.
** If you’ve done due diligence, they will work harder not to distort the topic (i.e., ''they are less likely to lie'').
** They are more likely to talk about sensitive topics if you are already aware of the situation. They don't want to bring up the bad thing.
** Do they have diaries, memoirs, or even a rudimentary autobiography? Ask!
* '''Outline the main points of interest.''' These should be notes, not formal questions.
** Too much and too little organization are undesirable. Too much and you stifle the conversation, keeping it from going to interesting places you didn't know about. Too little, and the conversation will be limited and disjointed.
** Have a list of topics prepared but don’t be inflexible.
** Don’t make questions too easy or too hard, and best if they can't be answered with "yes" or "no." For example, "why?"
** Easy, non-controversial questions should come first; hold the tougher topics until you gain their confidence.
** Oral histories are dangerous. They are more aware of the traps and snares than you are.
** Good interviewers are the opposite of brash, in-your-face reporters. They are mild, polite, nonthreatening, and bubbling with contagious enthusiasm.
** Be genuinely interested in what they have to say.
* '''Acquaint yourself with your recording equipment.''' Don't end up without a recording! Avoid that by over-preparation and testing with equipment. Make multiple test recordings just like the real one. Note that interviewees tend to forget about recorders after the first ten minutes or so.
* '''Pick a good interview location.''' Will there be interruptions, distractions, noise? Their house is a good location for their comfort and ease, but don't do it in the kitchen; there can be lots of noise interruptions (like ice machines).
* '''Plan for all the mundane matters.'''
** That includes logistics: drive time, parking problems, and security guards.
** It also includes your clothing — try to dress just a little better than you think they will dress.

==Running the Interview==
People usually enjoy talking about themselves to someone who seems genuinely interested. When people talk to you long enough about themselves, they will inevitably tell you things about themselves that reveals aspects of their character. Your job is to get them talking freely.

* '''Use silence''' as a tool to get them talking. Most people have strong natural aversion to long pauses; they will fill in the silence. This is a good technique for shy or reluctant interviewees.
* But '''don't let it backfire''' — if they are being quiet, don't fill in the silence for them! “Silence is the weapon, silence and people’s need to fill it—as long as the person isn’t you, the interviewer.” – Robert Caro
* '''What to do if they have wandered too far''' '''from the question:'''
** Usually let them go, unless they go way-way-way-way off track.
** Don’t interrupt any stories regardless how off the track; sometimes they know what they are doing and are leading you somewhere.
** Err on the side of politeness.
* '''What do do if they have inaccurate memories:'''
** Don’t take issue with them or argue a point. Let them tell their memory, their way.
** Maybe offer an alternative version; “some people say…” or “I’ve heard….” Often they will have insight on why there is a discrepancy

* '''Stay in the background.''' This is not a conversation; you’re here to learn. Except for asking questions, '''keep your voice off the recording.'''

* '''Exaggerate your facial expressions in response''' to what they are are saying. It will feel a bit uncomfortable to you, but it will energize them and communicate that you are listening and really care about what they are saying.

* '''Note taking is helpful;''' it helps them think you’re serious, it keeps you from feeling uncomfortable, it gives you a place to jot down questions you think of while they are talking.

'''How long?''' Everyone starts getting antsy after about an hour. If it looks like it's going to go longer than than, ask if you can schedule another meeting… and then another after that, if needed. After about an hour and a half, really try to stop the interview and arrange another meeting.

== Post-interview conversation ==
When you wrap up the interview, don't just leave; there should be a brief conversation.

* '''Mention something you found useful right up front.''' Many people don't think they have anything important to say, and even feel guilty for wasting your time. Tell them something specific you appreciate.
* '''Ask how to spell''' names and places; ask about locations, even to "show me on a map."
* '''Schedule another interview''' if appropriate.
* '''Act like a real person again,''' engaging in personal conversation, even talk about yourself if appropriate.

==After the Interview==

* '''Send a thank-you note''' after the interview. They question their value, so ''make a point of identifying their value'' — saying something like "you really helped me understand what was happening there" is very rewarding to them.
* '''Transcribe the interview.''' Ideally, you will post the recording with the interview transcription in Omeka. Do this immediately; transcriptions rarely happen if they don't occur immediately.

== Critical ethical and legal issues ==

* '''Get an Interview Release Form and sign before the interview.''' Without a release form, you and the interviewee own the recording together. The signed release is a “deed of gift” to turn over the rights of the recording to the Museum, so ''neither you nor they can use it badly''.
* '''We do not send them transcriptions, or give them a chance to change or clarify.''' They will often hate it or even try to suppress it. Everyone likes to think they talk like they write; when they hear their ramblings, they are deeply opposed to it.

* Release forms are not a substitute for sensitivity and good sense. Internet: the idea that the interview could be instantly available to anyone at any time anywhere in the world, on the internet

Oral History: how to do an interview

2024-02-22T22:15:05Z

GHM director:

==Overview==

==Preparing for the Interview==

*'''Call or write well in advance.'''
**Will start the respondent thinking about your interests, resulting in a better interview.
**Always be courteous and show appreciation.
**Give the interviewee a clear idea of the purpose of the interview.
**Show a serious attitude toward the project; this encourages the interviewee to believe their memories are important and worth their time.
*'''Gather as much background information about the respondent as you can.''' Most are flattered when it’s obvious you know their work and accomplishments.
**They don’t feel as compelled to explain basic info, leading them to talk about the complexities and nuances. And you need a basic understanding of the context so you know what questions to ask.
** Letting the interviewee know you’ve done your homework leads them to talk more openly.
** If you’ve done due diligence, they will work harder not to distort the topic (i.e., ''they are less likely to lie'').
** They are more likely to talk about sensitive topics if you are already aware of the situation. They don't want to bring up the bad thing.
** Do they have diaries, memoirs, or even a rudimentary autobiography? Ask!
* '''Outline the main points of interest.''' These should be notes, not formal questions.
** Too much and too little organization are undesirable. Too much and you stifle the conversation, keeping it from going to interesting places you didn't know about. Too little, and the conversation will be limited and disjointed.
** Have a list of topics prepared but don’t be inflexible.
** Don’t make questions too easy or too hard, and best if they can't be answered with "yes" or "no." For example, "why?"
** Easy, non-controversial questions should come first; hold the tougher topics until you gain their confidence.
** Oral histories are dangerous. They are more aware of the traps and snares than you are.
** Good interviewers are the opposite of brash, in-your-face reporters. They are mild, polite, nonthreatening, and bubbling with contagious enthusiasm.
** Be genuinely interested in what they have to say.
* '''Acquaint yourself with the recording equipment.''' Don’t do the common mistakes that end you up with no recording, which you avoid by over-preparation and testing with equipment. Make multiple test recordings jut like the real one. Note that interviewees tend to forget about recorders after the first ten minutes or so.
* '''Pick a good interview location.''' Will there be interruptions, distractions, noise? In their house is good for their comfort and ease, but not in the kitchen; there can be lots of noise interruptions (like ice machines).
* '''Plan for all the mundane matters.'''
** That includes logistics: drive time, parking problems, and security guards.
** It also includes your clothing — try to dress just a little better than you expect them to dress.
* '''Get an Interview Release Form.''' Printed copies should be available at the Museum, but you can also download the form.

==Running the Interview==

==After the Interview==

Oral History: how to do an interview

2024-02-22T21:14:22Z

GHM director: Created page with "==Overview== ==Preparing for the Interview== *'''Call or write well in advance.''' **Will start the respondent thinking about your interests, resulting in a better interview. **Always be courteous and show appreciation. **Give the interviewee a clear idea of the purpose of the interview. **Show a serious attitude toward the project; this encourages the interviewee to believe their memories are important and worth their time. *'''Gather as much background information ab..."

==Overview==

==Preparing for the Interview==

*'''Call or write well in advance.'''
**Will start the respondent thinking about your interests, resulting in a better interview.
**Always be courteous and show appreciation.
**Give the interviewee a clear idea of the purpose of the interview.
**Show a serious attitude toward the project; this encourages the interviewee to believe their memories are important and worth their time.
*'''Gather as much background information about the respondent as you can.''' Most are flattered when it’s obvious you know their work and accomplishments.
**They don’t feel as compelled to explain basic info, leading them to talk about the complexities and nuances. And you need a basic understanding of the context so you know what questions to ask.
** Letting the interviewee know you’ve done your homework leads them to talk more openly.
** If you’ve done due diligence, they will work harder not to distort the topic (i.e., ''they are less likely to lie'').
** They are more likely to talk about sensitive topics if you are already aware of the situation. They don't want to bring up the bad thing.
** Do they have diaries, memoirs, or even a rudimentary autobiography? Ask!
* '''Outline the main points of interest.''' These should be notes, not formal questions.
** Too much and too little organization are undesirable. Too much and you stifle the conversation, keeping it from going to interesting places you didn't know about. Too little, and the conversation will be limited and disjointed.
** Have a list of topics prepared but don’t be inflexible.
** Don’t make questions too easy or too hard, and best if they can't be answered with "yes" or "no." For example, "why?"
** Easy, non-controversial questions should come first; hold the tougher topics until you gain their confidence.
** Oral histories are dangerous. They are more aware of the traps and snares than you are.
** Good interviewers are the opposite of brash, in-your-face reporters. They are mild, polite, nonthreatening, and bubbling with contagious enthusiasm.
** Be genuinely interested in what they have to say.
* '''Acquaint yourself with the recording equipment.''' Don’t do the common mistakes that end you up with no recording, which you avoid by over-preparation and testing with equipment. Make multiple test recordings jut like the real one. Note that interviewees tend to forget about recorders after the first ten minutes or so.
* '''Pick a good interview location.''' Will there be interruptions, distractions, noise? In their house is good for their comfort and ease, but not in the kitchen; there can be lots of noise interruptions (like ice machines).
* '''Plan for all the mundane matters.'''
** That includes logistics: drive time, parking problems, and security guards.
** It also includes your clothing — try to dress just a little better than you expect them to dress.

==Running the Interview==

==After the Interview==

Training documents

2024-02-22T13:02:49Z

GHM director:

==Volunteer Guides==
* [[Theatre Exhibit]]
* [[Dark Corner Exhibit]]
* [[Before Greer: Native American history]]

==For anyone who needs it==
* [[Safe handling of artifacts and documents]]
* [[Processing: documents]]
* [[Processing: archive folders]]
* [[Conservation: paper and documents]]
* [[Oral History: how to do an interview]]

==Omeka==

* [[Omeka: Take your first step]]
* [[Omeka: Add a physical location]]
* [[Omeka: Updating existing records]]
* [[Omeka: Physical item records (artifacts and documents)]]
* [[Omeka: Person records]]
* [[Omeka: Place records]]
* [[Omeka: Business records]]
* [[Omeka: Collections, and finding aids]]
* [[Omeka: photography and scanning]]
* [[Omeka: Dealing with errors]]

==For individual projects==
* [[Dark Corner newspaper archive]]

[[category:Training]]

Omeka: Dealing with errors

2024-02-17T16:47:34Z

GHM director:

In time I will provide more instructions for what to do when you find missing items, incorrect numbers, or other errors. But for now, enter them in the '''[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1N7p-RDSWp-TzaKxyVs3kB4N5-7Rwzu0lGEP06tYhkK8/edit?usp=sharing Error Log].'''

Omeka: Dealing with errors

2024-02-17T16:47:17Z

GHM director: Created page with "In time I will provide more instructions for what to do when you find missing items, incorrect numbers, or other errors. But for now, enter them in the [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1N7p-RDSWp-TzaKxyVs3kB4N5-7Rwzu0lGEP06tYhkK8/edit?usp=sharing Error Log]."

In time I will provide more instructions for what to do when you find missing items, incorrect numbers, or other errors. But for now, enter them in the [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1N7p-RDSWp-TzaKxyVs3kB4N5-7Rwzu0lGEP06tYhkK8/edit?usp=sharing Error Log].

Training documents

2024-02-17T16:46:10Z

GHM director: /* Omeka */

==Volunteer Guides==
* [[Theatre Exhibit]]
* [[Dark Corner Exhibit]]
* [[Before Greer: Native American history]]

==For anyone who needs it==
* [[Safe handling of artifacts and documents]]
* [[Processing: documents]]
* [[Processing: archive folders]]
* [[Conservation: paper and documents]]

==Omeka==

* [[Omeka: Take your first step]]
* [[Omeka: Add a physical location]]
* [[Omeka: Updating existing records]]
* [[Omeka: Physical item records (artifacts and documents)]]
* [[Omeka: Person records]]
* [[Omeka: Place records]]
* [[Omeka: Business records]]
* [[Omeka: Collections, and finding aids]]
* [[Omeka: photography and scanning]]
* [[Omeka: Dealing with errors]]

==For individual projects==
* [[Dark Corner newspaper archive]]

[[category:Training]]

History research

2024-02-15T14:22:23Z

GHM director: /* Research Resources */

__NOTOC__

==== Please provide sources (and links) to the greatest degree possible. ====

==Research Resources==
*[https://www.greenvillecounty.org/apps/DirectoryListings/ROD_DirectoryListing/ Greenville County records search online]

==Cemeteries==
*[[Edgewood Cemetery (Greer City Cemetery)]]

==People==
* [[Victoria Elizabeth Cunningham Bailey]]
* [[William Clark Bailey]]
* [[Belton Allen Bennett]]
* [[Etta Bailey Burgiss]]
* [[William Wesley Burgiss]]
* [[Dean Cambell]]
* [[Alta Cunningham]]
* [[Davenport family|Davenport Family]]
* [[Charlie Drace]]
* [[Viola Post Kirkwood]]
* [[Marchant family|Marchant Family]]
* [[Carl Ponder]]
* [[Tom Suttle]]

==Topics==
*[[Dark Corner chronology|Dark Corner Chronology]]
*[[Founding of Greer]]
*[[Railroad history|Railroad History]]
*[[Animals of Greer]]
*[[Greer Downtown Historic District]]

[[category:Research]]

History research

2024-02-14T15:44:05Z

GHM director:

__NOTOC__

==== Please provide sources (and links) to the greatest degree possible. ====

==Research Resources==
*

==Cemeteries==
*[[Edgewood Cemetery (Greer City Cemetery)]]

==People==
* [[Victoria Elizabeth Cunningham Bailey]]
* [[William Clark Bailey]]
* [[Belton Allen Bennett]]
* [[Etta Bailey Burgiss]]
* [[William Wesley Burgiss]]
* [[Dean Cambell]]
* [[Alta Cunningham]]
* [[Davenport family|Davenport Family]]
* [[Charlie Drace]]
* [[Viola Post Kirkwood]]
* [[Marchant family|Marchant Family]]
* [[Carl Ponder]]
* [[Tom Suttle]]

==Topics==
*[[Dark Corner chronology|Dark Corner Chronology]]
*[[Founding of Greer]]
*[[Railroad history|Railroad History]]
*[[Animals of Greer]]
*[[Greer Downtown Historic District]]

[[category:Research]]

General resource links

2024-02-14T15:43:12Z

GHM director:

== Museum Operation ==

* [https://icom.museum/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/ICOM-code-En-web.pdf ICOM Code of Ethics]
*

== Conservation and preservation ==
*[https://cool.culturalheritage.org/topics.html CoOL — Conservation Online]: superb resource for a wide range of conservation best practices across many areas

== Research ==

* [https://www.greenvillecounty.org/apps/DirectoryListings/ROD_DirectoryListing/ Greenville County records search]

== Genealogy ==

* [https://www.MyHeritage.com MyHeritage.com]
* [https://WikiTree.com WikiTree.com]
*

General resource links

2024-02-14T14:55:04Z

GHM director: Created page with "== Conservation and preservation == *[https://cool.culturalheritage.org/topics.html CoOL — Conservation Online]: superb resource for a wide range of conservation best practices across many areas == Genealogy == * [https://www.MyHeritage.com MyHeritage.com] * [https://WikiTree.com WikiTree.com] *"

== Conservation and preservation ==
*[https://cool.culturalheritage.org/topics.html CoOL — Conservation Online]: superb resource for a wide range of conservation best practices across many areas

== Genealogy ==

* [https://www.MyHeritage.com MyHeritage.com]
* [https://WikiTree.com WikiTree.com]
*

Museum operation

2024-02-14T14:50:36Z

GHM director: /* Technical and resource documents */

== Policy documents ==
* [[GHM Strategic Plan 2020–2025]]
* [[Collections Management Policy]]
* [[Code of Ethics Policy]]
* [[Whistleblower Policy]]
* [[Conflict of Interest Policy]]

== Procedural documents ==

* [[Conservation of documents]]
* [[Conservation of textiles]]
* [[Identification Numbering System]]
* [[New Accession Process]]

== Technical and resource documents ==

* [[Fosshape textile forms]]
* [[Wiki admin]]
* [[Tech stack]]
* [[General resource links]]

[[category:Operations]]

Before Greer: Native American history

2024-02-14T14:49:13Z

GHM director: /* Summary */

[[category:Training]]
[[category:Volunteer Guides]]
<blockquote>'''Where does history begin? Our Museum is named the “Greer Heritage Museum” because it is focused on the history of this town; so that’s really where we start, with a town that didn’t exist before 1873. The history of the area before that time is important — critically important! — but is not this Museum’s area of focus.'''</blockquote>At the same time, no town pops out of a vacuum, we do have a responsibility to address the factors that influenced its founding, and we do have artifacts on display. So here’s an overview.

== '''Summary''' ==
<blockquote>By the 1500s the Iroquois-speaking Cherokee had migrated south, pushing the Creek Indians to the west and the Sioux-speaking Catawba to the east. Their newly-acquired lands came at a price, however, and battles were fought between the Cherokee and their neighbors. During one battle near Rock Hill, both nations sustained approximate losses of 1,600 warriors before agreeing to a treaty. The terms of the treaty limited the Catawba to the east side of the Catawba River, the Cherokees to the west of the Broad River, with the area in between (our area!) to serve as a common hunting ground. The alleged battle and subsequent treaty are thought to be the reason that there were no permanent Native American settlements in a vast swath of the upstate, including present-day Greer. Both groups hunted in the area, however, and we have numerous stone points as a result.

European settlers started to move in around 1750. They set up trading stations, looking for deer skins. At one point there were reportedly 225,000 deer skins collected in one year in the Piedmont and sent to Charles Town! Deer were hunted to near-extinction in the area.

Pre-revolutionary South Carolina was divided into four huge counties, and what is now Greenville County was then part of Colleton County. The whole county was “Indian land” through 1776. Tensions between native groups and encroaching Europeans led to creation of the Cherokee Territory, with its border running straight down through what is now Greer (at Line Street), and European settlers were generally forbidden to live on the west side of that line until 1777. During that “forbidden” time, though, there were numerous skirmishes and conflicts between settlers and Cherokee, including at least two significant “massacres” in the Greer area. </blockquote>

== '''Our artifacts''' ==
<blockquote>We have a wonderful collection of stone points that reflect both the Cherokee and the various peoples and cultural groups that lived here before them for thousands of years. Very few of the points are actually “arrowheads,” as arrows were a late development; most of them are spear points, knives, and drills. You see them labeled by different cultural groups and phases across many thousands of years. One of the key distinguishing factors of these different archaeological phases is that each of them made their stone tools using different techniques and shapes; these distinctive characteristics allow us to date them more precise than some would think.

On the middle left shelf are trade beads. These were made in Europe, and given to the Cherokee in trade for deer skins. Our best and most beautiful examples of trade beads are in the Dark Corner exhibit, and worth pointing out to guests.</blockquote>

==== The pottery ====
<blockquote>In the case are some pieces of pottery. We believe that none of these pieces are from this area; they were collected by a Greer resident who must have traveled a lot, and built this collection of pots from across the United States with one being from Turkey! Unfortunately, we now know that most or all of the pots are forgeries or reproductions made for the tourist trade. They will not end up as a permanent part of our pre-Greer story.</blockquote>

==== A neat highlight ====
<blockquote>While most of our stone items are points and tools, there is one that is different and very special: a small sculpture, called an “effigy,” of a bird head. Can you find it?</blockquote>

== A deeper dive ==
Our modern culture has extremely simplified the pre-history story; in this area, people think of “the Cherokee” as the original inhabitants of the land, and that’s all. In reality, they were relatively late-comers to the area and there were numerous people groups before them. Recent and growing evidence suggests the possibility of humans in South Carolina as early as 18,000 years ago (now called the “Pre-Paleoindian Period,”) but the widely-accepted early date is about 13,000 years ago. So we really start looking at our history with that first major cultural civilization in this area: the Clovis. The history in Greenville County unfolds something like this:

'''Before 8,000BC: Paleoindian Period'''. Hunter-gatherer nomadic peoples who usually lived in small groups of 20 to 60 people. Early evidence of these peoples includes “Clovis” points, which are long, fluted chipped stone projectile points. So the oldest are known as the Clovis culture. We have Clovis points in our collection that were found just north of Greer. Then, in this area, there was a cultural phase known as the Simpson/Suwanee.

'''8,000 – 6,000BC: Early Archaic Period'''. The whole Archaic is still mobile gathering-and-hunting people. Important Archaic cultural developments included the use of notched and stemmed projectile points, the atlatl, containers of stone and pottery, and ground and polished stone artifacts. We have a variety of stone points and tools from various phases across the Archaic. The groups here during the Early Archaic start with the Dalton culture, then the Palmer/Kirk, and then Bifurcate.

'''6,000 – 4,000BC: Middle Archaic Period.''' Stanley, then Morrow Mountain, then Guilford/MALA phases.

'''4,000 – 200BC: Late Archaic Period.''' Savannah River phase.

Up to this point in history, each of these mobile cultural groups covered the entirety of our area, moving in and out and across. From this point on though, we start to see separation of the groups living in the Piedmont area of Greenville County and those living in the mountainous area of Greenville County.

'''200BC – 1200AD: Woodland Period.''' The Woodland Period is characterized by increasing horticultural expertise, use of ceramics, less mobility and more and social complexity. Pottery technology improved, and we have numerous Woodland pottery shards and stone point in our collection, all found in the Greer area. Just listing the various peoples in our area is complicated. At the most general level it starts with the Swannanoah in the mountains; then Badin move in to the Piedmont; then Dunlap take over both areas; then the Pigeon in the mountains, then Yadkin in the Piedmont, then Cartersville in both. Then Connestee in the mountains, Uwharrie in Piedmont, and finally Napier across the whole county.

'''1200AD – 1520AD: Mississippian Period.''' This period is characterized by groups who grew maize, lived in chiefdoms, had larger villages, and constructed earthen mounds in some villages. In Greenville County we start with the Etowah in the Piedmont, then the Pisgah (and maybe Quallah) in the mountains. The Lamar come into both areas, then the Pee Dee move into the Piedmont.

'''1520AD – 1670AD: Exploratory Period.''' Europeans arrive and begin interacting, trading, and claiming land.

'''1670AD – present: Historic Period.''' This period begins with colonization by the British in late 1600s. Trading posts were established to trade deer skins.

'''The word “Cherokee” doesn’t appear in any of that!''' So who were they? The ancestors of the Cherokee are considered part of that late Pisgah Phase of the Mississippian culture in the south Appalachian mountains. The Cherokee are members of the Iroquoian language-family of North American indigenous peoples, and are believed to have migrated from the Great Lakes area; the migration is recounted in their oral history. By 1500 they had established a homeland across western Virginia, southeastern Tennessee, western North and South Carolina, and northeastern Georgia.

== More information ==
We have a few superb expanded introductions to this subject available on our website.

* An excellent, easy-to-read overview of the pre-history can be found in the [https://greerheritage.com/omeka-s/s/museum/item/2087 Greer 2017 Historical Resources Report].
* A very interesting history and explanation of why we have very few artifacts from the pre-historic eras is in the [https://greerheritage.com/omeka-s/s/museum/item/3142 Archaeological Survey of the Proposed Greer/Riverside High School Site].
* An overview of the broader 13,000-year history of people who lived here is in the [https://greerheritage.com/omeka-s/s/museum/item/3145 Preliminary Archaeological Context for Greenville County, SC].

Before Greer: Native American history

2024-02-14T14:46:13Z

GHM director: Created page with " category:Training category:Volunteer Guides <blockquote>'''Where does history begin? Our Museum is named the “Greer Heritage Museum” because it is focused on the history of this town; so that’s really where we start, with a town that didn’t exist before 1873. The history of the area before that time is important — critically important! — but is not this Museum’s area of focus.'''</blockquote>At the same time, no town pops out of a vacuum, we do hav..."

[[category:Training]]
[[category:Volunteer Guides]]
<blockquote>'''Where does history begin? Our Museum is named the “Greer Heritage Museum” because it is focused on the history of this town; so that’s really where we start, with a town that didn’t exist before 1873. The history of the area before that time is important — critically important! — but is not this Museum’s area of focus.'''</blockquote>At the same time, no town pops out of a vacuum, we do have a responsibility to address the factors that influenced its founding, and we do have artifacts on display. So here’s an overview.

== '''Summary''' ==
<blockquote>By the 1500s the Iroquois-speaking Cherokee had migrated south, pushing the Creek Indians to the west and the Sioux-speaking Catawba to the east. Their newly-acquired lands came at a price, however, and battles were fought between the Cherokee and their neighbors. During one battle near Rock Hill, both nations sustained approximate losses of 1,600 warriors before agreeing to a treaty. The terms of the treaty limited the Catawba to the east side of the Catawba River, the Cherokees to the west of the Broad River, with the area in between (our area!) to serve as a common hunting ground. The alleged battle and subsequent treaty are thought to be the reason that there were no permanent Native American settlements in a vast swath of the upstate, including present-day Greer. Both groups hunted in the area, however, and we have numerous stone points as a result.

European settlers started to move in around 1750. They set up trading stations, looking for deer skins. At one point there were reportedly 225,000 deer skins collected in one year in the Piedmont and sent to Charles Town. Pre-revolutionary South Carolina was divided into four huge counties, and what is now Greenville County was then part of Colleton County. The whole county was Indian land through 1776. Tensions between native groups and encroaching Europeans led to creation of the Cherokee Territory, with its border running straight down through what is now Greer (at Line Street), and European settlers were generally forbidden to live on the west side of that line until 1777. During that “forbidden” time, though, there were numerous skirmishes and conflicts between settlers and Cherokee, including at least two significant “massacres” in the Greer area. </blockquote>

== '''Our artifacts''' ==
<blockquote>We have a wonderful collection of stone points that reflect both the Cherokee and the various peoples and cultural groups that lived here before them for thousands of years. Very few of the points are actually “arrowheads,” as arrows were a late development; most of them are spear points, knives, and drills. You see them labeled by different cultural groups and phases across many thousands of years. One of the key distinguishing factors of these different archaeological phases is that each of them made their stone tools using different techniques and shapes; these distinctive characteristics allow us to date them more precise than some would think.

On the middle left shelft are trade beads. These were made in Europe, and given to the Cherokee in trade for deer skins.</blockquote>

==== The pottery ====
<blockquote>Then there are some pieces of pottery. We believe that none of these pieces are from this area; they were collected by a Greer resident who must have traveled a lot, and built this collection of pots from across the United States with one being from Turkey! Unfortunately, we now know that most or all of the pots are forgeries or reproductions made for the tourist trade. They will not end up as a permanent part of our pre-Greer story.</blockquote>

==== A neat highlight ====
<blockquote>While most of our stone items are points and tools, there is one that is different and very special: a small sculpture, called an “effigy,” of a bird head. Can you find it?</blockquote>

== A deeper dive ==
Our modern culture has extremely simplified the pre-history story; in this area, people think of “the Cherokee” as the original inhabitants of the land, and that’s all. In reality, they were relatively late-comers to the area and there were numerous people groups before them. Recent and growing evidence suggests the possibility of humans in South Carolina as early as 18,000 years ago (now called the “Pre-Paleoindian Period,”) but the widely-accepted early date is about 13,000 years ago. So we really start looking at our history with that first major cultural civilization in this area: the Clovis. The history in Greenville County unfolds something like this:

'''Before 8,000BC: Paleoindian Period'''. Hunter-gatherer nomadic peoples who usually lived in small groups of 20 to 60 people. Early evidence of these peoples includes “Clovis” points, which are long, fluted chipped stone projectile points. So the oldest are known as the Clovis culture. We have Clovis points in our collection that were found just north of Greer. Then, in this area, there was a cultural phase known as the Simpson/Suwanee.

'''8,000 – 6,000BC: Early Archaic Period'''. The whole Archaic is still mobile gathering-and-hunting people. Important Archaic cultural developments included the use of notched and stemmed projectile points, the atlatl, containers of stone and pottery, and ground and polished stone artifacts. We have a variety of stone points and tools from various phases across the Archaic. The groups here during the Early Archaic start with the Dalton culture, then the Palmer/Kirk, and then Bifurcate.

'''6,000 – 4,000BC: Middle Archaic Period.''' Stanley, then Morrow Mountain, then Guilford/MALA phases.

'''4,000 – 200BC: Late Archaic Period.''' Savannah River phase.

Up to this point in history, each of these mobile cultural groups covered the entirety of our area, moving in and out and across. From this point on though, we start to see separation of the groups living in the Piedmont area of Greenville County and those living in the mountainous area of Greenville County.

'''200BC – 1200AD: Woodland Period.''' The Woodland Period is characterized by increasing horticultural expertise, use of ceramics, less mobility and more and social complexity. Pottery technology improved, and we have numerous Woodland pottery shards and stone point in our collection, all found in the Greer area. Just listing the various peoples in our area is complicated. At the most general level it starts with the Swannanoah in the mountains; then Badin move in to the Piedmont; then Dunlap take over both areas; then the Pigeon in the mountains, then Yadkin in the Piedmont, then Cartersville in both. Then Connestee in the mountains, Uwharrie in Piedmont, and finally Napier across the whole county.

'''1200AD – 1520AD: Mississippian Period.''' This period is characterized by groups who grew maize, lived in chiefdoms, had larger villages, and constructed earthen mounds in some villages. In Greenville County we start with the Etowah in the Piedmont, then the Pisgah (and maybe Quallah) in the mountains. The Lamar come into both areas, then the Pee Dee move into the Piedmont.

'''1520AD – 1670AD: Exploratory Period.''' Europeans arrive and begin interacting, trading, and claiming land.

'''1670AD – present: Historic Period.''' This period begins with colonization by the British in late 1600s. Trading posts were established to trade deer skins.

'''The word “Cherokee” doesn’t appear in any of that!''' So who were they? The ancestors of the Cherokee are considered part of that late Pisgah Phase of the Mississippian culture in the south Appalachian mountains. The Cherokee are members of the Iroquoian language-family of North American indigenous peoples, and are believed to have migrated from the Great Lakes area; the migration is recounted in their oral history. By 1500 they had established a homeland across western Virginia, southeastern Tennessee, western North and South Carolina, and northeastern Georgia.

== More information ==
We have a few superb expanded introductions to this subject available on our website.

* An excellent, easy-to-read overview of the pre-history can be found in the [https://greerheritage.com/omeka-s/s/museum/item/2087 Greer 2017 Historical Resources Report].
* A very interesting history and explanation of why we have very few artifacts from the pre-historic eras is in the [https://greerheritage.com/omeka-s/s/museum/item/3142 Archaeological Survey of the Proposed Greer/Riverside High School Site].
* An overview of the broader 13,000-year history of people who lived here is in the [https://greerheritage.com/omeka-s/s/museum/item/3145 Preliminary Archaeological Context for Greenville County, SC].

Training documents

2024-02-14T13:30:32Z

GHM director:

==Volunteer Guides==
* [[Theatre Exhibit]]
* [[Dark Corner Exhibit]]
* [[Before Greer: Native American history]]

==For anyone who needs it==
* [[Safe handling of artifacts and documents]]
* [[Processing: documents]]
* [[Processing: archive folders]]
* [[Conservation: paper and documents]]

==Omeka==

* [[Omeka: Take your first step]]
* [[Omeka: Add a physical location]]
* [[Omeka: Updating existing records]]
* [[Omeka: Physical item records (artifacts and documents)]]
* [[Omeka: Person records]]
* [[Omeka: Place records]]
* [[Omeka: Business records]]
* [[Omeka: Collections, and finding aids]]
* [[Omeka: photography and scanning]]

==For individual projects==
* [[Dark Corner newspaper archive]]

[[category:Training]]

Dark Corner Exhibit

2024-02-14T13:29:59Z

GHM director:

For internal use only: please do not distribute these notes.

== FEUDS AND FELLOWSHIP: Independence, Defiance, and Community ==

=== Turning it on ===
Everything in this exhibit is turned on/off with a single round white push-button located behind the still.

=== What’s in the name? ===

* Dean Campbell Memorial: this exhibit is dedicated to, and in honor of, Dean Campbell, who invested his life in capturing and preserving Dark Corner heritage. Initially, this exhibit will include a full panel about Dean’s life.
* Feuds and Fellowship: Dark Corner culture is reflected in a series of paradoxes. We chose these two words to represent them all: on one hand the conflict and violence for which the area is famous, and on the other hand the close-knit community with intense loyalty for one another.
* Independence: John C. Campbell said the dominant trait of the region is “independence raised to the fourth power.” This characteristic fueled the area’s defiance of law and tax oversight, their opposition to various SC laws and movements, and their social isolation from surrounding communities.
* Defiance: an outcome of fierce independence was defiance to authority. They viewed their opposition to liquor taxation, for example, in a very similar way to the American Revolution opposition to British taxation.
* Community: Dark Corner residents had a special, close community. They supported each other in substantial ways that formed deep bonds, from barn raisings, to corn shuckings, to harvesting another man’s crops if he was sick.

=== Where is the Dark Corner? ===
The term doesn’t refer to an actual legal jurisdiction, and is used in different ways by different people. This can make it confusing.

* Famously, Dark Corner residents told anyone who asked that it’s “just a bit farther up the road.” That answer reflects a time when Dark Corner inhabitants were viewed with suspicion; it was valuable to them to be vague.
* An important aspect of the location is that, while it does reference a general geographic area, it is better defined culturally than geographically.
* Our exhibit is focused on the rugged, mountainous part of north Greenville County, centered around Glassy and Hogback Mountains. The heart of it is the area bordered by Highway 25, Highway 11, Highway 176, and the state line.
* Historically, the term refers to that area plus a corresponding area across the state line in North Carolina. Moonshiners used the state line as a way to jump jurisdictions when being pursued.
* This means that Dark Corner is not in Greer itself. They have always been closely linked, and Greer’s expanding border is now consuming the edges of Dark Corner, but they are not the same place.
* Keep in mind that South Carolina has had several different areas in the state that have been called “Dark Corner.” In particular, there was an area near Anderson that was commonly called this in the late 1800s and early 1900s. If you research “Dark Corner” in the Greenville News, you’ll find quite a few confusing stories in which it’s unclear which area they’re talking about.

The giant corner map is quite important. It shows the locations and names of every homestead in the Dark Corner area.

=== Name ===
There are several stories about where the name came from, and it’s likely that none of them were actually the original source. The most common story is that a statesman came to the area to promote Nullification (explained below) and was thrown in a mill pond; he declared this was a truly dark corner. However, there are some indications the name was in use prior to that event. In any case, by 1840 it appears in land deeds as a geographic name.

=== Roads ===
“For many decades, there was not a single public road in the area.” The SC State Archive holds a petition filed by Dark Corner residents for the creation of a public road, noting that the lack of one hurt their ability to get farm goods to market.

== BEGINNINGS ==

==== Cherokee land and trading ====
The earliest records of white European settlers in the area were trading goods with the Cherokee, before the Revolutionary War (note that it was illegal at that time to settle in the area, as it was in the Cherokee Territory). Goods traded included beads, knives, swords, and guns to the Cherokee, mostly in trade for fur skins (primarily deer). After the Revolutionary War, land grants were given in the area to veterans.

==== Ethnic origins ====
Scots-Irish: While there are many different individual national origins, a wave of Scots-Irish moved down the frontier from Pennsylvania through West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, into the area here. That wave led to the distinctive Appalachian culture across these areas which retained linguistic, musical, and other aspects of their heritage far longer than most.

The differences between this culture and the rest of South Carolina were significant, and helped shape deep divides that persist to this day.

==== Nullification ====
One difference mentioned on the wall is Nullification. The Nullification Crisis was a national issue caused by South Carolina trying to nullify a federal law (the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832), and Dark Corner residents opposed their state’s position.

==== Civil War and slavery ====
During the Civil War, the Dark Corner was divided. However, it did become a haven for Confederate deserters to hide out. In our collection of letters from Victoria Bailey, she references the deserters coming down out of the mountains and raiding homes for supplies.

While Dark Corner took no part in plantation culture, it is wrong to say it was broadly against slavery. In fact, the Limestone interviewees talked openly about the slaves held by Dark Corner residents, typically as household and farm laborers.

==== Women ====
Women held a starkly different role than the rest of the state. There were fewer restrictions on women; women played a significant role in family sustenance; women often ran the stills.

== MUSIC ==
As is true in most places, music wasn’t ubiquitous; it depended on the family and immediate community. Some found music to be integral, while others had little to do with it.

=== The fiddle ===
One thing to note about the fiddle is the lack of a chin rest or wear in that location. Many old-time mountain fiddlers held their violin down under their shoulder or, like in the picture of Bill Hensley, against the chest. By the way, Hensley was a fiddler from “over the line” in North Carolina.

=== The Ballad of Holland Howard ===

Unfortunately, our recording ends before the last verse, leaving the story unfinished!

<poem style="margin-left: 2em;">They went upon Hogback Mountain
to the top of Chestnut Hill;
And just beyond a little hollow
they found the fatal still.
Reuben Gosnell hid behind some bushes,
Todd Holland the crowd to flush;
He heard the voice of an angry man cursing,
and soon the voice hushed.
He heard some shots and a call, come, Reuben,
And that was all Holl said;
For when he reached the fatal distillery,
poor Holland was lying dead.
Reuben called to Holland before he reached him;
Holl was lying on his face and head;
Holland Pittman said,
He will not answer, ’cause he’s already dead.
Reuben then drew his gun on Holland Pittman, said,
Tell me, or you will die.
Holland Pittman said, It was Henry Lindsey,
Lord knows it was not I.
Reuben took Holl Pittman on to jail, said,
I’ll be a coming back.
He came back and got Wade Plumley
to swear to Alex Pittman’s track.
They brought the Pittmans into court,
it was on one Thursday morn.
Alex Pittman said, I’m an innocent man;
I was at home shucking corn.
Alex Pittman wore a neat dress shoe,
the color of it was tan.
Reuben Gosnell said,
That’s the first fine shoe I’ve ever seen on that man.
They brought the Pittmans back to court,
both father and son were there.
Judge Mauldin said, You two men will die in the electric chair.
On the twenty-seventh day of June,
Nineteen hundred and twenty-four,
You will both pay the penalty for killing Holland Howard,
And you’ll never still no more.</poem>-- lyrics by Charlie Benson, son of Luther Benson

Ballad tales of momentous events were a common way to pass down oral history in the Dark Corner. Few of those have been recorded. This ballad, sung by Dean Campbell, is quite recent; the murder it references happened during Prohibition on January 1, 1924. The critical moment in the story is when Reuben Gosnell got Wade Plumley to “swear on Pittman’s track.” This means that Plumley was asked to look at a footprint, and he was willing to tell a court on his honor that the print could only belong to Alex Pittman. A descendant of Wade Plumley directly questioned this on one of the Limestone College interviews, and viewed his ancestor with disdain for doing it.

The Pittmans were tried in a case built on circumstantial evidence and found guilty on May 17, 1924. Their death sentences were upheld by the S.C. Supreme Court on Sept. 23, 1926. Death warrants were signed by Gov. Thomas G. McLeod on Oct. 11, 1926, but on Oct. 26, he commuted their death sentences to life in prison. Both men served nine and one-half years in prison and were paroled on Oct. 5, 1933, then pardoned on Jan. 12, 1935. Alex Pittman lived another four years, and Holland Pittman died on Mar. 25, 1981, at the age of 78.

== COMMUNITY==
Dark Corner gained a reputation of lawless, feuding, murdering moonshiners. People also assumed them to be ignorant and heathen. This was far from true. They were church-going religious people who valued education, and started schools in the mountains very early.

In 1858, Earle Seminary (commonly called Gowensville Seminary) started to train preachers.

In 1892, residents asked the Baptist Association to start a school. They created North Greenville High School, soon to become North Greenville Baptist Academy. They called their yearbook The Moonshiner, reflecting a complex relationship between religion, law, and distillation (you can see our copy of the 1924 yearbook by the still). Today, it has become North Greenville University.

==DISTILLATION==
Rugged terrain was not good for plantation crops. One of the best mountain crops was corn. If a farmer could carve a 1-acre field out of the mountain side (a tough task!), he could grow 75 bushels of corn. In the mid-1800s he could sell that for about $37.50.

But a farmer could distill those 75 bushels of corn into 225 gallons of whiskey, worth more than $250! Legal distillation became an economic driver of the Dark Corner; it was legal up to 1866. Some families had been in the legal distillation business for 100 years before the huge taxes arrived, driving them underground.

===TAXATION===
In 1862 the Confederacy put a huge tax on alcohol. In 1866, the US government made it permanent. The $2/gallon tax was so big it would destroy livelihoods. The landscape was not suitable for chattel slavery crops; there was not enough area for significant livestock production; and grain sales were difficult and with wildly varying prices. People needed the consistent income offered by alcohol, but couldn’t afford to pay the extreme taxes — and they didn’t.

Tasked with collecting this revenue, IRS agents took lawbreakers to court. Originally these “revenuers” were unarmed, could make no arrests, and could not destroy stills — they had to bring them back intact for evidence. Faced with fierce opposition these limitations changed. They started destroying stills and arresting those who used them.

===IT’S WAR!===
To protect their livelihood, distillers began to fight back. Thus began the Revenue Wars. Ambushes, shootouts, and killings (on both sides) were common.

The ultimate root of the violence was the desire to just be left alone, and practice self-determination free from outside influence. Internally the violence was a self-imposed rule of law.

South Carolina established a State Dispensary in 1893. Dispensary agents joined revenue agents in attacking stills. The fight escalated into the Dispensary Wars. This was ironic, because the Dark Corner had overwhelmingly supported the gubernatorial campaign of Benjamin Tillman (to the point of tearing up votes against him!), who implemented the Dispensary.

Newspaper stories reflect the violence. A list of events over a ten-year period is on the exhibit wall, and it’s certain that this is not anywhere near a complete list; it’s just the headlines found in a quick search of newspapers!

There were revenue and dispensary agents in both Greenville and Spartanburg, but none in Greer — making it a prime distribution channel. Across SC, an underground network of “Blind Tigers” developed. These were reputable businesses which sold illicit liquor out the back door. There were many blind tigers in Greer. Our archive holds letters from the Greer police chief in 1915-16 asking private detectives and the state governor for help uncovering the 12-15 blind tigers he knew were operating in the city.

Prohibition started in 1920, further fueling illegal distillation and the network of blind tigers.

==BLOOD FEUDS & VIOLENCE==
Government programs incentivized distillers to turn legal, to report other stills, and even to become government agents. This caused fighting and feuding between individuals and families.

While there are many stories of inter-community violence, two hold particular importance.

===August 23, 1891: Mountain Hill Church shootout===
A Saturday altercation between the Howards and the Gosnells erupted at church the next morning. Reportedly, both parties had still been drinking that morning. Outside the tiny one-room log building, Joshua Howard took offense at Richard Gosnell not speaking to him, leading to a general battle between both families and their friends. Between 40 and 50 shots were fired. Luther Durham tried to arrest Gosnell, and got shot in the gut and mouth. Massena Howard was killed on the spot; Joshua Howard died the next day. In court, all parties were found not guilty.

===July 8, 1899: baseball game shootout ===
The baseball game was part of the local Independence Day celebrations. The night before, however, Rufus Lindsey was at home when shots were fired into the house; he had reported some neighbors to the revenuers. He refused to come out of the house, and the attackers responded by cutting down three acres of his corn.

The baseball game the next day was the perfect opportunity for Rufus and two brothers to take revenge. They accused some in the crowd, who denied it; the three Lindsey’s began firing indiscriminately into the crowd. Immediately fire was returned from Rectors, Howards, McKinneys, Bartons, Harris, and Bruce. The expanding fight moved up the hillside. Each Lindsey brother was injured, at which point they fled in a buggy. The crowd chased for half a mile when the buggy broke down and the Lindseys fled into the woods on foot. The mob descended on the buggy and set it ablaze. In the end, several hundred shots were fired and a dozen or more wounded.

==DUSK FALLS ON THE DARK CORNER==
As more roads increased access, the region became less isolated. In 1964, liquor tax was reduced by $1.50 per gallon. Combined with growing costs for ingredients (primarily sugar), illegal distillation gradually died out. Land investors purchased large tracts of Dark Corner for high-end housing development, like the Cliffs at Glassy. The extraordinary culture of the Dark Corner became a victim of the modernization of the Piedmont, celebrated in cities like Greenville.

==DEAN CAMPBELL==
Greer Heritage Museum presents this exhibit in honor of Dean Campbell. He was born in the Dark Corner, the child of people with very deep roots there. In 1983, Dean became the ombudsman for a Limestone College project to collect oral history. The project, titled “Tales from the Dark Corner,” solidified his mission to preserve and share the heritage and stories of the Dark Corner — and gave a title to his newspaper editorials and books.

A newspaper writer from the Greenville News called him the “Squire of Dark Corner,” and that term stuck.

Dean dreamed of a permanent museum home to immortalize Dark Corner history. He began talking with our Museum in June 2022 about the Greer Heritage Museum hosting such an exhibit; sadly, he died before seeing the result.

The Museum made a film about Dean’s life; it can be seen in the Theatre.

[[category:Training]]
[[category:Volunteer Guides]]

Theatre Exhibit

2024-02-14T13:29:33Z

GHM director:

__NOTOC__

=='''DOCENT NOTES'''==

=== '''OPENING, SETUP, and USE''' ===
I will improve this over time, but for now it’s manual. Remote controls are usually on a chair up front on the right side.
*'''Turn on the theater room lights:''' The light switch is at normal height just behind the edge of the organ, beside the telephone.
*'''The movie:''' This is still a bit too difficult; I’ll be working on it. For now:
**'''Turn on the projector:''' this also uses a small white remote. The Power button is bright blue and in the top left corner. Point it at the projector and push the button.
**'''Turn on the sound system:''' It is in the right pillar of the proscenium, on the inside facing the curtain. The power button is a round button on the far left side of the main device, and it’s the only button over there. Volume is controlled by the big round knob on the right.
**'''The Greer 1948 movie:''' The movie should be playing at this point. If you see the movie on the screen but it appears frozen, the media player needs restarted. To do that, find the device: it’s a very small black box sitting on top of the sound system, with a tiny memory card sticking out of the front. This box is loose and you can pull it out a little bit; there are two cords coming out of the back of the device. One of those is a very thin power cord; pull its little round plug out, and then plug it back in. After starting up again, it should automatically restart the movie.

=== '''MARQUEE and TICKET WINDOW''' ===
The reproduction marquee in our exhibit is fairly accurate, though scaled down to fit in our space — and the neon colors are just a guess, based on what’s possible with neon and what colors were popular in theatre marquees at that time. If you look closely at the photograph, there are windows above the marquee, and the right window has “kitchen curtains” — it was a rented apartment.

The ticket window is real, original to the theatre. There was a second identical window used for Black patrons at a colored entrance on the side of the building. We have been told that it still exists, in a private collection in Greer.
Inside the ticket window is an intercom “telephone” that was actually in the Grand Theatre, not the Greer. It was used to talk with other theatre employees in different areas of the building. Notice that one of the areas is called “paint shop.” There was a large printing and painting area behind the screen of the Grand Theatre, where they made their own advertising and promotional signs and materials.

=== '''ENTERTAINMENT (short wall)''' ===
'''CENTER PANEL:'''

An “Electric Theatre” showing (filmstrip movie projection) took place on October 26, 1901, in Davenport’s Hall (the second floor of the Davenport building). This was actually a year before the first movie theatre opened in the USA! It was presented by Edison’s Electrical Theatre and Specialty Company. Admission was 10¢ and 25¢. For comparison, when the Greer Theatre opened almost 50 years later, children under 13 could go for 13¢!

Was it really the first? It probably was. There was an electric theatre showing at the Greenville Street Fair April 9–13, 1901, which drew “crowds” from Greer — going on special excursion trains for the event. There’s a good chance that someone from Greer went to this event and was inspired to bring it home; perhaps Charlie Drace, or Mr. Davenport.

We have an article in the library archive that quotes someone saying the first movie shown in Greer was much later, and shown on an outdoor wall of the Victor YMCA. While I don’t doubt that event happened, it wasn’t actually the first.

'''The Alamo (Alimo) Theatre:''' we know almost nothing about it, including where it was located. But look at the text panel for the organ: there’s a 1910 newspaper classified ad hiring a piano player for the “Alimo” (we’ve found it spelled both ways). On June 1, 1911, Mr. Jason League became the new proprietor of the Alamo, and promised to give Greer the newest, best, and most up-to-date pictures. We have found two or three other references of this type, and nothing more.

'''The Grand Theatre:''' The major theatre in Greer for decades was located, on today’s landscape, in the narrow courtyard alley right beside Abbott’s Frozen Custard on Poinsett. Yep — it was hardly wider than a car! While we’ve been told by some people that it was only six seats across — three each on either side of a center aisle — I don’t believe that to be true. At its largest point, the theatre held over 500 people; a later version, in which theatre was shortened to make room for a lobby with concessions and restrooms, still held 350. It was very long and narrow.

'''The ''other'' Grand Theatre:''' notice the photo of a WW1-era building labeled “Grand Theatre.” Where was this photo taken?! We know of the Grand on Hill Street (Poinsett), but this photo wasn’t there: the 1922 Sanborn fire map shows that the Hill Street building hadn’t been built yet. One possibility:

'''The 1911 mystery theatre:''' not referenced in this exhibit, the 1911 Sanborn map shows a motion-picture theatre on the “CBL corner” of Trade and Randall. This could be the Alamo, the Dixie (below)… or possibly an early location of the Grand Theatre. However, that seems unlikely, because the photo doesn’t match what was on that location: a 2-story brick building with a hotel on the second floor. It’s more likely the Alamo.

'''The Dixie Theatre:''' we don’t know where this early theatre was located; but it was in Greer, and owned by Charlie Drace. He advertised both the Grand and Dixie in the same ads, for a while.

'''The Ideal Theatre:''' This was a large stage theatre, and the building still remains: it was most recently Grace Hall, at 108 Trade Street.
The Rialto Theatre: This building still exists as well, at 300 Trade Street. The left half of the building (now Pour Sports) was the theatre. It remained in operation for a very long time — I haven’t tracked down when it closed, but probably in the late 60s or early 70s. If you look at this building, you can see that it is still labeled “Rialto” over the center door.

'''Others:''' There have been several other theatres in more recent years. One of those served the Black community during segregation; it was in Sunnyside.

'''BEFORE THE THEATRE (left panel)'''

It’s hard for us to imagine life in 1873, when the first families moved into Greer. Even those relatively well-to-do were working extremely long, hard hours; most were farming or raising animals, even if they were also merchants. There was little time for entertainment.

'''Salesday''' was fairly standard across the southeast United States during this period, typically on the first Monday of each month. It was a time when farmers from all around came to gather in the town square, sell their goods, and buy what they needed. Traveling salesmen (and hucksters!) would appear. Because everyone was gathered, it was an opportunity for political speeches or other community activity. Our photo of a Greer salesday is extraordinary for many reasons; perhaps most important, it is the only known photograph of the town square, original city hall, cottonseed oil factory, and surrounding buildings.

'''Christmas eve dance invitation:''' this is an original, handwritten invitation to a dance on Christmas Eve, 1894. Documents from Greer in the 19th century are extremely rare; this is an incredible, priceless artifact. Some notes about it:

* '''94 Greers SC Decr 2/2/nd''' — this looks odd to us now, but was a common way of writing an origin and date in correspondence at the time. It also shows that by 1894 “Greer’s Depot” and “Greer’s Station” were being shortened to just “Greers.”
* '''Davenports Hall''' — Most two-story businesses on Trade Street had open “halls” on their second floor, used by the community for meetings and events. This dance was held on the second floor of the building still known today as the Davenport. At that time, the first floor was a large general store owned and operated by D. D. Davenport.
* '''Chaperones''' — Mrs. W. W. Burgiss is Etta Bailey, daughter of the “first family” of Greer (W.C. and Victoria Bailey). She is 28 years old at this time; her husband William has spent the last few months building Greer’s first textile mill, which will open next year (1895). They will name the new mill after their 2-year-old son, Victor. The other chaperones (Mrs. Nesbitt, Ashmore, and Wakefield) are all from influential families, but I haven’t researched them yet. Similarly, the “Committee” consists of people in influential families; one of those is E. W. Bailey, Etta’s brother.
* '''Games''' — I mention games that are well-known today, like charades; but I also mention some less-familiar games, like the knife-throwing game mumbletypeg (from “mumble the peg”) and card-dealing game bid whist (popular in Black communities). One of those less-familiar games mentioned is William William Tremble Toe. I put this in the list because Victoria Bailey specifically mentions playing it with her mother and her very young daughter, Etta. It’s a counting rhyme turned into a game (like “one potato, two potato”). Traditionally, grandparents taught the game to their grandchildren. See https://bit.ly/3e05874 for one variant of the game.

=== '''ENTERTAINING EVENTS''' ===
We have records of all different kinds of community events through the years. This panel references:

'''The Good Roads Tour:''' in 1909, automobiles were becoming more common but good roads were not. Many “good roads” tours ran from 1900-1915; these were a sort of race, in which the challenge was just to complete the course! The 1909 race from New York to Atlanta came through Greer. It started with 61 cars, including one driven by a female: Joan Newton Cuneo. This particular tour garnered great interest because it featured celebrity drivers, including Ty Cobb (though this photo does not show him or his car). A couple other notes of interest from this photograph:

* The banner weighted down with baseball bats;
* The boys wearing dress hats — but no shoes;
* The '''Wood-Mendenhall building''' on the left, where it was located before it built a new store that is now Cartwright Food Hall;
* '''Charlie Drace’s photo studio''' and store, located where the Bennett Building is now (Barista Alley).
* To the left of Drace’s studio is the tiny '''Planter’s Bank''', which was also where the Bennett Building is now.
* '''Fairs and carnivals:''' there were many, and they were really big deals. City and county fairs were very popular. Carnivals were traveling groups that would move town-to-town across the area.
* '''Horse racing:''' held during fairs and other big events, the races were not like big-time horse racing today. These were relatively common horses often pulling a buggy, and driven by members of the community. W. W. Burgiss, first president of Victor Mill and founder of both Greer Mill and Franklin Mill, did well at horse racing; we have a photo of him with a winning horse.
* '''Circuses:''' small traveling circuses frequently came through Greer. We have an original advertising poster from one of these; I’m hoping to mount it in this room at some point.
* '''Church meetings:''' all kinds of meetings, from giant tent revivals to Sunday School class parties. Victoria Bailey’s letters constantly reference various church events.
* '''Harvest gatherings:''' we have a few newspaper stories about events celebrating harvest time; these were held outdoors with a great deal of food. There were a lot of small competitions and games, like sack races.
* '''Fourth of July celebrations:''' for a couple decades, each mill held its own Fourth celebration for its village and there seems to have been competition for each mill to outdo the rest. They were similar to harvest celebrations, with food and games.
* '''Chautauqua:''' The original Chautauqua event was held in Chautauqua, New York; it was so successful that it became a national phenomenon. Local Chautauqua events combined “celebrity” speakers from the area (such as a professor of Agriculture from Clemson speaking on new advances in technology) with traveling entertainers like musicians and magicians. Greer’s events were held in a giant tent put up just across the train track from the P&N Depot, about where the Greer Citizen building is. By the way, Chautauqua organized and still exists — and our own Cora Newcomb is preparing to speak in an upcoming event!

Finally, there is '''Victoria Bailey’s quotation.''' I’ve labeled it misleadingly, because this quotation comes from a letter she wrote in 1863 or 1864 — when she was Victoria Cunningham, before she married W. C. Bailey. Her full quotation is:

“I met the Westmorelands at Double Springs they was finer than ever had a table to themselves. When I see you I will give you a description of them. <u>They was so fine they hardly knew me</u>.”

The note that they had a table to themselves (at a church social) indicates that she perceived them as a bit stand-offish. But the underlining of the last sentence is particular emphasis; she rarely did this, and only to communicate the strongest of emotion. It seems that she felt as if they disapproved or looked down on her. Interesting to think that a decade later, Victoria would be their “first lady” as wife of their first mayor; Dr. Westmoreland would be on the first city council. Intriguingly, they were related: Emma Westmoreland was a Cunningham, and Victoria’s cousin.

=== '''RECREATION''' ===
'''GOING OUT:'''

Chick Springs was a very popular picnic and swimming destination for Greer’s middle and upper class at the end of the 1800s and early 1900s. Camping was also popular around the turn of the 20th century, particularly among more well-to-do families. It was common for young men to go on week-long camping or hunting/fishing trips around Caesar’s Head or into North Carolina. Note the phrase: “hunting and fishing became recreational activities.” For most of the 19th century, these were essential for survival.

'''AMERICA’S GAME:'''

Baseball was incredibly popular in Greer for decades, starting even before the mill teams and continuing on through the American Legion teams recently. This photograph is amazing, and features the only known photos of many Greer leaders. Connection to another photo: note the baseball bats weighing down the car-race banner on “Entertaining Events.”

'''TEXTILE BASEBALL:'''

Shoeless Joe Jackson played for Victor in 1907. Our research identified the field he played on: what is now the small “Victor Park” right beside the railroad tracks. The large American Legion stadium was not yet built in 1907.

'''NEGRO LEAGUE BASEBALL:'''

Like a phantom in history — we can find almost no information. From about 1910-1920, Greenville had a superb negro team that drew huge mixed crowds. In April of 1915, the Greenville team beat the “Greer nine” 13-1. In June of 1919, the Piedmont colored team beat the Greer negro team; the large crowd “included a lot of whites.”

Their most notable game was June 25, 1917. Greer played Greenville in a game to benefit the Red Cross Fund for World War 1 soldiers; a large crowd turned out including “whites in their own section.”

It’s possible that the Greer team only played in those years from 1915-1919. However, Greer Mill had a team at least in 1935. On May 12th of that year, the “Southern Bleachery colored team” beat the “Greer Negro Nine.”

With so little information, the photograph of Holmes Thompson is intriguing. He was the first principal of Lincoln High School when it opened in ’54; this photo looks to be in the 20s or 30s. Perhaps he played on one of these teams? The timing is about right. More research is needed on this topic.

'''MILL RECREATION:'''

While all the mills provided recreation opportunities, it appears that Victor excelled them all; the list of activities in this description were all offered at Victor, while other mills offered a more limited selection.

'''HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS:'''

This panel does a disservice to this topic; high school sports have been a huge cultural component of our community for a hundred years. However, the exhibit plan is to address it in more depth in a future exhibit section on education.

'''A NOTE ON SEGREGATION:'''

This panel references segregation multiple times; we cannot hide that Black residents were segregated in most entertainment facilities and were not even allowed in others, like the community swimming pools.

=== '''GREER, 1948''' ===
'''1948 GREER MOVIES POSTER:'''

It’s amazing that this movie poster exists, and even more amazing that we have a copy of the original film the poster references! The poster does hint that similar films might have been made even earlier: “the best we ever made.” The poster would have been printed in the Grand’s “paint shop,” located behind the screen of the Grand Theatre.

'''WALL DECORATION:'''

We did some careful restoration work on this piece, primarily removing decades of cigarette smoke. This plaster form of a kissing couple was located in the Grand Theatre’s balcony. One interesting connection: look on the main “Entertainment” panel, at the small artifacts. One of those is a small card that says “love is grand, but keep your petting in your parlor.” The balcony, where this kissing couple was located, was a common place for couples to enjoy each other’s company. Those little cards were handed to people, during a movie, when they got a bit too frisky.

=== '''TWO GREATS''' ===
There have been a lot of movie theaters in Greer through the years — many more than are discussed in this exhibit. There have been at least two drive-in theaters; others along Wade Hampton; and one primarily for Black residents in the Sunnyside area. Even as others came and went, the Grand and the Greer were overwhelmingly dominant for decades.

'''ELVIS IN THE WINDOW:'''

The Elvis “poster” is promoting the movie “Jailhouse Rock,” which ran the first week of November, 1957. This might have been the last movie ever shown in the theatre, which was closed by the end of that year (it was reopened by other management later).
It might be hard to tell, but the Elvis poster is actually mounted inside a window, which actually came out of the Grand. When the Grand closed, a teenage girl who loved Elvis went to claim this poster. She found it mounted inside the window, between two panes of plexiglas, and no obvious way to get the poster out; so, somehow, she took the whole window instead. Amazing. Her daughter donated the window to the Museum.

'''THEATRES OF RACISM:'''

While segregation was evil enough, racism grew even darker after the epic Birth of a Nation was released. While this movie never actually played in Greer (it required a very large theatre with a full symphony orchestra to play the score), its impact was immense. A few years later, the Ideal Theatre (most recently Grace Hall, at 108 Trade Street) hosted the event described here, in which a former governor defended slavery and the KKK. This was not a unique event; there were numerous Memorial Day and other celebrations of Civil War veterans in which similar speeches were given.

=== '''DRACE LEGACY''' ===
This panel doesn’t really do the Drace family justice, but that’s because we’re going to have a full exhibit specifically about Charlie Drace in the main exhibition hall. “Uncle Charlie” was an impactful figure in early Greer: on city council, running an early newspaper (before the Greer Citizen started), playing baseball (see the “Fats vs. Leans” photo), running movie theatres — but most importantly, capturing dozens of Greer’s earliest photographs and history.

Similarly, the panel doesn’t go into detail about the Grand Theatre burning down in 1928, but that was one of a long series of devastating fires that consumed most wood buildings in downtown Greer. These will be covered in a new exhibit on police and fire, which will probably be the next major exhibit to open after this one.

=== '''THE MOVIE SCREEN AND ORGAN''' ===
We have an organ in here because every theater in Greer during the silent-film era would have used either a piano or organ for a live soundtrack. The music scores on the organ are prints of original “soundtrack” scores (we do not own these originals; they came from a museum in Kansas). Notice their titles; the musician played whatever fit the film in the moment. Also notice the mirror on the organ. While this organ did not come out of a theater, some theater musicians did use a mirror to watch the movie right above their sheet music, so they could time their music appropriately. This organ can technically still play, but the internal mechanism needs some restoration and care prior to use. We hope to do this work and hold a “silent” movie screening with original music score played live.

We show the 1948 movie, Greater Greer, the Heart of the New Industrial South as the standard film running in our theater on a daily basis. The movie was created by order of Bill Drace, then manager of the Grand. He hired Holly Smith, a filmmaker in Charlotte, to produce the film. The original filmstrip was stored in the projection booth of the theater. Just before the building was demolished, fireman Bobby Colvin went through the clear the building and ensure no one was inside. In the projection room, he saw the film and recovered it. He sent it to the film department at USC in Columbia to be transferred to VHS tape, which was later transferred to DVD; our copy is taken from the DVD. We have been in contact with Bobby Colvin, trying to recover the original; he has not yet been able to find it, though he believes it is still in his possession. If we can obtain it, we will have it professionally digitized and restored; until then, the copy we play is the best that exists.

One last detail about that original filmstrip: it was almost certainly produced on nitrate film, which is highly flammable if it gets damp and very dangerous to store or work with.

=== '''GENERAL NOTES ABOUT THE EXHIBIT''' ===
With the exception of the 1948 poster and the Elvis poster, all of the paper items are reproductions of artifacts in our collection. That’s because paper artifacts are damaged by light and air exposure in any amounts; it is now standard museum practice to remove paper originals from permanent display. The originals are in our archive.

[[category:Training]]
[[category:Volunteer Guides]]

Omeka: Take your first step

2024-02-14T13:28:04Z

GHM director:

__NOTOC__
Ready to help GHM with our Collection Management Software, Omeka? Awesome!

'''First you must have a login.''' This will be issued to you by the Museum Director.

Now, welcome to the Omeka team! The software can be intimidating, but it's not hard to use.

==Looking around==

#'''Log in.''' Start by going to the administrative login page, at https://GreerHeritage.com/omeka-s. Enter your user name and password. If you don't have one, or it doesn't work, talk to the Museum Director.
#'''Ignore a lot of things.''' Of all the things you see, the only things you will use are the '''search bar''' (to the left) and the '''Items'''.
#'''Click on "Items"''' (in either place — the left menu or in the center of the screen) to see a list of all items.

== Searching ==
With so many items, you will have to search to find one you are looking for. Searching Omeka can be tricky. Try several different search techniques before assuming an item isn't in the system.

==== Search with accession number ====

* Put the number in quotation marks to find that exact thing. For example, search <code>"2003.12.1"</code> instead of <code>2003.12.1</code>.
* If you don't find it, try a shorter version. For example, if <code>"2003.12.1"</code> doesn't work, try <code>"2003.12"</code>.

==== Search by name, title, or subject ====

* There are times when you don't know an accession number, or when the accession number has been changed to fix a conflict or for some other reason. We try to keep both the old and new numbers in the record to help, but sometimes you have to find things without the number.
* Omeka Search looks at the entire record, not just the title. So you can search for any word you think might have been used in the description, transcription, or anywhere else in the record.

==== Still nothing? ====
It's very possible that the item is not in our system, or that it has an error of some sort. If you find one of these, add it to our [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1N7p-RDSWp-TzaKxyVs3kB4N5-7Rwzu0lGEP06tYhkK8/edit?usp=sharing '''Error List'''].

== Changing your password ==

# At the top left, click on your name.
# At the top right, click on Edit User.
# Click on the Password tab.
# Enter a new password, then click Save.

== Report an error ==
If you find objects that don't match their Omeka record or any other error, add it to our [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1N7p-RDSWp-TzaKxyVs3kB4N5-7Rwzu0lGEP06tYhkK8/edit?usp=sharing '''Error List'''].

[[category:Training]]
[[category:Omeka]]

Omeka: Add a physical location

2024-02-14T13:27:41Z

GHM director:

'''''There are multiple kinds of Omeka records; almost all of them can be edited and have information added using these instructions.'''''

=='''Adding a physical location'''==
''This is very easy. However, you must first have a login to Omeka-S, our archiving software; and you must know how to access it and log in. Talk with the director if you are not that far yet!''

This process is to add or correct the physical location of an object that is currently listed as location "unknown" or with location empty.
#'''Pick an item; get its accession number.''' <code>NOTE! Do not handle artifacts or archives before reading [[Safe handling of artifacts and documents]].</code>
#'''Find the record.''' There are several ways to do this, but the easiest is entering the record title in the Search box at the top of the left column.
#'''Edit the record.''' In a search result, click on the pencil icon to the right of the title. If you are already looking at the item record, click the “Edit Item” button in the top right corner.
#'''Enter the Storage Location.''' Scroll down the list until you find the field titled "Storage Location." In the field, enter the location using the room number and wall number (see [https://wiki.greerheritage.com/index.php/Omeka:_Add_a_physical_location#/media/File:Gallery_location_map.jpg map]), and a text description (if it isn't obvious). For example, the mural painting is at Gallery 1, wall 6, on wall.
#'''Save the record''' with the “Save” button in the top right corner.[[File:Gallery location map.jpg|thumb]]
'''Examples:'''

* The turkey is in Gallery 1, wall 2.
* The wicker "coffin" is in Gallery 5, wall 4.
* The mural painting is in Gallery 1, wall 6, on the left end of the wall.
* Victor Mill scrip is in Gallery 1, wall 8, glass case, top shelf.
* The picture of "Shoeless Joe" Jackson is Gallery 1, wall 7, on wall right side of doorway.
* The "kissing couple" sculpture is Gallery 9, wall 1, center of wall.

[[category:Training]]
[[category:Omeka]]

Safe handling of artifacts and documents

2024-02-14T13:26:39Z

GHM director: /* Hands and tools */

In August 2014, museum staff were preparing to repair lights in the case holding King Tut’s golden mask when — oops! — they knocked it over and broke off the beard. They tried to fix it with epoxy that left the beard crooked, and with too much glue oozing out. They tried to fix that by scraping it off with knives and scalpels, damaging the gold. They ended up in court and received large fines for what they did.

Hope you have a big bank account for fines! No, just kidding. But this ''is'' a big responsibility, entrusted with protection of these irreplaceable treasures by all future generations.

== '''Basic principles''' ==
Don’t touch when you don’t ''need'' to touch.
# No food or drink, anywhere.
# Evaluate the situation thoroughly before doing anything.
# Prepare for handling — for the whole process, for interruptions, and for the end steps. Gather supplies first.
# Handle with care.
## Handle minimally.
## Reduce stress on objects.
## Use two hands, and more when needed.
# Practice good procedure all the time, for the least critical document as for the most. This develops good handling habits.

== '''Handling artifacts and documents''' ==
''The moment an object is entered into our collection it stops being what it looks like, and becomes something else. It might look like a jug with a handle, in which the handle was designed to pick up the jug. Now, it is a museum object to be protected and preserved; so that handle becomes the worst way to pick it up, because it has the highest chance of breaking. That other thing might look like a hammer, but it can no longer be handled or used like one.''

'''Handling artifacts'''

* Wash your hands first.
* Handle as little as possible.
* Never use built-in handles or knobs to lift an object; they are usually the weakest points, most likely to break.
* Always handle an artifact over a well-padded surface. Even a short fall to a counter can chip or break an item, while a fall to the floor can be disastrous.
* Lift and hold from underneath or from the bottom, if possible; always lift from below the center of gravity. Lift from under bulges.
* When moving items, carry in protective padded boxes and use extra support for unstable objects. Put items in their most stable position for carrying (e.g., a teacup should be carried upside-down in a padded box).

'''Handling documents'''

''Every document has a painfully limited life span. Our job is to extend that lifespan as long as possible.''

* Wash your hands first.
* Do everything possible to minimize handling of original documents.
* Priority should be given to immediately making usage copies — facsimiles that can be used for following research, while the originals are safely stored.
* Pencils only. No pens, markers, or highlighters in the area.
* No post-it notes or paper clips in the area.
* Work with one item/folder/box at a time. Keep separate projects separate.
* Touch the “least important” parts of a document, staying in margins and away from content as much as possible.
* Most documents can be moved into a folder, allowing contactless work with them.
* Unfolding paper is a very dangerous process. If needed, do it slowly, using two hands, one fold at a time. Watch for any hint of tearing or any part getting caught or “hung up” on a fold or tear. ''Watch particularly for when sheets are interconnected by folds and tears.''
* When paper dries out it becomes brittle (and even more so when there is acid damage). Watch for this, and when there is any threat of damage pause the work and talk to the director. There are controlled methods for re-hydrating paper to give it more pliability, and in extreme brittleness there are even safe methods to reinforce and add stability.
* Do not correct for folds by bending them backwards the opposite way. Paper can sometimes be gently flattened by carefully placing it under even pressure (like a book press). Be careful not to introduce new creases!
* Lay documents on the table; don’t hold them while reading. Don’t hold them with one hand. Keep them flat.
* Use archival weights to help keep documents flat.
* Use a book cradle or foam wedges to reduce stress on bindings.
* Use extra caution changing pages, whether in a book or stack of papers. Lift a page by an undamaged spot, which typically means avoid the corners.
* Do not lean over documents, rest your hand or elbow on them, or have wires/chords hanging over them.
* Do not write on a document; do not trace or take notes on another sheet on top of a document.
* Keep documents in order. Keep letters with their envelopes. Talk with the director about adding ID numbers to documents which can assist in maintaining correct order.
* Consult with the Director before unfurling a rolled item. ''Never unroll a photograph''.
* Never remove at item from the work room.
'''Using tools'''
* when a tool is necessary, use the gentlest form of the tool. For example, a wood tool is preferred to a metal tool.
* The exception is some uses of knives. As in a kitchen, a sharp knife might be safer than a dull one. Use extreme caution.

== Hands and gloves ==
'''Using your hands'''

* Wash and dry your hands thoroughly and frequently. Dirt, oils, and salts are your enemies.
* Do not use hand cream or hand sanitizer while working with items.
* Be aware of touching your hair and face, and re-wash any time you transfer oil or dirt to your fingers.
* Re-wash after handling a dirty object, before moving to another object.
* Wash after removing nitrile gloves, before handling other objects.

'''Using gloves'''

Have you ever tried a delicate operation, like tying or untying a knot, while wearing gloves? Gloves greatly reduce your ability to work with objects and increase your chances of a bumbling error. Cotton gloves, in particular, have little loops and hairs that can catch, tear, and break things; they can also be slippery when holding smooth objects. However, gloves can prevent other kinds of damage. As a result, gloves are used selectively and carefully.

* '''Most paper, wood, and basketry: NO gloves.''' Clean, oil-free hands will usually do the least damage to these items. In particular, do not use cotton gloves; it is too easy for cotton fibers to catch and tear or break an object. ''Wash your hands often!''
* '''Most glass and ceramics: NO gloves.''' The objects are typically more resistant to oil and dirt damage, but they are more fragile and can be very slippery.
* '''Most metals and lithics: NITRILE gloves.''' Metals, especially iron, are very sensitive to finger oils — and damage often doesn’t appear for months or years after being touched. Stone is less sensitive, but still safer to use gloves. Wash after removing them, before handling other things; gloves can cause sweat, oil, and chemical buildups on your hands.
* '''Photographs: It’s complicated, but usually NITRILE gloves plus extra care. Non-glossy older prints like cabinet photographs are handled with NO gloves.''' Finger oils can be very damaging to photographs, but glove damage is a threat too. Try to handle photographs as little as possible and do your best to never touch the photo surface.

== Cleaning and repair ==
Just this: '''do not try to clean or repair any artifact or document.''' In particular, do not use any erasers, glues, tapes, brushes, or chemical cleaners. Many of our objects ''do'' need cleaning and repair; make those needs known to the director, but do not attempt the work yourself. Add notes about damage and dirt to the “Curatorial Notes” field in Omeka.

What got the “Tut mask” people in such great trouble was not actually knocking the beard off; it had come off before. The trouble was actually in the botched repair.

[[category:Training]]

Omeka: Add a physical location

2024-02-14T13:08:00Z

GHM director:

Omeka: Add a physical location

2024-02-14T01:27:17Z

GHM director: /* Adding a physical location */

'''''There are multiple kinds of Omeka records; almost all of them can be edited and have information added using these instructions.'''''

=='''Adding a physical location'''==
''This is very easy. However, you must first have a login to Omeka-S, our archiving software; and you must know how to access it and log in. Talk with the director if you are not that far yet!''

This process is to add or correct the physical location of an object that is currently listed as location "unknown" or with location empty.
#'''Find the record.''' There are several ways to do this, but the easiest is entering the record title in the Search box at the top of the left column.
#'''Edit the record.''' In a search result, click on the pencil icon to the right of the title. If you are already looking at the item record, click the “Edit Item” button in the top right corner.
#'''Enter the Storage Location.''' Scroll down the list until you find the field titled "Storage Location." In the field, enter the location using the room number and wall number (see [https://wiki.greerheritage.com/index.php/Omeka:_Add_a_physical_location#/media/File:Gallery_location_map.jpg map]), and a text description (if it isn't obvious). For example, the mural painting is at Gallery 1, wall 6, on wall.
#'''Save the record''' with the “Save” button in the top right corner.[[File:Gallery location map.jpg|thumb]]
'''Examples:'''

* The turkey is in Gallery 1, wall 2.
* The wicker "coffin" is in Gallery 5, wall 4.
* The mural painting is in Gallery 1, wall 6, on the left end of the wall.
* Victor Mill scrip is in Gallery 1, wall 8, glass case, top shelf.
* The picture of "Shoeless Joe" Jackson is Gallery 1, wall 7, on wall right side of doorway.
* The "kissing couple" sculpture is Gallery 9, wall 1, center of wall.

Omeka: Add a physical location

2024-02-14T01:26:47Z

GHM director: /* Adding a physical location */

'''''There are multiple kinds of Omeka records; almost all of them can be edited and have information added using these instructions.'''''

=='''Adding a physical location'''==
''This is very easy. However, you must first have a login to Omeka-S, our archiving software; and you must know how to access it and log in. Talk with the director if you are not that far yet!''

This process is to add or correct the physical location of an object that is currently listed as location "unknown" or with location empty.
#'''Find the record.''' There are several ways to do this, but the easiest is entering the record title in the Search box at the top of the left column.
#'''Edit the record.''' In a search result, click on the pencil icon to the right of the title. If you are already looking at the item record, click the “Edit Item” button in the top right corner.
#'''Enter the Storage Location.''' Scroll down the list until you find the field titled "Storage Location." In the field, enter the location using the room number and wall number (see [[map]]), and a text description (if it isn't obvious). For example, the mural painting is at Gallery 1, wall 6, on wall.
#'''Save the record''' with the “Save” button in the top right corner.[[File:Gallery location map.jpg|thumb]]
'''Examples:'''

* The turkey is in Gallery 1, wall 2.
* The wicker "coffin" is in Gallery 5, wall 4.
* The mural painting is in Gallery 1, wall 6, on the left end of the wall.
* Victor Mill scrip is in Gallery 1, wall 8, glass case, top shelf.
* The picture of "Shoeless Joe" Jackson is Gallery 1, wall 7, on wall right side of doorway.
* The "kissing couple" sculpture is Gallery 9, wall 1, center of wall.

Omeka: Add a physical location

2024-02-14T01:26:12Z

GHM director: Created page with "'''''There are multiple kinds of Omeka records; almost all of them can be edited and have information added using these instructions.''''' =='''Adding a physical location'''== ''This is very easy. However, you must first have a login to Omeka-S, our archiving software; and you must know how to access it and log in. Talk with the director if you are not that far yet!'' This process is to add or correct the physical location of an object that is currently listed as locat..."

'''''There are multiple kinds of Omeka records; almost all of them can be edited and have information added using these instructions.'''''

=='''Adding a physical location'''==
''This is very easy. However, you must first have a login to Omeka-S, our archiving software; and you must know how to access it and log in. Talk with the director if you are not that far yet!''

This process is to add or correct the physical location of an object that is currently listed as location "unknown" or with location empty.
#'''Find the record.''' There are several ways to do this, but the easiest is entering the record title in the Search box at the top of the left column.
#'''Edit the record.''' In a search result, click on the pencil icon to the right of the title. If you are already looking at the item record, click the “Edit Item” button in the top right corner.
#'''Enter the Storage Location.''' Scroll down the list until you find the field titled "Storage Location." In the field, enter the location using the room number and wall number (see map), and a text description (if it isn't obvious). For example, the mural painting is at Gallery 1, wall 6, on wall.
#'''Save the record''' with the “Save” button in the top right corner.[[File:Gallery location map.jpg|thumb]]
'''Examples:'''

* The turkey is in Gallery 1, wall 2.
* The wicker "coffin" is in Gallery 5, wall 4.
* The mural painting is in Gallery 1, wall 6, on the left end of the wall.
* Victor Mill scrip is in Gallery 1, wall 8, glass case, top shelf.
* The picture of "Shoeless Joe" Jackson is Gallery 1, wall 7, on wall right side of doorway.
* The "kissing couple" sculpture is Gallery 9, wall 1, center of wall.

File:Gallery location map.jpg

2024-02-14T01:17:16Z

GHM director:

This is a map showing the GHM gallery and wall numbers.

Training documents

2024-02-14T01:09:56Z

GHM director: /* Omeka */

==Volunteer Guides==
* [[Theatre Exhibit]]
* [[Dark Corner Exhibit]]

==For anyone who needs it==
* [[Safe handling of artifacts and documents]]
* [[Processing: documents]]
* [[Processing: archive folders]]
* [[Conservation: paper and documents]]

==Omeka==

* [[Omeka: Take your first step]]
* [[Omeka: Add a physical location]]
* [[Omeka: Updating existing records]]
* [[Omeka: Physical item records (artifacts and documents)]]
* [[Omeka: Person records]]
* [[Omeka: Place records]]
* [[Omeka: Business records]]
* [[Omeka: Collections, and finding aids]]
* [[Omeka: photography and scanning]]

==For individual projects==
* [[Dark Corner newspaper archive]]

[[category:Training]]

Dark Corner Exhibit

2024-02-11T23:59:27Z

GHM director: /* The Ballad of Holland Howard */

Dark Corner Exhibit

2024-02-11T23:57:59Z

GHM director: /* The Ballad of Holland Howard */

For internal use only: please do not distribute these notes.

== FEUDS AND FELLOWSHIP: Independence, Defiance, and Community ==

=== Turning it on ===
Everything in this exhibit is turned on/off with a single round white push-button located behind the still.

=== What’s in the name? ===

* Dean Campbell Memorial: this exhibit is dedicated to, and in honor of, Dean Campbell, who invested his life in capturing and preserving Dark Corner heritage. Initially, this exhibit will include a full panel about Dean’s life.
* Feuds and Fellowship: Dark Corner culture is reflected in a series of paradoxes. We chose these two words to represent them all: on one hand the conflict and violence for which the area is famous, and on the other hand the close-knit community with intense loyalty for one another.
* Independence: John C. Campbell said the dominant trait of the region is “independence raised to the fourth power.” This characteristic fueled the area’s defiance of law and tax oversight, their opposition to various SC laws and movements, and their social isolation from surrounding communities.
* Defiance: an outcome of fierce independence was defiance to authority. They viewed their opposition to liquor taxation, for example, in a very similar way to the American Revolution opposition to British taxation.
* Community: Dark Corner residents had a special, close community. They supported each other in substantial ways that formed deep bonds, from barn raisings, to corn shuckings, to harvesting another man’s crops if he was sick.

=== Where is the Dark Corner? ===
The term doesn’t refer to an actual legal jurisdiction, and is used in different ways by different people. This can make it confusing.

* Famously, Dark Corner residents told anyone who asked that it’s “just a bit farther up the road.” That answer reflects a time when Dark Corner inhabitants were viewed with suspicion; it was valuable to them to be vague.
* An important aspect of the location is that, while it does reference a general geographic area, it is better defined culturally than geographically.
* Our exhibit is focused on the rugged, mountainous part of north Greenville County, centered around Glassy and Hogback Mountains. The heart of it is the area bordered by Highway 25, Highway 11, Highway 176, and the state line.
* Historically, the term refers to that area plus a corresponding area across the state line in North Carolina. Moonshiners used the state line as a way to jump jurisdictions when being pursued.
* This means that Dark Corner is not in Greer itself. They have always been closely linked, and Greer’s expanding border is now consuming the edges of Dark Corner, but they are not the same place.
* Keep in mind that South Carolina has had several different areas in the state that have been called “Dark Corner.” In particular, there was an area near Anderson that was commonly called this in the late 1800s and early 1900s. If you research “Dark Corner” in the Greenville News, you’ll find quite a few confusing stories in which it’s unclear which area they’re talking about.

The giant corner map is quite important. It shows the locations and names of every homestead in the Dark Corner area.

=== Name ===
There are several stories about where the name came from, and it’s likely that none of them were actually the original source. The most common story is that a statesman came to the area to promote Nullification (explained below) and was thrown in a mill pond; he declared this was a truly dark corner. However, there are some indications the name was in use prior to that event. In any case, by 1840 it appears in land deeds as a geographic name.

=== Roads ===
“For many decades, there was not a single public road in the area.” The SC State Archive holds a petition filed by Dark Corner residents for the creation of a public road, noting that the lack of one hurt their ability to get farm goods to market.

== BEGINNINGS ==

==== Cherokee land and trading ====
The earliest records of white European settlers in the area were trading goods with the Cherokee, before the Revolutionary War (note that it was illegal at that time to settle in the area, as it was in the Cherokee Territory). Goods traded included beads, knives, swords, and guns to the Cherokee, mostly in trade for fur skins (primarily deer). After the Revolutionary War, land grants were given in the area to veterans.

==== Ethnic origins ====
Scots-Irish: While there are many different individual national origins, a wave of Scots-Irish moved down the frontier from Pennsylvania through West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, into the area here. That wave led to the distinctive Appalachian culture across these areas which retained linguistic, musical, and other aspects of their heritage far longer than most.

The differences between this culture and the rest of South Carolina were significant, and helped shape deep divides that persist to this day.

==== Nullification ====
One difference mentioned on the wall is Nullification. The Nullification Crisis was a national issue caused by South Carolina trying to nullify a federal law (the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832), and Dark Corner residents opposed their state’s position.

==== Civil War and slavery ====
During the Civil War, the Dark Corner was divided. However, it did become a haven for Confederate deserters to hide out. In our collection of letters from Victoria Bailey, she references the deserters coming down out of the mountains and raiding homes for supplies.

While Dark Corner took no part in plantation culture, it is wrong to say it was broadly against slavery. In fact, the Limestone interviewees talked openly about the slaves held by Dark Corner residents, typically as household and farm laborers.

==== Women ====
Women held a starkly different role than the rest of the state. There were fewer restrictions on women; women played a significant role in family sustenance; women often ran the stills.

== MUSIC ==
As is true in most places, music wasn’t ubiquitous; it depended on the family and immediate community. Some found music to be integral, while others had little to do with it.

=== The fiddle ===
One thing to note about the fiddle is the lack of a chin rest or wear in that location. Many old-time mountain fiddlers held their violin down under their shoulder or, like in the picture of Bill Hensley, against the chest. By the way, Hensley was a fiddler from “over the line” in North Carolina.

=== The Ballad of Holland Howard ===

Unfortunately, our recording ends before the last verse, leaving the story unfinished!

<poem style="margin-left: 2em;">They went upon Hogback Mountain to the top of Chestnut Hill;
And just beyond a little hollow they found the fatal still.
Reuben Gosnell hid behind some bushes,
Todd Holland the crowd to flush;
He heard the voice of an angry man cursing,
and soon the voice hushed.
He heard some shots and a call, come, Reuben,
And that was all Holl said;
For when he reached the fatal distillery,
poor Holland was lying dead.
Reuben called to Holland before he reached him;
Holl was lying on his face and head;
Holland Pittman said,
He will not answer, ’cause he’s already dead.
Reuben then drew his gun on Holland Pittman, said,
Tell me, or you will die.
Holland Pittman said, It was Henry Lindsey,
Lord knows it was not I.
Reuben took Holl Pittman on to jail, said,
I’ll be a coming back.
He came back and got Wade Plumley
to swear to Alex Pittman’s track.
They brought the Pittmans into court,
it was on one Thursday morn.
Alex Pittman said, I’m an innocent man;
I was at home shucking corn.
Alex Pittman wore a neat dress shoe,
the color of it was tan.
Reuben Gosnell said,
That’s the first fine shoe I’ve ever seen on that man.
They brought the Pittmans back to court,
both father and son were there.
Judge Mauldin said, You two men will die in the electric chair.
On the twenty-seventh day of June,
Nineteen hundred and twenty-four,
You will both pay the penalty for killing Holland Howard,
And you’ll never still no more.</poem>-- lyrics by Charlie Benson, son of Luther Benson

Ballad tales of momentous events were a common way to pass down oral history in the Dark Corner. Few of those have been recorded. This ballad, sung by Dean Campbell, is quite recent; the murder it references happened during Prohibition on January 1, 1924. The critical moment in the story is when Reuben Gosnell got Wade Plumley to “swear on Pittman’s track.” This means that Plumley was asked to look at a footprint, and he was willing to tell a court on his honor that the print could only belong to Alex Pittman. A descendant of Wade Plumley directly questioned this on one of the Limestone College interviews, and viewed his ancestor with disdain for doing it.

The Pittmans were tried in a case built on circumstantial evidence and found guilty on May 17, 1924. Their death sentences were upheld by the S.C. Supreme Court on Sept. 23, 1926. Death warrants were signed by Gov. Thomas G. McLeod on Oct. 11, 1926, but on Oct. 26, he commuted their death sentences to life in prison. Both men served nine and one-half years in prison and were paroled on Oct. 5, 1933, then pardoned on Jan. 12, 1935. Alex Pittman lived another four years, and Holland Pittman died on Mar. 25, 1981, at the age of 78.

== COMMUNITY==
Dark Corner gained a reputation of lawless, feuding, murdering moonshiners. People also assumed them to be ignorant and heathen. This was far from true. They were church-going religious people who valued education, and started schools in the mountains very early.

In 1858, Earle Seminary (commonly called Gowensville Seminary) started to train preachers.

In 1892, residents asked the Baptist Association to start a school. They created North Greenville High School, soon to become North Greenville Baptist Academy. They called their yearbook The Moonshiner, reflecting a complex relationship between religion, law, and distillation (you can see our copy of the 1924 yearbook by the still). Today, it has become North Greenville University.

==DISTILLATION==
Rugged terrain was not good for plantation crops. One of the best mountain crops was corn. If a farmer could carve a 1-acre field out of the mountain side (a tough task!), he could grow 75 bushels of corn. In the mid-1800s he could sell that for about $37.50.

But a farmer could distill those 75 bushels of corn into 225 gallons of whiskey, worth more than $250! Legal distillation became an economic driver of the Dark Corner; it was legal up to 1866. Some families had been in the legal distillation business for 100 years before the huge taxes arrived, driving them underground.

===TAXATION===
In 1862 the Confederacy put a huge tax on alcohol. In 1866, the US government made it permanent. The $2/gallon tax was so big it would destroy livelihoods. The landscape was not suitable for chattel slavery crops; there was not enough area for significant livestock production; and grain sales were difficult and with wildly varying prices. People needed the consistent income offered by alcohol, but couldn’t afford to pay the extreme taxes — and they didn’t.

Tasked with collecting this revenue, IRS agents took lawbreakers to court. Originally these “revenuers” were unarmed, could make no arrests, and could not destroy stills — they had to bring them back intact for evidence. Faced with fierce opposition these limitations changed. They started destroying stills and arresting those who used them.

===IT’S WAR!===
To protect their livelihood, distillers began to fight back. Thus began the Revenue Wars. Ambushes, shootouts, and killings (on both sides) were common.

The ultimate root of the violence was the desire to just be left alone, and practice self-determination free from outside influence. Internally the violence was a self-imposed rule of law.

South Carolina established a State Dispensary in 1893. Dispensary agents joined revenue agents in attacking stills. The fight escalated into the Dispensary Wars. This was ironic, because the Dark Corner had overwhelmingly supported the gubernatorial campaign of Benjamin Tillman (to the point of tearing up votes against him!), who implemented the Dispensary.

Newspaper stories reflect the violence. A list of events over a ten-year period is on the exhibit wall, and it’s certain that this is not anywhere near a complete list; it’s just the headlines found in a quick search of newspapers!

There were revenue and dispensary agents in both Greenville and Spartanburg, but none in Greer — making it a prime distribution channel. Across SC, an underground network of “Blind Tigers” developed. These were reputable businesses which sold illicit liquor out the back door. There were many blind tigers in Greer. Our archive holds letters from the Greer police chief in 1915-16 asking private detectives and the state governor for help uncovering the 12-15 blind tigers he knew were operating in the city.

Prohibition started in 1920, further fueling illegal distillation and the network of blind tigers.

==BLOOD FEUDS & VIOLENCE==
Government programs incentivized distillers to turn legal, to report other stills, and even to become government agents. This caused fighting and feuding between individuals and families.

While there are many stories of inter-community violence, two hold particular importance.

===August 23, 1891: Mountain Hill Church shootout===
A Saturday altercation between the Howards and the Gosnells erupted at church the next morning. Reportedly, both parties had still been drinking that morning. Outside the tiny one-room log building, Joshua Howard took offense at Richard Gosnell not speaking to him, leading to a general battle between both families and their friends. Between 40 and 50 shots were fired. Luther Durham tried to arrest Gosnell, and got shot in the gut and mouth. Massena Howard was killed on the spot; Joshua Howard died the next day. In court, all parties were found not guilty.

===July 8, 1899: baseball game shootout ===
The baseball game was part of the local Independence Day celebrations. The night before, however, Rufus Lindsey was at home when shots were fired into the house; he had reported some neighbors to the revenuers. He refused to come out of the house, and the attackers responded by cutting down three acres of his corn.

The baseball game the next day was the perfect opportunity for Rufus and two brothers to take revenge. They accused some in the crowd, who denied it; the three Lindsey’s began firing indiscriminately into the crowd. Immediately fire was returned from Rectors, Howards, McKinneys, Bartons, Harris, and Bruce. The expanding fight moved up the hillside. Each Lindsey brother was injured, at which point they fled in a buggy. The crowd chased for half a mile when the buggy broke down and the Lindseys fled into the woods on foot. The mob descended on the buggy and set it ablaze. In the end, several hundred shots were fired and a dozen or more wounded.

==DUSK FALLS ON THE DARK CORNER==
As more roads increased access, the region became less isolated. In 1964, liquor tax was reduced by $1.50 per gallon. Combined with growing costs for ingredients (primarily sugar), illegal distillation gradually died out. Land investors purchased large tracts of Dark Corner for high-end housing development, like the Cliffs at Glassy. The extraordinary culture of the Dark Corner became a victim of the modernization of the Piedmont, celebrated in cities like Greenville.

==DEAN CAMPBELL==
Greer Heritage Museum presents this exhibit in honor of Dean Campbell. He was born in the Dark Corner, the child of people with very deep roots there. In 1983, Dean became the ombudsman for a Limestone College project to collect oral history. The project, titled “Tales from the Dark Corner,” solidified his mission to preserve and share the heritage and stories of the Dark Corner — and gave a title to his newspaper editorials and books.

A newspaper writer from the Greenville News called him the “Squire of Dark Corner,” and that term stuck.

Dean dreamed of a permanent museum home to immortalize Dark Corner history. He began talking with our Museum in June 2022 about the Greer Heritage Museum hosting such an exhibit; sadly, he died before seeing the result.

The Museum made a film about Dean’s life; it can be seen in the Theatre.

Dark Corner Exhibit

2024-02-11T20:51:48Z

GHM director: /* The Ballad of Holland Howard */

For internal use only: please do not distribute these notes.

== FEUDS AND FELLOWSHIP: Independence, Defiance, and Community ==

=== Turning it on ===
Everything in this exhibit is turned on/off with a single round white push-button located behind the still.

=== What’s in the name? ===

* Dean Campbell Memorial: this exhibit is dedicated to, and in honor of, Dean Campbell, who invested his life in capturing and preserving Dark Corner heritage. Initially, this exhibit will include a full panel about Dean’s life.
* Feuds and Fellowship: Dark Corner culture is reflected in a series of paradoxes. We chose these two words to represent them all: on one hand the conflict and violence for which the area is famous, and on the other hand the close-knit community with intense loyalty for one another.
* Independence: John C. Campbell said the dominant trait of the region is “independence raised to the fourth power.” This characteristic fueled the area’s defiance of law and tax oversight, their opposition to various SC laws and movements, and their social isolation from surrounding communities.
* Defiance: an outcome of fierce independence was defiance to authority. They viewed their opposition to liquor taxation, for example, in a very similar way to the American Revolution opposition to British taxation.
* Community: Dark Corner residents had a special, close community. They supported each other in substantial ways that formed deep bonds, from barn raisings, to corn shuckings, to harvesting another man’s crops if he was sick.

=== Where is the Dark Corner? ===
The term doesn’t refer to an actual legal jurisdiction, and is used in different ways by different people. This can make it confusing.

* Famously, Dark Corner residents told anyone who asked that it’s “just a bit farther up the road.” That answer reflects a time when Dark Corner inhabitants were viewed with suspicion; it was valuable to them to be vague.
* An important aspect of the location is that, while it does reference a general geographic area, it is better defined culturally than geographically.
* Our exhibit is focused on the rugged, mountainous part of north Greenville County, centered around Glassy and Hogback Mountains. The heart of it is the area bordered by Highway 25, Highway 11, Highway 176, and the state line.
* Historically, the term refers to that area plus a corresponding area across the state line in North Carolina. Moonshiners used the state line as a way to jump jurisdictions when being pursued.
* This means that Dark Corner is not in Greer itself. They have always been closely linked, and Greer’s expanding border is now consuming the edges of Dark Corner, but they are not the same place.
* Keep in mind that South Carolina has had several different areas in the state that have been called “Dark Corner.” In particular, there was an area near Anderson that was commonly called this in the late 1800s and early 1900s. If you research “Dark Corner” in the Greenville News, you’ll find quite a few confusing stories in which it’s unclear which area they’re talking about.

The giant corner map is quite important. It shows the locations and names of every homestead in the Dark Corner area.

=== Name ===
There are several stories about where the name came from, and it’s likely that none of them were actually the original source. The most common story is that a statesman came to the area to promote Nullification (explained below) and was thrown in a mill pond; he declared this was a truly dark corner. However, there are some indications the name was in use prior to that event. In any case, by 1840 it appears in land deeds as a geographic name.

=== Roads ===
“For many decades, there was not a single public road in the area.” The SC State Archive holds a petition filed by Dark Corner residents for the creation of a public road, noting that the lack of one hurt their ability to get farm goods to market.

== BEGINNINGS ==

==== Cherokee land and trading ====
The earliest records of white European settlers in the area were trading goods with the Cherokee, before the Revolutionary War (note that it was illegal at that time to settle in the area, as it was in the Cherokee Territory). Goods traded included beads, knives, swords, and guns to the Cherokee, mostly in trade for fur skins (primarily deer). After the Revolutionary War, land grants were given in the area to veterans.

==== Ethnic origins ====
Scots-Irish: While there are many different individual national origins, a wave of Scots-Irish moved down the frontier from Pennsylvania through West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, into the area here. That wave led to the distinctive Appalachian culture across these areas which retained linguistic, musical, and other aspects of their heritage far longer than most.

The differences between this culture and the rest of South Carolina were significant, and helped shape deep divides that persist to this day.

==== Nullification ====
One difference mentioned on the wall is Nullification. The Nullification Crisis was a national issue caused by South Carolina trying to nullify a federal law (the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832), and Dark Corner residents opposed their state’s position.

==== Civil War and slavery ====
During the Civil War, the Dark Corner was divided. However, it did become a haven for Confederate deserters to hide out. In our collection of letters from Victoria Bailey, she references the deserters coming down out of the mountains and raiding homes for supplies.

While Dark Corner took no part in plantation culture, it is wrong to say it was broadly against slavery. In fact, the Limestone interviewees talked openly about the slaves held by Dark Corner residents, typically as household and farm laborers.

==== Women ====
Women held a starkly different role than the rest of the state. There were fewer restrictions on women; women played a significant role in family sustenance; women often ran the stills.

== MUSIC ==
As is true in most places, music wasn’t ubiquitous; it depended on the family and immediate community. Some found music to be integral, while others had little to do with it.

=== The fiddle ===
One thing to note about the fiddle is the lack of a chin rest or wear in that location. Many old-time mountain fiddlers held their violin down under their shoulder or, like in the picture of Bill Hensley, against the chest. By the way, Hensley was a fiddler from “over the line” in North Carolina.

=== The Ballad of Holland Howard ===

Unfortunately, our recording ends before the last verse, leaving the story unfinished!

They went upon Hogback Mountain to the top of Chestnut Hill; And just beyond a little hollow they found the fatal still.<blockquote>Reuben Gosnell hid behind some bushes, Todd Holland the crowd to flush; He heard the voice of an angry man cursing, and soon the voice hushed.</blockquote>He heard some shots and a call, come, Reuben, And that was all Holl said; For when he reached the fatal distillery, poor Holland was lying dead.<blockquote>Reuben called to Holland before he reached him; Holl was lying on his face and head; Holland Pittman said, He will not answer, ’cause he’s already dead.</blockquote>Reuben then drew his gun on Holland Pittman, said, Tell me, or you will die. Holland Pittman said, It was Henry Lindsey, Lord knows it was not I.<blockquote>Reuben took Holl Pittman on to jail, said, I’ll be a coming back. He came back and got Wade Plumley to swear to Alex Pittman’s track.</blockquote>They brought the Pittmans into court, it was on one Thursday morn. Alex Pittman said, I’m an innocent man; I was at home shucking corn.<blockquote>Alex Pittman wore a neat dress shoe, the color of it was tan. Reuben Gosnell said, that’s the first fine shoe I’ve ever seen on that man.</blockquote>They brought the Pittmans back to court, both father and son were there. Judge Mauldin said, You two men will die in the electric chair.<blockquote>On the twenty-seventh day of June, Nineteen hundred and twenty-four, You will both pay the penalty for killing Holland Howard, And you’ll never still no more.</blockquote>-- lyrics by Charlie Benson, son of Luther Benson

Ballad tales of momentous events were a common way to pass down oral history in the Dark Corner. Few of those have been recorded. This ballad, sung by Dean Campbell, is quite recent; the murder it references happened during Prohibition on January 1, 1924. The critical moment in the story is when Reuben Gosnell got Wade Plumley to “swear on Pittman’s track.” This means that Plumley was asked to look at a footprint, and he was willing to tell a court on his honor that the print could only belong to Alex Pittman. A descendant of Wade Plumley directly questioned this on one of the Limestone College interviews, and viewed his ancestor with disdain for doing it.

The Pittmans were tried in a case built on circumstantial evidence and found guilty on May 17, 1924. Their death sentences were upheld by the S.C. Supreme Court on Sept. 23, 1926. Death warrants were signed by Gov. Thomas G. McLeod on Oct. 11, 1926, but on Oct. 26, he commuted their death sentences to life in prison. Both men served nine and one-half years in prison and were paroled on Oct. 5, 1933, then pardoned on Jan. 12, 1935. Alex Pittman lived another four years, and Holland Pittman died on Mar. 25, 1981, at the age of 78.

== COMMUNITY ==
Dark Corner gained a reputation of lawless, feuding, murdering moonshiners. People also assumed them to be ignorant and heathen. This was far from true. They were church-going religious people who valued education, and started schools in the mountains very early.

In 1858, Earle Seminary (commonly called Gowensville Seminary) started to train preachers.

In 1892, residents asked the Baptist Association to start a school. They created North Greenville High School, soon to become North Greenville Baptist Academy. They called their yearbook The Moonshiner, reflecting a complex relationship between religion, law, and distillation (you can see our copy of the 1924 yearbook by the still). Today, it has become North Greenville University.

== DISTILLATION ==
Rugged terrain was not good for plantation crops. One of the best mountain crops was corn. If a farmer could carve a 1-acre field out of the mountain side (a tough task!), he could grow 75 bushels of corn. In the mid-1800s he could sell that for about $37.50.

But a farmer could distill those 75 bushels of corn into 225 gallons of whiskey, worth more than $250! Legal distillation became an economic driver of the Dark Corner; it was legal up to 1866. Some families had been in the legal distillation business for 100 years before the huge taxes arrived, driving them underground.

=== TAXATION ===
In 1862 the Confederacy put a huge tax on alcohol. In 1866, the US government made it permanent. The $2/gallon tax was so big it would destroy livelihoods. The landscape was not suitable for chattel slavery crops; there was not enough area for significant livestock production; and grain sales were difficult and with wildly varying prices. People needed the consistent income offered by alcohol, but couldn’t afford to pay the extreme taxes — and they didn’t.

Tasked with collecting this revenue, IRS agents took lawbreakers to court. Originally these “revenuers” were unarmed, could make no arrests, and could not destroy stills — they had to bring them back intact for evidence. Faced with fierce opposition these limitations changed. They started destroying stills and arresting those who used them.

=== IT’S WAR! ===
To protect their livelihood, distillers began to fight back. Thus began the Revenue Wars. Ambushes, shootouts, and killings (on both sides) were common.

The ultimate root of the violence was the desire to just be left alone, and practice self-determination free from outside influence. Internally the violence was a self-imposed rule of law.

South Carolina established a State Dispensary in 1893. Dispensary agents joined revenue agents in attacking stills. The fight escalated into the Dispensary Wars. This was ironic, because the Dark Corner had overwhelmingly supported the gubernatorial campaign of Benjamin Tillman (to the point of tearing up votes against him!), who implemented the Dispensary.

Newspaper stories reflect the violence. A list of events over a ten-year period is on the exhibit wall, and it’s certain that this is not anywhere near a complete list; it’s just the headlines found in a quick search of newspapers!

There were revenue and dispensary agents in both Greenville and Spartanburg, but none in Greer — making it a prime distribution channel. Across SC, an underground network of “Blind Tigers” developed. These were reputable businesses which sold illicit liquor out the back door. There were many blind tigers in Greer. Our archive holds letters from the Greer police chief in 1915-16 asking private detectives and the state governor for help uncovering the 12-15 blind tigers he knew were operating in the city.

Prohibition started in 1920, further fueling illegal distillation and the network of blind tigers.

== BLOOD FEUDS & VIOLENCE ==
Government programs incentivized distillers to turn legal, to report other stills, and even to become government agents. This caused fighting and feuding between individuals and families.

While there are many stories of inter-community violence, two hold particular importance.

=== August 23, 1891: Mountain Hill Church shootout ===
A Saturday altercation between the Howards and the Gosnells erupted at church the next morning. Reportedly, both parties had still been drinking that morning. Outside the tiny one-room log building, Joshua Howard took offense at Richard Gosnell not speaking to him, leading to a general battle between both families and their friends. Between 40 and 50 shots were fired. Luther Durham tried to arrest Gosnell, and got shot in the gut and mouth. Massena Howard was killed on the spot; Joshua Howard died the next day. In court, all parties were found not guilty.

=== July 8, 1899: baseball game shootout ===
The baseball game was part of the local Independence Day celebrations. The night before, however, Rufus Lindsey was at home when shots were fired into the house; he had reported some neighbors to the revenuers. He refused to come out of the house, and the attackers responded by cutting down three acres of his corn.

The baseball game the next day was the perfect opportunity for Rufus and two brothers to take revenge. They accused some in the crowd, who denied it; the three Lindsey’s began firing indiscriminately into the crowd. Immediately fire was returned from Rectors, Howards, McKinneys, Bartons, Harris, and Bruce. The expanding fight moved up the hillside. Each Lindsey brother was injured, at which point they fled in a buggy. The crowd chased for half a mile when the buggy broke down and the Lindseys fled into the woods on foot. The mob descended on the buggy and set it ablaze. In the end, several hundred shots were fired and a dozen or more wounded.

== DUSK FALLS ON THE DARK CORNER ==
As more roads increased access, the region became less isolated. In 1964, liquor tax was reduced by $1.50 per gallon. Combined with growing costs for ingredients (primarily sugar), illegal distillation gradually died out. Land investors purchased large tracts of Dark Corner for high-end housing development, like the Cliffs at Glassy. The extraordinary culture of the Dark Corner became a victim of the modernization of the Piedmont, celebrated in cities like Greenville.

== DEAN CAMPBELL ==
Greer Heritage Museum presents this exhibit in honor of Dean Campbell. He was born in the Dark Corner, the child of people with very deep roots there. In 1983, Dean became the ombudsman for a Limestone College project to collect oral history. The project, titled “Tales from the Dark Corner,” solidified his mission to preserve and share the heritage and stories of the Dark Corner — and gave a title to his newspaper editorials and books.

A newspaper writer from the Greenville News called him the “Squire of Dark Corner,” and that term stuck.

Dean dreamed of a permanent museum home to immortalize Dark Corner history. He began talking with our Museum in June 2022 about the Greer Heritage Museum hosting such an exhibit; sadly, he died before seeing the result.

The Museum made a film about Dean’s life; it can be seen in the Theatre.

Dark Corner Exhibit

2024-02-11T20:49:37Z

GHM director: /* The Ballad of Holland Howard */

For internal use only: please do not distribute these notes.

== FEUDS AND FELLOWSHIP: Independence, Defiance, and Community ==

=== Turning it on ===
Everything in this exhibit is turned on/off with a single round white push-button located behind the still.

=== What’s in the name? ===

* Dean Campbell Memorial: this exhibit is dedicated to, and in honor of, Dean Campbell, who invested his life in capturing and preserving Dark Corner heritage. Initially, this exhibit will include a full panel about Dean’s life.
* Feuds and Fellowship: Dark Corner culture is reflected in a series of paradoxes. We chose these two words to represent them all: on one hand the conflict and violence for which the area is famous, and on the other hand the close-knit community with intense loyalty for one another.
* Independence: John C. Campbell said the dominant trait of the region is “independence raised to the fourth power.” This characteristic fueled the area’s defiance of law and tax oversight, their opposition to various SC laws and movements, and their social isolation from surrounding communities.
* Defiance: an outcome of fierce independence was defiance to authority. They viewed their opposition to liquor taxation, for example, in a very similar way to the American Revolution opposition to British taxation.
* Community: Dark Corner residents had a special, close community. They supported each other in substantial ways that formed deep bonds, from barn raisings, to corn shuckings, to harvesting another man’s crops if he was sick.

=== Where is the Dark Corner? ===
The term doesn’t refer to an actual legal jurisdiction, and is used in different ways by different people. This can make it confusing.

* Famously, Dark Corner residents told anyone who asked that it’s “just a bit farther up the road.” That answer reflects a time when Dark Corner inhabitants were viewed with suspicion; it was valuable to them to be vague.
* An important aspect of the location is that, while it does reference a general geographic area, it is better defined culturally than geographically.
* Our exhibit is focused on the rugged, mountainous part of north Greenville County, centered around Glassy and Hogback Mountains. The heart of it is the area bordered by Highway 25, Highway 11, Highway 176, and the state line.
* Historically, the term refers to that area plus a corresponding area across the state line in North Carolina. Moonshiners used the state line as a way to jump jurisdictions when being pursued.
* This means that Dark Corner is not in Greer itself. They have always been closely linked, and Greer’s expanding border is now consuming the edges of Dark Corner, but they are not the same place.
* Keep in mind that South Carolina has had several different areas in the state that have been called “Dark Corner.” In particular, there was an area near Anderson that was commonly called this in the late 1800s and early 1900s. If you research “Dark Corner” in the Greenville News, you’ll find quite a few confusing stories in which it’s unclear which area they’re talking about.

The giant corner map is quite important. It shows the locations and names of every homestead in the Dark Corner area.

=== Name ===
There are several stories about where the name came from, and it’s likely that none of them were actually the original source. The most common story is that a statesman came to the area to promote Nullification (explained below) and was thrown in a mill pond; he declared this was a truly dark corner. However, there are some indications the name was in use prior to that event. In any case, by 1840 it appears in land deeds as a geographic name.

=== Roads ===
“For many decades, there was not a single public road in the area.” The SC State Archive holds a petition filed by Dark Corner residents for the creation of a public road, noting that the lack of one hurt their ability to get farm goods to market.

== BEGINNINGS ==

==== Cherokee land and trading ====
The earliest records of white European settlers in the area were trading goods with the Cherokee, before the Revolutionary War (note that it was illegal at that time to settle in the area, as it was in the Cherokee Territory). Goods traded included beads, knives, swords, and guns to the Cherokee, mostly in trade for fur skins (primarily deer). After the Revolutionary War, land grants were given in the area to veterans.

==== Ethnic origins ====
Scots-Irish: While there are many different individual national origins, a wave of Scots-Irish moved down the frontier from Pennsylvania through West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, into the area here. That wave led to the distinctive Appalachian culture across these areas which retained linguistic, musical, and other aspects of their heritage far longer than most.

The differences between this culture and the rest of South Carolina were significant, and helped shape deep divides that persist to this day.

==== Nullification ====
One difference mentioned on the wall is Nullification. The Nullification Crisis was a national issue caused by South Carolina trying to nullify a federal law (the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832), and Dark Corner residents opposed their state’s position.

==== Civil War and slavery ====
During the Civil War, the Dark Corner was divided. However, it did become a haven for Confederate deserters to hide out. In our collection of letters from Victoria Bailey, she references the deserters coming down out of the mountains and raiding homes for supplies.

While Dark Corner took no part in plantation culture, it is wrong to say it was broadly against slavery. In fact, the Limestone interviewees talked openly about the slaves held by Dark Corner residents, typically as household and farm laborers.

==== Women ====
Women held a starkly different role than the rest of the state. There were fewer restrictions on women; women played a significant role in family sustenance; women often ran the stills.

== MUSIC ==
As is true in most places, music wasn’t ubiquitous; it depended on the family and immediate community. Some found music to be integral, while others had little to do with it.

=== The fiddle ===
One thing to note about the fiddle is the lack of a chin rest or wear in that location. Many old-time mountain fiddlers held their violin down under their shoulder or, like in the picture of Bill Hensley, against the chest. By the way, Hensley was a fiddler from “over the line” in North Carolina.

=== The Ballad of Holland Howard ===
Unfortunately, our recording ends before the last verse, leaving the story unfinished!<blockquote><blockquote>They went upon Hogback Mountain to the top of Chestnut Hill; And just beyond a little hollow they found the fatal still.</blockquote>Reuben Gosnell hid behind some bushes, Todd Holland the crowd to flush; He heard the voice of an angry man cursing, and soon the voice hushed.

He heard some shots and a call, come, Reuben, And that was all Holl said; For when he reached the fatal distillery, poor Holland was lying dead.

Reuben called to Holland before he reached him; Holl was lying on his face and head; Holland Pittman said, He will not answer, ’cause he’s already dead.

Reuben then drew his gun on Holland Pittman, said, Tell me, or you will die. Holland Pittman said, It was Henry Lindsey, Lord knows it was not I.

Reuben took Holl Pittman on to jail, said, I’ll be a coming back. He came back and got Wade Plumley to swear to Alex Pittman’s track.

They brought the Pittmans into court, it was on one Thursday morn. Alex Pittman said, I’m an innocent man; I was at home shucking corn.

Alex Pittman wore a neat dress shoe, the color of it was tan. Reuben Gosnell said, that’s the first fine shoe I’ve ever seen on that man.

They brought the Pittmans back to court, both father and son were there. Judge Mauldin said, You two men will die in the electric chair.

On the twenty-seventh day of June, Nineteen hundred and twenty-four, You will both pay the penalty for killing Holland Howard, And you’ll never still no more.</blockquote>-- lyrics by Charlie Benson, son of Luther Benson

Ballad tales of momentous events were a common way to pass down oral history in the Dark Corner. Few of those have been recorded. This ballad, sung by Dean Campbell, is quite recent; the murder it references happened during Prohibition on January 1, 1924. The critical moment in the story is when Reuben Gosnell got Wade Plumley to “swear on Pittman’s track.” This means that Plumley was asked to look at a footprint, and he was willing to tell a court on his honor that the print could only belong to Alex Pittman. A descendant of Wade Plumley directly questioned this on one of the Limestone College interviews, and viewed his ancestor with disdain for doing it.

The Pittmans were tried in a case built on circumstantial evidence and found guilty on May 17, 1924. Their death sentences were upheld by the S.C. Supreme Court on Sept. 23, 1926. Death warrants were signed by Gov. Thomas G. McLeod on Oct. 11, 1926, but on Oct. 26, he commuted their death sentences to life in prison. Both men served nine and one-half years in prison and were paroled on Oct. 5, 1933, then pardoned on Jan. 12, 1935. Alex Pittman lived another four years, and Holland Pittman died on Mar. 25, 1981, at the age of 78.

== COMMUNITY ==
Dark Corner gained a reputation of lawless, feuding, murdering moonshiners. People also assumed them to be ignorant and heathen. This was far from true. They were church-going religious people who valued education, and started schools in the mountains very early.

In 1858, Earle Seminary (commonly called Gowensville Seminary) started to train preachers.

In 1892, residents asked the Baptist Association to start a school. They created North Greenville High School, soon to become North Greenville Baptist Academy. They called their yearbook The Moonshiner, reflecting a complex relationship between religion, law, and distillation (you can see our copy of the 1924 yearbook by the still). Today, it has become North Greenville University.

== DISTILLATION ==
Rugged terrain was not good for plantation crops. One of the best mountain crops was corn. If a farmer could carve a 1-acre field out of the mountain side (a tough task!), he could grow 75 bushels of corn. In the mid-1800s he could sell that for about $37.50.

But a farmer could distill those 75 bushels of corn into 225 gallons of whiskey, worth more than $250! Legal distillation became an economic driver of the Dark Corner; it was legal up to 1866. Some families had been in the legal distillation business for 100 years before the huge taxes arrived, driving them underground.

=== TAXATION ===
In 1862 the Confederacy put a huge tax on alcohol. In 1866, the US government made it permanent. The $2/gallon tax was so big it would destroy livelihoods. The landscape was not suitable for chattel slavery crops; there was not enough area for significant livestock production; and grain sales were difficult and with wildly varying prices. People needed the consistent income offered by alcohol, but couldn’t afford to pay the extreme taxes — and they didn’t.

Tasked with collecting this revenue, IRS agents took lawbreakers to court. Originally these “revenuers” were unarmed, could make no arrests, and could not destroy stills — they had to bring them back intact for evidence. Faced with fierce opposition these limitations changed. They started destroying stills and arresting those who used them.

=== IT’S WAR! ===
To protect their livelihood, distillers began to fight back. Thus began the Revenue Wars. Ambushes, shootouts, and killings (on both sides) were common.

The ultimate root of the violence was the desire to just be left alone, and practice self-determination free from outside influence. Internally the violence was a self-imposed rule of law.

South Carolina established a State Dispensary in 1893. Dispensary agents joined revenue agents in attacking stills. The fight escalated into the Dispensary Wars. This was ironic, because the Dark Corner had overwhelmingly supported the gubernatorial campaign of Benjamin Tillman (to the point of tearing up votes against him!), who implemented the Dispensary.

Newspaper stories reflect the violence. A list of events over a ten-year period is on the exhibit wall, and it’s certain that this is not anywhere near a complete list; it’s just the headlines found in a quick search of newspapers!

There were revenue and dispensary agents in both Greenville and Spartanburg, but none in Greer — making it a prime distribution channel. Across SC, an underground network of “Blind Tigers” developed. These were reputable businesses which sold illicit liquor out the back door. There were many blind tigers in Greer. Our archive holds letters from the Greer police chief in 1915-16 asking private detectives and the state governor for help uncovering the 12-15 blind tigers he knew were operating in the city.

Prohibition started in 1920, further fueling illegal distillation and the network of blind tigers.

== BLOOD FEUDS & VIOLENCE ==
Government programs incentivized distillers to turn legal, to report other stills, and even to become government agents. This caused fighting and feuding between individuals and families.

While there are many stories of inter-community violence, two hold particular importance.

=== August 23, 1891: Mountain Hill Church shootout ===
A Saturday altercation between the Howards and the Gosnells erupted at church the next morning. Reportedly, both parties had still been drinking that morning. Outside the tiny one-room log building, Joshua Howard took offense at Richard Gosnell not speaking to him, leading to a general battle between both families and their friends. Between 40 and 50 shots were fired. Luther Durham tried to arrest Gosnell, and got shot in the gut and mouth. Massena Howard was killed on the spot; Joshua Howard died the next day. In court, all parties were found not guilty.

=== July 8, 1899: baseball game shootout ===
The baseball game was part of the local Independence Day celebrations. The night before, however, Rufus Lindsey was at home when shots were fired into the house; he had reported some neighbors to the revenuers. He refused to come out of the house, and the attackers responded by cutting down three acres of his corn.

The baseball game the next day was the perfect opportunity for Rufus and two brothers to take revenge. They accused some in the crowd, who denied it; the three Lindsey’s began firing indiscriminately into the crowd. Immediately fire was returned from Rectors, Howards, McKinneys, Bartons, Harris, and Bruce. The expanding fight moved up the hillside. Each Lindsey brother was injured, at which point they fled in a buggy. The crowd chased for half a mile when the buggy broke down and the Lindseys fled into the woods on foot. The mob descended on the buggy and set it ablaze. In the end, several hundred shots were fired and a dozen or more wounded.

== DUSK FALLS ON THE DARK CORNER ==
As more roads increased access, the region became less isolated. In 1964, liquor tax was reduced by $1.50 per gallon. Combined with growing costs for ingredients (primarily sugar), illegal distillation gradually died out. Land investors purchased large tracts of Dark Corner for high-end housing development, like the Cliffs at Glassy. The extraordinary culture of the Dark Corner became a victim of the modernization of the Piedmont, celebrated in cities like Greenville.

== DEAN CAMPBELL ==
Greer Heritage Museum presents this exhibit in honor of Dean Campbell. He was born in the Dark Corner, the child of people with very deep roots there. In 1983, Dean became the ombudsman for a Limestone College project to collect oral history. The project, titled “Tales from the Dark Corner,” solidified his mission to preserve and share the heritage and stories of the Dark Corner — and gave a title to his newspaper editorials and books.

A newspaper writer from the Greenville News called him the “Squire of Dark Corner,” and that term stuck.

Dean dreamed of a permanent museum home to immortalize Dark Corner history. He began talking with our Museum in June 2022 about the Greer Heritage Museum hosting such an exhibit; sadly, he died before seeing the result.

The Museum made a film about Dean’s life; it can be seen in the Theatre.

Dark Corner Exhibit

2024-02-11T20:49:00Z

GHM director: /* The Ballad of Holland Howard */

For internal use only: please do not distribute these notes.

== FEUDS AND FELLOWSHIP: Independence, Defiance, and Community ==

=== Turning it on ===
Everything in this exhibit is turned on/off with a single round white push-button located behind the still.

=== What’s in the name? ===

* Dean Campbell Memorial: this exhibit is dedicated to, and in honor of, Dean Campbell, who invested his life in capturing and preserving Dark Corner heritage. Initially, this exhibit will include a full panel about Dean’s life.
* Feuds and Fellowship: Dark Corner culture is reflected in a series of paradoxes. We chose these two words to represent them all: on one hand the conflict and violence for which the area is famous, and on the other hand the close-knit community with intense loyalty for one another.
* Independence: John C. Campbell said the dominant trait of the region is “independence raised to the fourth power.” This characteristic fueled the area’s defiance of law and tax oversight, their opposition to various SC laws and movements, and their social isolation from surrounding communities.
* Defiance: an outcome of fierce independence was defiance to authority. They viewed their opposition to liquor taxation, for example, in a very similar way to the American Revolution opposition to British taxation.
* Community: Dark Corner residents had a special, close community. They supported each other in substantial ways that formed deep bonds, from barn raisings, to corn shuckings, to harvesting another man’s crops if he was sick.

=== Where is the Dark Corner? ===
The term doesn’t refer to an actual legal jurisdiction, and is used in different ways by different people. This can make it confusing.

* Famously, Dark Corner residents told anyone who asked that it’s “just a bit farther up the road.” That answer reflects a time when Dark Corner inhabitants were viewed with suspicion; it was valuable to them to be vague.
* An important aspect of the location is that, while it does reference a general geographic area, it is better defined culturally than geographically.
* Our exhibit is focused on the rugged, mountainous part of north Greenville County, centered around Glassy and Hogback Mountains. The heart of it is the area bordered by Highway 25, Highway 11, Highway 176, and the state line.
* Historically, the term refers to that area plus a corresponding area across the state line in North Carolina. Moonshiners used the state line as a way to jump jurisdictions when being pursued.
* This means that Dark Corner is not in Greer itself. They have always been closely linked, and Greer’s expanding border is now consuming the edges of Dark Corner, but they are not the same place.
* Keep in mind that South Carolina has had several different areas in the state that have been called “Dark Corner.” In particular, there was an area near Anderson that was commonly called this in the late 1800s and early 1900s. If you research “Dark Corner” in the Greenville News, you’ll find quite a few confusing stories in which it’s unclear which area they’re talking about.

The giant corner map is quite important. It shows the locations and names of every homestead in the Dark Corner area.

=== Name ===
There are several stories about where the name came from, and it’s likely that none of them were actually the original source. The most common story is that a statesman came to the area to promote Nullification (explained below) and was thrown in a mill pond; he declared this was a truly dark corner. However, there are some indications the name was in use prior to that event. In any case, by 1840 it appears in land deeds as a geographic name.

=== Roads ===
“For many decades, there was not a single public road in the area.” The SC State Archive holds a petition filed by Dark Corner residents for the creation of a public road, noting that the lack of one hurt their ability to get farm goods to market.

== BEGINNINGS ==

==== Cherokee land and trading ====
The earliest records of white European settlers in the area were trading goods with the Cherokee, before the Revolutionary War (note that it was illegal at that time to settle in the area, as it was in the Cherokee Territory). Goods traded included beads, knives, swords, and guns to the Cherokee, mostly in trade for fur skins (primarily deer). After the Revolutionary War, land grants were given in the area to veterans.

==== Ethnic origins ====
Scots-Irish: While there are many different individual national origins, a wave of Scots-Irish moved down the frontier from Pennsylvania through West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, into the area here. That wave led to the distinctive Appalachian culture across these areas which retained linguistic, musical, and other aspects of their heritage far longer than most.

The differences between this culture and the rest of South Carolina were significant, and helped shape deep divides that persist to this day.

==== Nullification ====
One difference mentioned on the wall is Nullification. The Nullification Crisis was a national issue caused by South Carolina trying to nullify a federal law (the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832), and Dark Corner residents opposed their state’s position.

==== Civil War and slavery ====
During the Civil War, the Dark Corner was divided. However, it did become a haven for Confederate deserters to hide out. In our collection of letters from Victoria Bailey, she references the deserters coming down out of the mountains and raiding homes for supplies.

While Dark Corner took no part in plantation culture, it is wrong to say it was broadly against slavery. In fact, the Limestone interviewees talked openly about the slaves held by Dark Corner residents, typically as household and farm laborers.

==== Women ====
Women held a starkly different role than the rest of the state. There were fewer restrictions on women; women played a significant role in family sustenance; women often ran the stills.

== MUSIC ==
As is true in most places, music wasn’t ubiquitous; it depended on the family and immediate community. Some found music to be integral, while others had little to do with it.

=== The fiddle ===
One thing to note about the fiddle is the lack of a chin rest or wear in that location. Many old-time mountain fiddlers held their violin down under their shoulder or, like in the picture of Bill Hensley, against the chest. By the way, Hensley was a fiddler from “over the line” in North Carolina.

=== The Ballad of Holland Howard ===
Unfortunately, our recording ends before the last verse, leaving the story unfinished!<blockquote><blockquote>They went upon Hogback Mountain to the top of Chestnut Hill; And just beyond a little hollow they found the fatal still.</blockquote>Reuben Gosnell hid behind some bushes, Todd Holland the crowd to flush; He heard the voice of an angry man cursing, and soon the voice hushed.

He heard some shots and a call, come, Reuben, And that was all Holl said; For when he reached the fatal distillery, poor Holland was lying dead.

Reuben called to Holland before he reached him; Holl was lying on his face and head; Holland Pittman said, He will not answer, ’cause he’s already dead.

Reuben then drew his gun on Holland Pittman, said, Tell me, or you will die. Holland Pittman said, It was Henry Lindsey, Lord knows it was not I.

Reuben took Holl Pittman on to jail, said, I’ll be a coming back. He came back and got Wade Plumley to swear to Alex Pittman’s track.

They brought the Pittmans into court, it was on one Thursday morn.
Alex Pittman said, I’m an innocent man; I was at home shucking corn.
Alex Pittman wore a neat dress shoe, the color of it was tan.
Reuben Gosnell said, that’s the first fine shoe I’ve ever seen on that man.
They brought the Pittmans back to court, both father and son were there.
Judge Mauldin said, You two men will die in the electric chair.
On the twenty-seventh day of June, Nineteen hundred and twenty-four,
You will both pay the penalty for killing Holland Howard, And you’ll never still no more.</blockquote>-- lyrics by Charlie Benson, son of Luther Benson

Ballad tales of momentous events were a common way to pass down oral history in the Dark Corner. Few of those have been recorded. This ballad, sung by Dean Campbell, is quite recent; the murder it references happened during Prohibition on January 1, 1924. The critical moment in the story is when Reuben Gosnell got Wade Plumley to “swear on Pittman’s track.” This means that Plumley was asked to look at a footprint, and he was willing to tell a court on his honor that the print could only belong to Alex Pittman. A descendant of Wade Plumley directly questioned this on one of the Limestone College interviews, and viewed his ancestor with disdain for doing it.

The Pittmans were tried in a case built on circumstantial evidence and found guilty on May 17, 1924. Their death sentences were upheld by the S.C. Supreme Court on Sept. 23, 1926. Death warrants were signed by Gov. Thomas G. McLeod on Oct. 11, 1926, but on Oct. 26, he commuted their death sentences to life in prison. Both men served nine and one-half years in prison and were paroled on Oct. 5, 1933, then pardoned on Jan. 12, 1935. Alex Pittman lived another four years, and Holland Pittman died on Mar. 25, 1981, at the age of 78.

== COMMUNITY ==
Dark Corner gained a reputation of lawless, feuding, murdering moonshiners. People also assumed them to be ignorant and heathen. This was far from true. They were church-going religious people who valued education, and started schools in the mountains very early.

In 1858, Earle Seminary (commonly called Gowensville Seminary) started to train preachers.

In 1892, residents asked the Baptist Association to start a school. They created North Greenville High School, soon to become North Greenville Baptist Academy. They called their yearbook The Moonshiner, reflecting a complex relationship between religion, law, and distillation (you can see our copy of the 1924 yearbook by the still). Today, it has become North Greenville University.

== DISTILLATION ==
Rugged terrain was not good for plantation crops. One of the best mountain crops was corn. If a farmer could carve a 1-acre field out of the mountain side (a tough task!), he could grow 75 bushels of corn. In the mid-1800s he could sell that for about $37.50.

But a farmer could distill those 75 bushels of corn into 225 gallons of whiskey, worth more than $250! Legal distillation became an economic driver of the Dark Corner; it was legal up to 1866. Some families had been in the legal distillation business for 100 years before the huge taxes arrived, driving them underground.

=== TAXATION ===
In 1862 the Confederacy put a huge tax on alcohol. In 1866, the US government made it permanent. The $2/gallon tax was so big it would destroy livelihoods. The landscape was not suitable for chattel slavery crops; there was not enough area for significant livestock production; and grain sales were difficult and with wildly varying prices. People needed the consistent income offered by alcohol, but couldn’t afford to pay the extreme taxes — and they didn’t.

Tasked with collecting this revenue, IRS agents took lawbreakers to court. Originally these “revenuers” were unarmed, could make no arrests, and could not destroy stills — they had to bring them back intact for evidence. Faced with fierce opposition these limitations changed. They started destroying stills and arresting those who used them.

=== IT’S WAR! ===
To protect their livelihood, distillers began to fight back. Thus began the Revenue Wars. Ambushes, shootouts, and killings (on both sides) were common.

The ultimate root of the violence was the desire to just be left alone, and practice self-determination free from outside influence. Internally the violence was a self-imposed rule of law.

South Carolina established a State Dispensary in 1893. Dispensary agents joined revenue agents in attacking stills. The fight escalated into the Dispensary Wars. This was ironic, because the Dark Corner had overwhelmingly supported the gubernatorial campaign of Benjamin Tillman (to the point of tearing up votes against him!), who implemented the Dispensary.

Newspaper stories reflect the violence. A list of events over a ten-year period is on the exhibit wall, and it’s certain that this is not anywhere near a complete list; it’s just the headlines found in a quick search of newspapers!

There were revenue and dispensary agents in both Greenville and Spartanburg, but none in Greer — making it a prime distribution channel. Across SC, an underground network of “Blind Tigers” developed. These were reputable businesses which sold illicit liquor out the back door. There were many blind tigers in Greer. Our archive holds letters from the Greer police chief in 1915-16 asking private detectives and the state governor for help uncovering the 12-15 blind tigers he knew were operating in the city.

Prohibition started in 1920, further fueling illegal distillation and the network of blind tigers.

== BLOOD FEUDS & VIOLENCE ==
Government programs incentivized distillers to turn legal, to report other stills, and even to become government agents. This caused fighting and feuding between individuals and families.

While there are many stories of inter-community violence, two hold particular importance.

=== August 23, 1891: Mountain Hill Church shootout ===
A Saturday altercation between the Howards and the Gosnells erupted at church the next morning. Reportedly, both parties had still been drinking that morning. Outside the tiny one-room log building, Joshua Howard took offense at Richard Gosnell not speaking to him, leading to a general battle between both families and their friends. Between 40 and 50 shots were fired. Luther Durham tried to arrest Gosnell, and got shot in the gut and mouth. Massena Howard was killed on the spot; Joshua Howard died the next day. In court, all parties were found not guilty.

=== July 8, 1899: baseball game shootout ===
The baseball game was part of the local Independence Day celebrations. The night before, however, Rufus Lindsey was at home when shots were fired into the house; he had reported some neighbors to the revenuers. He refused to come out of the house, and the attackers responded by cutting down three acres of his corn.

The baseball game the next day was the perfect opportunity for Rufus and two brothers to take revenge. They accused some in the crowd, who denied it; the three Lindsey’s began firing indiscriminately into the crowd. Immediately fire was returned from Rectors, Howards, McKinneys, Bartons, Harris, and Bruce. The expanding fight moved up the hillside. Each Lindsey brother was injured, at which point they fled in a buggy. The crowd chased for half a mile when the buggy broke down and the Lindseys fled into the woods on foot. The mob descended on the buggy and set it ablaze. In the end, several hundred shots were fired and a dozen or more wounded.

== DUSK FALLS ON THE DARK CORNER ==
As more roads increased access, the region became less isolated. In 1964, liquor tax was reduced by $1.50 per gallon. Combined with growing costs for ingredients (primarily sugar), illegal distillation gradually died out. Land investors purchased large tracts of Dark Corner for high-end housing development, like the Cliffs at Glassy. The extraordinary culture of the Dark Corner became a victim of the modernization of the Piedmont, celebrated in cities like Greenville.

== DEAN CAMPBELL ==
Greer Heritage Museum presents this exhibit in honor of Dean Campbell. He was born in the Dark Corner, the child of people with very deep roots there. In 1983, Dean became the ombudsman for a Limestone College project to collect oral history. The project, titled “Tales from the Dark Corner,” solidified his mission to preserve and share the heritage and stories of the Dark Corner — and gave a title to his newspaper editorials and books.

A newspaper writer from the Greenville News called him the “Squire of Dark Corner,” and that term stuck.

Dean dreamed of a permanent museum home to immortalize Dark Corner history. He began talking with our Museum in June 2022 about the Greer Heritage Museum hosting such an exhibit; sadly, he died before seeing the result.

The Museum made a film about Dean’s life; it can be seen in the Theatre.

Dark Corner Exhibit

2024-02-11T20:47:36Z

GHM director: /* The Ballad of Holland Howard */

For internal use only: please do not distribute these notes.

== FEUDS AND FELLOWSHIP: Independence, Defiance, and Community ==

=== Turning it on ===
Everything in this exhibit is turned on/off with a single round white push-button located behind the still.

=== What’s in the name? ===

* Dean Campbell Memorial: this exhibit is dedicated to, and in honor of, Dean Campbell, who invested his life in capturing and preserving Dark Corner heritage. Initially, this exhibit will include a full panel about Dean’s life.
* Feuds and Fellowship: Dark Corner culture is reflected in a series of paradoxes. We chose these two words to represent them all: on one hand the conflict and violence for which the area is famous, and on the other hand the close-knit community with intense loyalty for one another.
* Independence: John C. Campbell said the dominant trait of the region is “independence raised to the fourth power.” This characteristic fueled the area’s defiance of law and tax oversight, their opposition to various SC laws and movements, and their social isolation from surrounding communities.
* Defiance: an outcome of fierce independence was defiance to authority. They viewed their opposition to liquor taxation, for example, in a very similar way to the American Revolution opposition to British taxation.
* Community: Dark Corner residents had a special, close community. They supported each other in substantial ways that formed deep bonds, from barn raisings, to corn shuckings, to harvesting another man’s crops if he was sick.

=== Where is the Dark Corner? ===
The term doesn’t refer to an actual legal jurisdiction, and is used in different ways by different people. This can make it confusing.

* Famously, Dark Corner residents told anyone who asked that it’s “just a bit farther up the road.” That answer reflects a time when Dark Corner inhabitants were viewed with suspicion; it was valuable to them to be vague.
* An important aspect of the location is that, while it does reference a general geographic area, it is better defined culturally than geographically.
* Our exhibit is focused on the rugged, mountainous part of north Greenville County, centered around Glassy and Hogback Mountains. The heart of it is the area bordered by Highway 25, Highway 11, Highway 176, and the state line.
* Historically, the term refers to that area plus a corresponding area across the state line in North Carolina. Moonshiners used the state line as a way to jump jurisdictions when being pursued.
* This means that Dark Corner is not in Greer itself. They have always been closely linked, and Greer’s expanding border is now consuming the edges of Dark Corner, but they are not the same place.
* Keep in mind that South Carolina has had several different areas in the state that have been called “Dark Corner.” In particular, there was an area near Anderson that was commonly called this in the late 1800s and early 1900s. If you research “Dark Corner” in the Greenville News, you’ll find quite a few confusing stories in which it’s unclear which area they’re talking about.

The giant corner map is quite important. It shows the locations and names of every homestead in the Dark Corner area.

=== Name ===
There are several stories about where the name came from, and it’s likely that none of them were actually the original source. The most common story is that a statesman came to the area to promote Nullification (explained below) and was thrown in a mill pond; he declared this was a truly dark corner. However, there are some indications the name was in use prior to that event. In any case, by 1840 it appears in land deeds as a geographic name.

=== Roads ===
“For many decades, there was not a single public road in the area.” The SC State Archive holds a petition filed by Dark Corner residents for the creation of a public road, noting that the lack of one hurt their ability to get farm goods to market.

== BEGINNINGS ==

==== Cherokee land and trading ====
The earliest records of white European settlers in the area were trading goods with the Cherokee, before the Revolutionary War (note that it was illegal at that time to settle in the area, as it was in the Cherokee Territory). Goods traded included beads, knives, swords, and guns to the Cherokee, mostly in trade for fur skins (primarily deer). After the Revolutionary War, land grants were given in the area to veterans.

==== Ethnic origins ====
Scots-Irish: While there are many different individual national origins, a wave of Scots-Irish moved down the frontier from Pennsylvania through West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, into the area here. That wave led to the distinctive Appalachian culture across these areas which retained linguistic, musical, and other aspects of their heritage far longer than most.

The differences between this culture and the rest of South Carolina were significant, and helped shape deep divides that persist to this day.

==== Nullification ====
One difference mentioned on the wall is Nullification. The Nullification Crisis was a national issue caused by South Carolina trying to nullify a federal law (the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832), and Dark Corner residents opposed their state’s position.

==== Civil War and slavery ====
During the Civil War, the Dark Corner was divided. However, it did become a haven for Confederate deserters to hide out. In our collection of letters from Victoria Bailey, she references the deserters coming down out of the mountains and raiding homes for supplies.

While Dark Corner took no part in plantation culture, it is wrong to say it was broadly against slavery. In fact, the Limestone interviewees talked openly about the slaves held by Dark Corner residents, typically as household and farm laborers.

==== Women ====
Women held a starkly different role than the rest of the state. There were fewer restrictions on women; women played a significant role in family sustenance; women often ran the stills.

== MUSIC ==
As is true in most places, music wasn’t ubiquitous; it depended on the family and immediate community. Some found music to be integral, while others had little to do with it.

=== The fiddle ===
One thing to note about the fiddle is the lack of a chin rest or wear in that location. Many old-time mountain fiddlers held their violin down under their shoulder or, like in the picture of Bill Hensley, against the chest. By the way, Hensley was a fiddler from “over the line” in North Carolina.

=== The Ballad of Holland Howard ===
Unfortunately, our recording ends before the last verse, leaving the story unfinished!

They went upon Hogback Mountain to the top of Chestnut Hill;
And just beyond a little hollow they found the fatal still.
Reuben Gosnell hid behind some bushes, Todd Holland the crowd to flush;
He heard the voice of an angry man cursing, and soon the voice hushed.
He heard some shots and a call, come, Reuben, And that was all Holl said;
For when he reached the fatal distillery, poor Holland was lying dead.
Reuben called to Holland before he reached him; Holl was lying on his face and head;
Holland Pittman said, He will not answer, ’cause he’s already dead.
Reuben then drew his gun on Holland Pittman, said, Tell me, or you will die.
Holland Pittman said, It was Henry Lindsey, Lord knows it was not I.
Reuben took Holl Pittman on to jail, said, I’ll be a coming back.
He came back and got Wade Plumley to swear to Alex Pittman’s track.
They brought the Pittmans into court, it was on one Thursday morn.
Alex Pittman said, I’m an innocent man; I was at home shucking corn.
Alex Pittman wore a neat dress shoe, the color of it was tan.
Reuben Gosnell said, that’s the first fine shoe I’ve ever seen on that man.
They brought the Pittmans back to court, both father and son were there.
Judge Mauldin said, You two men will die in the electric chair.
On the twenty-seventh day of June, Nineteen hundred and twenty-four,
You will both pay the penalty for killing Holland Howard, And you’ll never still no more.

-- lyrics by Charlie Benson, son of Luther Benson

Ballad tales of momentous events were a common way to pass down oral history in the Dark Corner. Few of those have been recorded. This ballad, sung by Dean Campbell, is quite recent; the murder it references happened during Prohibition on January 1, 1924. The critical moment in the story is when Reuben Gosnell got Wade Plumley to “swear on Pittman’s track.” This means that Plumley was asked to look at a footprint, and he was willing to tell a court on his honor that the print could only belong to Alex Pittman. A descendant of Wade Plumley directly questioned this on one of the Limestone College interviews, and viewed his ancestor with disdain for doing it.

The Pittmans were tried in a case built on circumstantial evidence and found guilty on May 17, 1924. Their death sentences were upheld by the S.C. Supreme Court on Sept. 23, 1926. Death warrants were signed by Gov. Thomas G. McLeod on Oct. 11, 1926, but on Oct. 26, he commuted their death sentences to life in prison. Both men served nine and one-half years in prison and were paroled on Oct. 5, 1933, then pardoned on Jan. 12, 1935. Alex Pittman lived another four years, and Holland Pittman died on Mar. 25, 1981, at the age of 78.

== COMMUNITY ==
Dark Corner gained a reputation of lawless, feuding, murdering moonshiners. People also assumed them to be ignorant and heathen. This was far from true. They were church-going religious people who valued education, and started schools in the mountains very early.

In 1858, Earle Seminary (commonly called Gowensville Seminary) started to train preachers.

In 1892, residents asked the Baptist Association to start a school. They created North Greenville High School, soon to become North Greenville Baptist Academy. They called their yearbook The Moonshiner, reflecting a complex relationship between religion, law, and distillation (you can see our copy of the 1924 yearbook by the still). Today, it has become North Greenville University.

== DISTILLATION ==
Rugged terrain was not good for plantation crops. One of the best mountain crops was corn. If a farmer could carve a 1-acre field out of the mountain side (a tough task!), he could grow 75 bushels of corn. In the mid-1800s he could sell that for about $37.50.

But a farmer could distill those 75 bushels of corn into 225 gallons of whiskey, worth more than $250! Legal distillation became an economic driver of the Dark Corner; it was legal up to 1866. Some families had been in the legal distillation business for 100 years before the huge taxes arrived, driving them underground.

=== TAXATION ===
In 1862 the Confederacy put a huge tax on alcohol. In 1866, the US government made it permanent. The $2/gallon tax was so big it would destroy livelihoods. The landscape was not suitable for chattel slavery crops; there was not enough area for significant livestock production; and grain sales were difficult and with wildly varying prices. People needed the consistent income offered by alcohol, but couldn’t afford to pay the extreme taxes — and they didn’t.

Tasked with collecting this revenue, IRS agents took lawbreakers to court. Originally these “revenuers” were unarmed, could make no arrests, and could not destroy stills — they had to bring them back intact for evidence. Faced with fierce opposition these limitations changed. They started destroying stills and arresting those who used them.

=== IT’S WAR! ===
To protect their livelihood, distillers began to fight back. Thus began the Revenue Wars. Ambushes, shootouts, and killings (on both sides) were common.

The ultimate root of the violence was the desire to just be left alone, and practice self-determination free from outside influence. Internally the violence was a self-imposed rule of law.

South Carolina established a State Dispensary in 1893. Dispensary agents joined revenue agents in attacking stills. The fight escalated into the Dispensary Wars. This was ironic, because the Dark Corner had overwhelmingly supported the gubernatorial campaign of Benjamin Tillman (to the point of tearing up votes against him!), who implemented the Dispensary.

Newspaper stories reflect the violence. A list of events over a ten-year period is on the exhibit wall, and it’s certain that this is not anywhere near a complete list; it’s just the headlines found in a quick search of newspapers!

There were revenue and dispensary agents in both Greenville and Spartanburg, but none in Greer — making it a prime distribution channel. Across SC, an underground network of “Blind Tigers” developed. These were reputable businesses which sold illicit liquor out the back door. There were many blind tigers in Greer. Our archive holds letters from the Greer police chief in 1915-16 asking private detectives and the state governor for help uncovering the 12-15 blind tigers he knew were operating in the city.

Prohibition started in 1920, further fueling illegal distillation and the network of blind tigers.

== BLOOD FEUDS & VIOLENCE ==
Government programs incentivized distillers to turn legal, to report other stills, and even to become government agents. This caused fighting and feuding between individuals and families.

While there are many stories of inter-community violence, two hold particular importance.

=== August 23, 1891: Mountain Hill Church shootout ===
A Saturday altercation between the Howards and the Gosnells erupted at church the next morning. Reportedly, both parties had still been drinking that morning. Outside the tiny one-room log building, Joshua Howard took offense at Richard Gosnell not speaking to him, leading to a general battle between both families and their friends. Between 40 and 50 shots were fired. Luther Durham tried to arrest Gosnell, and got shot in the gut and mouth. Massena Howard was killed on the spot; Joshua Howard died the next day. In court, all parties were found not guilty.

=== July 8, 1899: baseball game shootout ===
The baseball game was part of the local Independence Day celebrations. The night before, however, Rufus Lindsey was at home when shots were fired into the house; he had reported some neighbors to the revenuers. He refused to come out of the house, and the attackers responded by cutting down three acres of his corn.

The baseball game the next day was the perfect opportunity for Rufus and two brothers to take revenge. They accused some in the crowd, who denied it; the three Lindsey’s began firing indiscriminately into the crowd. Immediately fire was returned from Rectors, Howards, McKinneys, Bartons, Harris, and Bruce. The expanding fight moved up the hillside. Each Lindsey brother was injured, at which point they fled in a buggy. The crowd chased for half a mile when the buggy broke down and the Lindseys fled into the woods on foot. The mob descended on the buggy and set it ablaze. In the end, several hundred shots were fired and a dozen or more wounded.

== DUSK FALLS ON THE DARK CORNER ==
As more roads increased access, the region became less isolated. In 1964, liquor tax was reduced by $1.50 per gallon. Combined with growing costs for ingredients (primarily sugar), illegal distillation gradually died out. Land investors purchased large tracts of Dark Corner for high-end housing development, like the Cliffs at Glassy. The extraordinary culture of the Dark Corner became a victim of the modernization of the Piedmont, celebrated in cities like Greenville.

== DEAN CAMPBELL ==
Greer Heritage Museum presents this exhibit in honor of Dean Campbell. He was born in the Dark Corner, the child of people with very deep roots there. In 1983, Dean became the ombudsman for a Limestone College project to collect oral history. The project, titled “Tales from the Dark Corner,” solidified his mission to preserve and share the heritage and stories of the Dark Corner — and gave a title to his newspaper editorials and books.

A newspaper writer from the Greenville News called him the “Squire of Dark Corner,” and that term stuck.

Dean dreamed of a permanent museum home to immortalize Dark Corner history. He began talking with our Museum in June 2022 about the Greer Heritage Museum hosting such an exhibit; sadly, he died before seeing the result.

The Museum made a film about Dean’s life; it can be seen in the Theatre.

Dark Corner Exhibit

2024-02-11T20:46:39Z

GHM director: /* The Ballad of Holland Howard */

For internal use only: please do not distribute these notes.

== FEUDS AND FELLOWSHIP: Independence, Defiance, and Community ==

=== Turning it on ===
Everything in this exhibit is turned on/off with a single round white push-button located behind the still.

=== What’s in the name? ===

* Dean Campbell Memorial: this exhibit is dedicated to, and in honor of, Dean Campbell, who invested his life in capturing and preserving Dark Corner heritage. Initially, this exhibit will include a full panel about Dean’s life.
* Feuds and Fellowship: Dark Corner culture is reflected in a series of paradoxes. We chose these two words to represent them all: on one hand the conflict and violence for which the area is famous, and on the other hand the close-knit community with intense loyalty for one another.
* Independence: John C. Campbell said the dominant trait of the region is “independence raised to the fourth power.” This characteristic fueled the area’s defiance of law and tax oversight, their opposition to various SC laws and movements, and their social isolation from surrounding communities.
* Defiance: an outcome of fierce independence was defiance to authority. They viewed their opposition to liquor taxation, for example, in a very similar way to the American Revolution opposition to British taxation.
* Community: Dark Corner residents had a special, close community. They supported each other in substantial ways that formed deep bonds, from barn raisings, to corn shuckings, to harvesting another man’s crops if he was sick.

=== Where is the Dark Corner? ===
The term doesn’t refer to an actual legal jurisdiction, and is used in different ways by different people. This can make it confusing.

* Famously, Dark Corner residents told anyone who asked that it’s “just a bit farther up the road.” That answer reflects a time when Dark Corner inhabitants were viewed with suspicion; it was valuable to them to be vague.
* An important aspect of the location is that, while it does reference a general geographic area, it is better defined culturally than geographically.
* Our exhibit is focused on the rugged, mountainous part of north Greenville County, centered around Glassy and Hogback Mountains. The heart of it is the area bordered by Highway 25, Highway 11, Highway 176, and the state line.
* Historically, the term refers to that area plus a corresponding area across the state line in North Carolina. Moonshiners used the state line as a way to jump jurisdictions when being pursued.
* This means that Dark Corner is not in Greer itself. They have always been closely linked, and Greer’s expanding border is now consuming the edges of Dark Corner, but they are not the same place.
* Keep in mind that South Carolina has had several different areas in the state that have been called “Dark Corner.” In particular, there was an area near Anderson that was commonly called this in the late 1800s and early 1900s. If you research “Dark Corner” in the Greenville News, you’ll find quite a few confusing stories in which it’s unclear which area they’re talking about.

The giant corner map is quite important. It shows the locations and names of every homestead in the Dark Corner area.

=== Name ===
There are several stories about where the name came from, and it’s likely that none of them were actually the original source. The most common story is that a statesman came to the area to promote Nullification (explained below) and was thrown in a mill pond; he declared this was a truly dark corner. However, there are some indications the name was in use prior to that event. In any case, by 1840 it appears in land deeds as a geographic name.

=== Roads ===
“For many decades, there was not a single public road in the area.” The SC State Archive holds a petition filed by Dark Corner residents for the creation of a public road, noting that the lack of one hurt their ability to get farm goods to market.

== BEGINNINGS ==

==== Cherokee land and trading ====
The earliest records of white European settlers in the area were trading goods with the Cherokee, before the Revolutionary War (note that it was illegal at that time to settle in the area, as it was in the Cherokee Territory). Goods traded included beads, knives, swords, and guns to the Cherokee, mostly in trade for fur skins (primarily deer). After the Revolutionary War, land grants were given in the area to veterans.

==== Ethnic origins ====
Scots-Irish: While there are many different individual national origins, a wave of Scots-Irish moved down the frontier from Pennsylvania through West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, into the area here. That wave led to the distinctive Appalachian culture across these areas which retained linguistic, musical, and other aspects of their heritage far longer than most.

The differences between this culture and the rest of South Carolina were significant, and helped shape deep divides that persist to this day.

==== Nullification ====
One difference mentioned on the wall is Nullification. The Nullification Crisis was a national issue caused by South Carolina trying to nullify a federal law (the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832), and Dark Corner residents opposed their state’s position.

==== Civil War and slavery ====
During the Civil War, the Dark Corner was divided. However, it did become a haven for Confederate deserters to hide out. In our collection of letters from Victoria Bailey, she references the deserters coming down out of the mountains and raiding homes for supplies.

While Dark Corner took no part in plantation culture, it is wrong to say it was broadly against slavery. In fact, the Limestone interviewees talked openly about the slaves held by Dark Corner residents, typically as household and farm laborers.

==== Women ====
Women held a starkly different role than the rest of the state. There were fewer restrictions on women; women played a significant role in family sustenance; women often ran the stills.

== MUSIC ==
As is true in most places, music wasn’t ubiquitous; it depended on the family and immediate community. Some found music to be integral, while others had little to do with it.

=== The fiddle ===
One thing to note about the fiddle is the lack of a chin rest or wear in that location. Many old-time mountain fiddlers held their violin down under their shoulder or, like in the picture of Bill Hensley, against the chest. By the way, Hensley was a fiddler from “over the line” in North Carolina.

=== The Ballad of Holland Howard ===
Unfortunately, our recording ends before the last verse, leaving the story unfinished!

They went upon Hogback Mountain to the top of Chestnut Hill;
And just beyond a little hollow they found the fatal still.

Reuben Gosnell hid behind some bushes, Todd Holland the crowd to flush;
He heard the voice of an angry man cursing, and soon the voice hushed.

He heard some shots and a call, come, Reuben, And that was all Holl said;
For when he reached the fatal distillery, poor Holland was lying dead.

Reuben called to Holland before he reached him; Holl was lying on his face and head;
Holland Pittman said, He will not answer, ’cause he’s already dead.

Reuben then drew his gun on Holland Pittman, said, Tell me, or you will die.
Holland Pittman said, It was Henry Lindsey, Lord knows it was not I.

Reuben took Holl Pittman on to jail, said, I’ll be a coming back.
He came back and got Wade Plumley to swear to Alex Pittman’s track.

They brought the Pittmans into court, it was on one Thursday morn.
Alex Pittman said, I’m an innocent man; I was at home shucking corn.

Alex Pittman wore a neat dress shoe, the color of it was tan.
Reuben Gosnell said, that’s the first fine shoe I’ve ever seen on that man.

They brought the Pittmans back to court, both father and son were there.
Judge Mauldin said, You two men will die in the electric chair.

On the twenty-seventh day of June, Nineteen hundred and twenty-four,
You will both pay the penalty for killing Holland Howard, And you’ll never still no more.

-- lyrics by Charlie Benson, son of Luther Benson

Ballad tales of momentous events were a common way to pass down oral history in the Dark Corner. Few of those have been recorded. This ballad, sung by Dean Campbell, is quite recent; the murder it references happened during Prohibition on January 1, 1924. The critical moment in the story is when Reuben Gosnell got Wade Plumley to “swear on Pittman’s track.” This means that Plumley was asked to look at a footprint, and he was willing to tell a court on his honor that the print could only belong to Alex Pittman. A descendant of Wade Plumley directly questioned this on one of the Limestone College interviews, and viewed his ancestor with disdain for doing it.

The Pittmans were tried in a case built on circumstantial evidence and found guilty on May 17, 1924. Their death sentences were upheld by the S.C. Supreme Court on Sept. 23, 1926. Death warrants were signed by Gov. Thomas G. McLeod on Oct. 11, 1926, but on Oct. 26, he commuted their death sentences to life in prison. Both men served nine and one-half years in prison and were paroled on Oct. 5, 1933, then pardoned on Jan. 12, 1935. Alex Pittman lived another four years, and Holland Pittman died on Mar. 25, 1981, at the age of 78.

== COMMUNITY ==
Dark Corner gained a reputation of lawless, feuding, murdering moonshiners. People also assumed them to be ignorant and heathen. This was far from true. They were church-going religious people who valued education, and started schools in the mountains very early.

In 1858, Earle Seminary (commonly called Gowensville Seminary) started to train preachers.

In 1892, residents asked the Baptist Association to start a school. They created North Greenville High School, soon to become North Greenville Baptist Academy. They called their yearbook The Moonshiner, reflecting a complex relationship between religion, law, and distillation (you can see our copy of the 1924 yearbook by the still). Today, it has become North Greenville University.

== DISTILLATION ==
Rugged terrain was not good for plantation crops. One of the best mountain crops was corn. If a farmer could carve a 1-acre field out of the mountain side (a tough task!), he could grow 75 bushels of corn. In the mid-1800s he could sell that for about $37.50.

But a farmer could distill those 75 bushels of corn into 225 gallons of whiskey, worth more than $250! Legal distillation became an economic driver of the Dark Corner; it was legal up to 1866. Some families had been in the legal distillation business for 100 years before the huge taxes arrived, driving them underground.

=== TAXATION ===
In 1862 the Confederacy put a huge tax on alcohol. In 1866, the US government made it permanent. The $2/gallon tax was so big it would destroy livelihoods. The landscape was not suitable for chattel slavery crops; there was not enough area for significant livestock production; and grain sales were difficult and with wildly varying prices. People needed the consistent income offered by alcohol, but couldn’t afford to pay the extreme taxes — and they didn’t.

Tasked with collecting this revenue, IRS agents took lawbreakers to court. Originally these “revenuers” were unarmed, could make no arrests, and could not destroy stills — they had to bring them back intact for evidence. Faced with fierce opposition these limitations changed. They started destroying stills and arresting those who used them.

=== IT’S WAR! ===
To protect their livelihood, distillers began to fight back. Thus began the Revenue Wars. Ambushes, shootouts, and killings (on both sides) were common.

The ultimate root of the violence was the desire to just be left alone, and practice self-determination free from outside influence. Internally the violence was a self-imposed rule of law.

South Carolina established a State Dispensary in 1893. Dispensary agents joined revenue agents in attacking stills. The fight escalated into the Dispensary Wars. This was ironic, because the Dark Corner had overwhelmingly supported the gubernatorial campaign of Benjamin Tillman (to the point of tearing up votes against him!), who implemented the Dispensary.

Newspaper stories reflect the violence. A list of events over a ten-year period is on the exhibit wall, and it’s certain that this is not anywhere near a complete list; it’s just the headlines found in a quick search of newspapers!

There were revenue and dispensary agents in both Greenville and Spartanburg, but none in Greer — making it a prime distribution channel. Across SC, an underground network of “Blind Tigers” developed. These were reputable businesses which sold illicit liquor out the back door. There were many blind tigers in Greer. Our archive holds letters from the Greer police chief in 1915-16 asking private detectives and the state governor for help uncovering the 12-15 blind tigers he knew were operating in the city.

Prohibition started in 1920, further fueling illegal distillation and the network of blind tigers.

== BLOOD FEUDS & VIOLENCE ==
Government programs incentivized distillers to turn legal, to report other stills, and even to become government agents. This caused fighting and feuding between individuals and families.

While there are many stories of inter-community violence, two hold particular importance.

=== August 23, 1891: Mountain Hill Church shootout ===
A Saturday altercation between the Howards and the Gosnells erupted at church the next morning. Reportedly, both parties had still been drinking that morning. Outside the tiny one-room log building, Joshua Howard took offense at Richard Gosnell not speaking to him, leading to a general battle between both families and their friends. Between 40 and 50 shots were fired. Luther Durham tried to arrest Gosnell, and got shot in the gut and mouth. Massena Howard was killed on the spot; Joshua Howard died the next day. In court, all parties were found not guilty.

=== July 8, 1899: baseball game shootout ===
The baseball game was part of the local Independence Day celebrations. The night before, however, Rufus Lindsey was at home when shots were fired into the house; he had reported some neighbors to the revenuers. He refused to come out of the house, and the attackers responded by cutting down three acres of his corn.

The baseball game the next day was the perfect opportunity for Rufus and two brothers to take revenge. They accused some in the crowd, who denied it; the three Lindsey’s began firing indiscriminately into the crowd. Immediately fire was returned from Rectors, Howards, McKinneys, Bartons, Harris, and Bruce. The expanding fight moved up the hillside. Each Lindsey brother was injured, at which point they fled in a buggy. The crowd chased for half a mile when the buggy broke down and the Lindseys fled into the woods on foot. The mob descended on the buggy and set it ablaze. In the end, several hundred shots were fired and a dozen or more wounded.

== DUSK FALLS ON THE DARK CORNER ==
As more roads increased access, the region became less isolated. In 1964, liquor tax was reduced by $1.50 per gallon. Combined with growing costs for ingredients (primarily sugar), illegal distillation gradually died out. Land investors purchased large tracts of Dark Corner for high-end housing development, like the Cliffs at Glassy. The extraordinary culture of the Dark Corner became a victim of the modernization of the Piedmont, celebrated in cities like Greenville.

== DEAN CAMPBELL ==
Greer Heritage Museum presents this exhibit in honor of Dean Campbell. He was born in the Dark Corner, the child of people with very deep roots there. In 1983, Dean became the ombudsman for a Limestone College project to collect oral history. The project, titled “Tales from the Dark Corner,” solidified his mission to preserve and share the heritage and stories of the Dark Corner — and gave a title to his newspaper editorials and books.

A newspaper writer from the Greenville News called him the “Squire of Dark Corner,” and that term stuck.

Dean dreamed of a permanent museum home to immortalize Dark Corner history. He began talking with our Museum in June 2022 about the Greer Heritage Museum hosting such an exhibit; sadly, he died before seeing the result.

The Museum made a film about Dean’s life; it can be seen in the Theatre.

Dark Corner Exhibit

2024-02-11T20:45:42Z

GHM director:

For internal use only: please do not distribute these notes.

== FEUDS AND FELLOWSHIP: Independence, Defiance, and Community ==

=== Turning it on ===
Everything in this exhibit is turned on/off with a single round white push-button located behind the still.

=== What’s in the name? ===

* Dean Campbell Memorial: this exhibit is dedicated to, and in honor of, Dean Campbell, who invested his life in capturing and preserving Dark Corner heritage. Initially, this exhibit will include a full panel about Dean’s life.
* Feuds and Fellowship: Dark Corner culture is reflected in a series of paradoxes. We chose these two words to represent them all: on one hand the conflict and violence for which the area is famous, and on the other hand the close-knit community with intense loyalty for one another.
* Independence: John C. Campbell said the dominant trait of the region is “independence raised to the fourth power.” This characteristic fueled the area’s defiance of law and tax oversight, their opposition to various SC laws and movements, and their social isolation from surrounding communities.
* Defiance: an outcome of fierce independence was defiance to authority. They viewed their opposition to liquor taxation, for example, in a very similar way to the American Revolution opposition to British taxation.
* Community: Dark Corner residents had a special, close community. They supported each other in substantial ways that formed deep bonds, from barn raisings, to corn shuckings, to harvesting another man’s crops if he was sick.

=== Where is the Dark Corner? ===
The term doesn’t refer to an actual legal jurisdiction, and is used in different ways by different people. This can make it confusing.

* Famously, Dark Corner residents told anyone who asked that it’s “just a bit farther up the road.” That answer reflects a time when Dark Corner inhabitants were viewed with suspicion; it was valuable to them to be vague.
* An important aspect of the location is that, while it does reference a general geographic area, it is better defined culturally than geographically.
* Our exhibit is focused on the rugged, mountainous part of north Greenville County, centered around Glassy and Hogback Mountains. The heart of it is the area bordered by Highway 25, Highway 11, Highway 176, and the state line.
* Historically, the term refers to that area plus a corresponding area across the state line in North Carolina. Moonshiners used the state line as a way to jump jurisdictions when being pursued.
* This means that Dark Corner is not in Greer itself. They have always been closely linked, and Greer’s expanding border is now consuming the edges of Dark Corner, but they are not the same place.
* Keep in mind that South Carolina has had several different areas in the state that have been called “Dark Corner.” In particular, there was an area near Anderson that was commonly called this in the late 1800s and early 1900s. If you research “Dark Corner” in the Greenville News, you’ll find quite a few confusing stories in which it’s unclear which area they’re talking about.

The giant corner map is quite important. It shows the locations and names of every homestead in the Dark Corner area.

=== Name ===
There are several stories about where the name came from, and it’s likely that none of them were actually the original source. The most common story is that a statesman came to the area to promote Nullification (explained below) and was thrown in a mill pond; he declared this was a truly dark corner. However, there are some indications the name was in use prior to that event. In any case, by 1840 it appears in land deeds as a geographic name.

=== Roads ===
“For many decades, there was not a single public road in the area.” The SC State Archive holds a petition filed by Dark Corner residents for the creation of a public road, noting that the lack of one hurt their ability to get farm goods to market.

== BEGINNINGS ==

==== Cherokee land and trading ====
The earliest records of white European settlers in the area were trading goods with the Cherokee, before the Revolutionary War (note that it was illegal at that time to settle in the area, as it was in the Cherokee Territory). Goods traded included beads, knives, swords, and guns to the Cherokee, mostly in trade for fur skins (primarily deer). After the Revolutionary War, land grants were given in the area to veterans.

==== Ethnic origins ====
Scots-Irish: While there are many different individual national origins, a wave of Scots-Irish moved down the frontier from Pennsylvania through West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, into the area here. That wave led to the distinctive Appalachian culture across these areas which retained linguistic, musical, and other aspects of their heritage far longer than most.

The differences between this culture and the rest of South Carolina were significant, and helped shape deep divides that persist to this day.

==== Nullification ====
One difference mentioned on the wall is Nullification. The Nullification Crisis was a national issue caused by South Carolina trying to nullify a federal law (the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832), and Dark Corner residents opposed their state’s position.

==== Civil War and slavery ====
During the Civil War, the Dark Corner was divided. However, it did become a haven for Confederate deserters to hide out. In our collection of letters from Victoria Bailey, she references the deserters coming down out of the mountains and raiding homes for supplies.

While Dark Corner took no part in plantation culture, it is wrong to say it was broadly against slavery. In fact, the Limestone interviewees talked openly about the slaves held by Dark Corner residents, typically as household and farm laborers.

==== Women ====
Women held a starkly different role than the rest of the state. There were fewer restrictions on women; women played a significant role in family sustenance; women often ran the stills.

== MUSIC ==
As is true in most places, music wasn’t ubiquitous; it depended on the family and immediate community. Some found music to be integral, while others had little to do with it.

=== The fiddle ===
One thing to note about the fiddle is the lack of a chin rest or wear in that location. Many old-time mountain fiddlers held their violin down under their shoulder or, like in the picture of Bill Hensley, against the chest. By the way, Hensley was a fiddler from “over the line” in North Carolina.

=== The Ballad of Holland Howard ===
Unfortunately, our recording ends before the last verse, leaving the story unfinished!

They went upon Hogback Mountain to the top of Chestnut Hill;

And just beyond a little hollow they found the fatal still.

Reuben Gosnell hid behind some bushes, Todd Holland the crowd to flush;

He heard the voice of an angry man cursing, and soon the voice hushed.

He heard some shots and a call, come, Reuben, And that was all Holl said;

For when he reached the fatal distillery, poor Holland was lying dead.

Reuben called to Holland before he reached him; Holl was lying on his face and head;

Holland Pittman said, He will not answer, ’cause he’s already dead.

Reuben then drew his gun on Holland Pittman, said, Tell me, or you will die.

Holland Pittman said, It was Henry Lindsey, Lord knows it was not I.

Reuben took Holl Pittman on to jail, said, I’ll be a coming back.

He came back and got Wade Plumley to swear to Alex Pittman’s track.

They brought the Pittmans into court, it was on one Thursday morn.

Alex Pittman said, I’m an innocent man; I was at home shucking corn.

Alex Pittman wore a neat dress shoe, the color of it was tan.

Reuben Gosnell said, that’s the first fine shoe I’ve ever seen on that man.

They brought the Pittmans back to court, both father and son were there.

Judge Mauldin said, You two men will die in the electric chair.

On the twenty-seventh day of June, Nineteen hundred and twenty-four,

You will both pay the penalty for killing Holland Howard, And you’ll never still no more.

-- lyrics by Charlie Benson, son of Luther Benson

Ballad tales of momentous events were a common way to pass down oral history in the Dark Corner. Few of those have been recorded. This ballad, sung by Dean Campbell, is quite recent; the murder it references happened during Prohibition on January 1, 1924. The critical moment in the story is when Reuben Gosnell got Wade Plumley to “swear on Pittman’s track.” This means that Plumley was asked to look at a footprint, and he was willing to tell a court on his honor that the print could only belong to Alex Pittman. A descendant of Wade Plumley directly questioned this on one of the Limestone College interviews, and viewed his ancestor with disdain for doing it.

The Pittmans were tried in a case built on circumstantial evidence and found guilty on May 17, 1924. Their death sentences were upheld by the S.C. Supreme Court on Sept. 23, 1926. Death warrants were signed by Gov. Thomas G. McLeod on Oct. 11, 1926, but on Oct. 26, he commuted their death sentences to life in prison. Both men served nine and one-half years in prison and were paroled on Oct. 5, 1933, then pardoned on Jan. 12, 1935. Alex Pittman lived another four years, and Holland Pittman died on Mar. 25, 1981, at the age of 78.

== COMMUNITY ==
Dark Corner gained a reputation of lawless, feuding, murdering moonshiners. People also assumed them to be ignorant and heathen. This was far from true. They were church-going religious people who valued education, and started schools in the mountains very early.

In 1858, Earle Seminary (commonly called Gowensville Seminary) started to train preachers.

In 1892, residents asked the Baptist Association to start a school. They created North Greenville High School, soon to become North Greenville Baptist Academy. They called their yearbook The Moonshiner, reflecting a complex relationship between religion, law, and distillation (you can see our copy of the 1924 yearbook by the still). Today, it has become North Greenville University.

== DISTILLATION ==
Rugged terrain was not good for plantation crops. One of the best mountain crops was corn. If a farmer could carve a 1-acre field out of the mountain side (a tough task!), he could grow 75 bushels of corn. In the mid-1800s he could sell that for about $37.50.

But a farmer could distill those 75 bushels of corn into 225 gallons of whiskey, worth more than $250! Legal distillation became an economic driver of the Dark Corner; it was legal up to 1866. Some families had been in the legal distillation business for 100 years before the huge taxes arrived, driving them underground.

=== TAXATION ===
In 1862 the Confederacy put a huge tax on alcohol. In 1866, the US government made it permanent. The $2/gallon tax was so big it would destroy livelihoods. The landscape was not suitable for chattel slavery crops; there was not enough area for significant livestock production; and grain sales were difficult and with wildly varying prices. People needed the consistent income offered by alcohol, but couldn’t afford to pay the extreme taxes — and they didn’t.

Tasked with collecting this revenue, IRS agents took lawbreakers to court. Originally these “revenuers” were unarmed, could make no arrests, and could not destroy stills — they had to bring them back intact for evidence. Faced with fierce opposition these limitations changed. They started destroying stills and arresting those who used them.

=== IT’S WAR! ===
To protect their livelihood, distillers began to fight back. Thus began the Revenue Wars. Ambushes, shootouts, and killings (on both sides) were common.

The ultimate root of the violence was the desire to just be left alone, and practice self-determination free from outside influence. Internally the violence was a self-imposed rule of law.

South Carolina established a State Dispensary in 1893. Dispensary agents joined revenue agents in attacking stills. The fight escalated into the Dispensary Wars. This was ironic, because the Dark Corner had overwhelmingly supported the gubernatorial campaign of Benjamin Tillman (to the point of tearing up votes against him!), who implemented the Dispensary.

Newspaper stories reflect the violence. A list of events over a ten-year period is on the exhibit wall, and it’s certain that this is not anywhere near a complete list; it’s just the headlines found in a quick search of newspapers!

There were revenue and dispensary agents in both Greenville and Spartanburg, but none in Greer — making it a prime distribution channel. Across SC, an underground network of “Blind Tigers” developed. These were reputable businesses which sold illicit liquor out the back door. There were many blind tigers in Greer. Our archive holds letters from the Greer police chief in 1915-16 asking private detectives and the state governor for help uncovering the 12-15 blind tigers he knew were operating in the city.

Prohibition started in 1920, further fueling illegal distillation and the network of blind tigers.

== BLOOD FEUDS & VIOLENCE ==
Government programs incentivized distillers to turn legal, to report other stills, and even to become government agents. This caused fighting and feuding between individuals and families.

While there are many stories of inter-community violence, two hold particular importance.

=== August 23, 1891: Mountain Hill Church shootout ===
A Saturday altercation between the Howards and the Gosnells erupted at church the next morning. Reportedly, both parties had still been drinking that morning. Outside the tiny one-room log building, Joshua Howard took offense at Richard Gosnell not speaking to him, leading to a general battle between both families and their friends. Between 40 and 50 shots were fired. Luther Durham tried to arrest Gosnell, and got shot in the gut and mouth. Massena Howard was killed on the spot; Joshua Howard died the next day. In court, all parties were found not guilty.

=== July 8, 1899: baseball game shootout ===
The baseball game was part of the local Independence Day celebrations. The night before, however, Rufus Lindsey was at home when shots were fired into the house; he had reported some neighbors to the revenuers. He refused to come out of the house, and the attackers responded by cutting down three acres of his corn.

The baseball game the next day was the perfect opportunity for Rufus and two brothers to take revenge. They accused some in the crowd, who denied it; the three Lindsey’s began firing indiscriminately into the crowd. Immediately fire was returned from Rectors, Howards, McKinneys, Bartons, Harris, and Bruce. The expanding fight moved up the hillside. Each Lindsey brother was injured, at which point they fled in a buggy. The crowd chased for half a mile when the buggy broke down and the Lindseys fled into the woods on foot. The mob descended on the buggy and set it ablaze. In the end, several hundred shots were fired and a dozen or more wounded.

== DUSK FALLS ON THE DARK CORNER ==
As more roads increased access, the region became less isolated. In 1964, liquor tax was reduced by $1.50 per gallon. Combined with growing costs for ingredients (primarily sugar), illegal distillation gradually died out. Land investors purchased large tracts of Dark Corner for high-end housing development, like the Cliffs at Glassy. The extraordinary culture of the Dark Corner became a victim of the modernization of the Piedmont, celebrated in cities like Greenville.

== DEAN CAMPBELL ==
Greer Heritage Museum presents this exhibit in honor of Dean Campbell. He was born in the Dark Corner, the child of people with very deep roots there. In 1983, Dean became the ombudsman for a Limestone College project to collect oral history. The project, titled “Tales from the Dark Corner,” solidified his mission to preserve and share the heritage and stories of the Dark Corner — and gave a title to his newspaper editorials and books.

A newspaper writer from the Greenville News called him the “Squire of Dark Corner,” and that term stuck.

Dean dreamed of a permanent museum home to immortalize Dark Corner history. He began talking with our Museum in June 2022 about the Greer Heritage Museum hosting such an exhibit; sadly, he died before seeing the result.

The Museum made a film about Dean’s life; it can be seen in the Theatre.

Dark Corner Exhibit

2024-02-11T20:44:49Z

GHM director: Created page with " = The Dean Campbell Memorial Dark Corner Exhibit Docent Notes = For internal use only: please do not distribute these notes. FEUDS AND FELLOWSHIP: Independence, Defiance, and Community === Turning it on === Everything in this exhibit is turned on/off with a single round white push-button located behind the still. === What’s in the name? === * Dean Campbell Memorial: this exhibit is dedicated to, and in honor of, Dean Campbell, who invested his life in capturing a..."

= The Dean Campbell Memorial Dark Corner Exhibit Docent Notes =
For internal use only: please do not distribute these notes.

FEUDS AND FELLOWSHIP: Independence, Defiance, and Community

=== Turning it on ===
Everything in this exhibit is turned on/off with a single round white push-button located behind the still.

=== What’s in the name? ===

* Dean Campbell Memorial: this exhibit is dedicated to, and in honor of, Dean Campbell, who invested his life in capturing and preserving Dark Corner heritage. Initially, this exhibit will include a full panel about Dean’s life.
* Feuds and Fellowship: Dark Corner culture is reflected in a series of paradoxes. We chose these two words to represent them all: on one hand the conflict and violence for which the area is famous, and on the other hand the close-knit community with intense loyalty for one another.
* Independence: John C. Campbell said the dominant trait of the region is “independence raised to the fourth power.” This characteristic fueled the area’s defiance of law and tax oversight, their opposition to various SC laws and movements, and their social isolation from surrounding communities.
* Defiance: an outcome of fierce independence was defiance to authority. They viewed their opposition to liquor taxation, for example, in a very similar way to the American Revolution opposition to British taxation.
* Community: Dark Corner residents had a special, close community. They supported each other in substantial ways that formed deep bonds, from barn raisings, to corn shuckings, to harvesting another man’s crops if he was sick.

=== Where is the Dark Corner? ===
The term doesn’t refer to an actual legal jurisdiction, and is used in different ways by different people. This can make it confusing.

* Famously, Dark Corner residents told anyone who asked that it’s “just a bit farther up the road.” That answer reflects a time when Dark Corner inhabitants were viewed with suspicion; it was valuable to them to be vague.
* An important aspect of the location is that, while it does reference a general geographic area, it is better defined culturally than geographically.
* Our exhibit is focused on the rugged, mountainous part of north Greenville County, centered around Glassy and Hogback Mountains. The heart of it is the area bordered by Highway 25, Highway 11, Highway 176, and the state line.
* Historically, the term refers to that area plus a corresponding area across the state line in North Carolina. Moonshiners used the state line as a way to jump jurisdictions when being pursued.
* This means that Dark Corner is not in Greer itself. They have always been closely linked, and Greer’s expanding border is now consuming the edges of Dark Corner, but they are not the same place.
* Keep in mind that South Carolina has had several different areas in the state that have been called “Dark Corner.” In particular, there was an area near Anderson that was commonly called this in the late 1800s and early 1900s. If you research “Dark Corner” in the Greenville News, you’ll find quite a few confusing stories in which it’s unclear which area they’re talking about.

The giant corner map is quite important. It shows the locations and names of every homestead in the Dark Corner area.

=== Name ===
There are several stories about where the name came from, and it’s likely that none of them were actually the original source. The most common story is that a statesman came to the area to promote Nullification (explained below) and was thrown in a mill pond; he declared this was a truly dark corner. However, there are some indications the name was in use prior to that event. In any case, by 1840 it appears in land deeds as a geographic name.

=== Roads ===
“For many decades, there was not a single public road in the area.” The SC State Archive holds a petition filed by Dark Corner residents for the creation of a public road, noting that the lack of one hurt their ability to get farm goods to market.

== BEGINNINGS ==

==== Cherokee land and trading ====
The earliest records of white European settlers in the area were trading goods with the Cherokee, before the Revolutionary War (note that it was illegal at that time to settle in the area, as it was in the Cherokee Territory). Goods traded included beads, knives, swords, and guns to the Cherokee, mostly in trade for fur skins (primarily deer). After the Revolutionary War, land grants were given in the area to veterans.

==== Ethnic origins ====
Scots-Irish: While there are many different individual national origins, a wave of Scots-Irish moved down the frontier from Pennsylvania through West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, into the area here. That wave led to the distinctive Appalachian culture across these areas which retained linguistic, musical, and other aspects of their heritage far longer than most.

The differences between this culture and the rest of South Carolina were significant, and helped shape deep divides that persist to this day.

==== Nullification ====
One difference mentioned on the wall is Nullification. The Nullification Crisis was a national issue caused by South Carolina trying to nullify a federal law (the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832), and Dark Corner residents opposed their state’s position.

==== Civil War and slavery ====
During the Civil War, the Dark Corner was divided. However, it did become a haven for Confederate deserters to hide out. In our collection of letters from Victoria Bailey, she references the deserters coming down out of the mountains and raiding homes for supplies.

While Dark Corner took no part in plantation culture, it is wrong to say it was broadly against slavery. In fact, the Limestone interviewees talked openly about the slaves held by Dark Corner residents, typically as household and farm laborers.

==== Women ====
Women held a starkly different role than the rest of the state. There were fewer restrictions on women; women played a significant role in family sustenance; women often ran the stills.

== MUSIC ==
As is true in most places, music wasn’t ubiquitous; it depended on the family and immediate community. Some found music to be integral, while others had little to do with it.

=== The fiddle ===
One thing to note about the fiddle is the lack of a chin rest or wear in that location. Many old-time mountain fiddlers held their violin down under their shoulder or, like in the picture of Bill Hensley, against the chest. By the way, Hensley was a fiddler from “over the line” in North Carolina.

=== The Ballad of Holland Howard ===
Unfortunately, our recording ends before the last verse, leaving the story unfinished!

They went upon Hogback Mountain to the top of Chestnut Hill;

And just beyond a little hollow they found the fatal still.

Reuben Gosnell hid behind some bushes, Todd Holland the crowd to flush;

He heard the voice of an angry man cursing, and soon the voice hushed.

He heard some shots and a call, come, Reuben, And that was all Holl said;

For when he reached the fatal distillery, poor Holland was lying dead.

Reuben called to Holland before he reached him; Holl was lying on his face and head;

Holland Pittman said, He will not answer, ’cause he’s already dead.

Reuben then drew his gun on Holland Pittman, said, Tell me, or you will die.

Holland Pittman said, It was Henry Lindsey, Lord knows it was not I.

Reuben took Holl Pittman on to jail, said, I’ll be a coming back.

He came back and got Wade Plumley to swear to Alex Pittman’s track.

They brought the Pittmans into court, it was on one Thursday morn.

Alex Pittman said, I’m an innocent man; I was at home shucking corn.

Alex Pittman wore a neat dress shoe, the color of it was tan.

Reuben Gosnell said, that’s the first fine shoe I’ve ever seen on that man.

They brought the Pittmans back to court, both father and son were there.

Judge Mauldin said, You two men will die in the electric chair.

On the twenty-seventh day of June, Nineteen hundred and twenty-four,

You will both pay the penalty for killing Holland Howard, And you’ll never still no more.

-- lyrics by Charlie Benson, son of Luther Benson

Ballad tales of momentous events were a common way to pass down oral history in the Dark Corner. Few of those have been recorded. This ballad, sung by Dean Campbell, is quite recent; the murder it references happened during Prohibition on January 1, 1924. The critical moment in the story is when Reuben Gosnell got Wade Plumley to “swear on Pittman’s track.” This means that Plumley was asked to look at a footprint, and he was willing to tell a court on his honor that the print could only belong to Alex Pittman. A descendant of Wade Plumley directly questioned this on one of the Limestone College interviews, and viewed his ancestor with disdain for doing it.

The Pittmans were tried in a case built on circumstantial evidence and found guilty on May 17, 1924. Their death sentences were upheld by the S.C. Supreme Court on Sept. 23, 1926. Death warrants were signed by Gov. Thomas G. McLeod on Oct. 11, 1926, but on Oct. 26, he commuted their death sentences to life in prison. Both men served nine and one-half years in prison and were paroled on Oct. 5, 1933, then pardoned on Jan. 12, 1935. Alex Pittman lived another four years, and Holland Pittman died on Mar. 25, 1981, at the age of 78.

== COMMUNITY ==
Dark Corner gained a reputation of lawless, feuding, murdering moonshiners. People also assumed them to be ignorant and heathen. This was far from true. They were church-going religious people who valued education, and started schools in the mountains very early.

In 1858, Earle Seminary (commonly called Gowensville Seminary) started to train preachers.

In 1892, residents asked the Baptist Association to start a school. They created North Greenville High School, soon to become North Greenville Baptist Academy. They called their yearbook The Moonshiner, reflecting a complex relationship between religion, law, and distillation (you can see our copy of the 1924 yearbook by the still). Today, it has become North Greenville University.

== DISTILLATION ==
Rugged terrain was not good for plantation crops. One of the best mountain crops was corn. If a farmer could carve a 1-acre field out of the mountain side (a tough task!), he could grow 75 bushels of corn. In the mid-1800s he could sell that for about $37.50.

But a farmer could distill those 75 bushels of corn into 225 gallons of whiskey, worth more than $250! Legal distillation became an economic driver of the Dark Corner; it was legal up to 1866. Some families had been in the legal distillation business for 100 years before the huge taxes arrived, driving them underground.

=== TAXATION ===
In 1862 the Confederacy put a huge tax on alcohol. In 1866, the US government made it permanent. The $2/gallon tax was so big it would destroy livelihoods. The landscape was not suitable for chattel slavery crops; there was not enough area for significant livestock production; and grain sales were difficult and with wildly varying prices. People needed the consistent income offered by alcohol, but couldn’t afford to pay the extreme taxes — and they didn’t.

Tasked with collecting this revenue, IRS agents took lawbreakers to court. Originally these “revenuers” were unarmed, could make no arrests, and could not destroy stills — they had to bring them back intact for evidence. Faced with fierce opposition these limitations changed. They started destroying stills and arresting those who used them.

=== IT’S WAR! ===
To protect their livelihood, distillers began to fight back. Thus began the Revenue Wars. Ambushes, shootouts, and killings (on both sides) were common.

The ultimate root of the violence was the desire to just be left alone, and practice self-determination free from outside influence. Internally the violence was a self-imposed rule of law.

South Carolina established a State Dispensary in 1893. Dispensary agents joined revenue agents in attacking stills. The fight escalated into the Dispensary Wars. This was ironic, because the Dark Corner had overwhelmingly supported the gubernatorial campaign of Benjamin Tillman (to the point of tearing up votes against him!), who implemented the Dispensary.

Newspaper stories reflect the violence. A list of events over a ten-year period is on the exhibit wall, and it’s certain that this is not anywhere near a complete list; it’s just the headlines found in a quick search of newspapers!

There were revenue and dispensary agents in both Greenville and Spartanburg, but none in Greer — making it a prime distribution channel. Across SC, an underground network of “Blind Tigers” developed. These were reputable businesses which sold illicit liquor out the back door. There were many blind tigers in Greer. Our archive holds letters from the Greer police chief in 1915-16 asking private detectives and the state governor for help uncovering the 12-15 blind tigers he knew were operating in the city.

Prohibition started in 1920, further fueling illegal distillation and the network of blind tigers.

== BLOOD FEUDS & VIOLENCE ==
Government programs incentivized distillers to turn legal, to report other stills, and even to become government agents. This caused fighting and feuding between individuals and families.

While there are many stories of inter-community violence, two hold particular importance.

=== August 23, 1891: Mountain Hill Church shootout ===
A Saturday altercation between the Howards and the Gosnells erupted at church the next morning. Reportedly, both parties had still been drinking that morning. Outside the tiny one-room log building, Joshua Howard took offense at Richard Gosnell not speaking to him, leading to a general battle between both families and their friends. Between 40 and 50 shots were fired. Luther Durham tried to arrest Gosnell, and got shot in the gut and mouth. Massena Howard was killed on the spot; Joshua Howard died the next day. In court, all parties were found not guilty.

=== July 8, 1899: baseball game shootout ===
The baseball game was part of the local Independence Day celebrations. The night before, however, Rufus Lindsey was at home when shots were fired into the house; he had reported some neighbors to the revenuers. He refused to come out of the house, and the attackers responded by cutting down three acres of his corn.

The baseball game the next day was the perfect opportunity for Rufus and two brothers to take revenge. They accused some in the crowd, who denied it; the three Lindsey’s began firing indiscriminately into the crowd. Immediately fire was returned from Rectors, Howards, McKinneys, Bartons, Harris, and Bruce. The expanding fight moved up the hillside. Each Lindsey brother was injured, at which point they fled in a buggy. The crowd chased for half a mile when the buggy broke down and the Lindseys fled into the woods on foot. The mob descended on the buggy and set it ablaze. In the end, several hundred shots were fired and a dozen or more wounded.

== DUSK FALLS ON THE DARK CORNER ==
As more roads increased access, the region became less isolated. In 1964, liquor tax was reduced by $1.50 per gallon. Combined with growing costs for ingredients (primarily sugar), illegal distillation gradually died out. Land investors purchased large tracts of Dark Corner for high-end housing development, like the Cliffs at Glassy. The extraordinary culture of the Dark Corner became a victim of the modernization of the Piedmont, celebrated in cities like Greenville.

== DEAN CAMPBELL ==
Greer Heritage Museum presents this exhibit in honor of Dean Campbell. He was born in the Dark Corner, the child of people with very deep roots there. In 1983, Dean became the ombudsman for a Limestone College project to collect oral history. The project, titled “Tales from the Dark Corner,” solidified his mission to preserve and share the heritage and stories of the Dark Corner — and gave a title to his newspaper editorials and books.

A newspaper writer from the Greenville News called him the “Squire of Dark Corner,” and that term stuck.

Dean dreamed of a permanent museum home to immortalize Dark Corner history. He began talking with our Museum in June 2022 about the Greer Heritage Museum hosting such an exhibit; sadly, he died before seeing the result.

The Museum made a film about Dean’s life; it can be seen in the Theatre.

Training documents

2024-02-11T20:37:32Z

GHM director: /* Volunteer Guides */

==Volunteer Guides==
* [[Theatre Exhibit]]
* [[Dark Corner Exhibit]]

==For anyone who needs it==
* [[Safe handling of artifacts and documents]]
* [[Processing: documents]]
* [[Processing: archive folders]]
* [[Conservation: paper and documents]]

==Omeka==

*[[Omeka: Take your first step]]
* [[Omeka: Updating existing records]]
* [[Omeka: Physical item records (artifacts and documents)]]
* [[Omeka: Person records]]
* [[Omeka: Place records]]
* [[Omeka: Business records]]
* [[Omeka: Collections, and finding aids]]
* [[Omeka: photography and scanning]]

==For individual projects==
* [[Dark Corner newspaper archive]]

[[category:Training]]

Omeka: photography and scanning

2024-02-11T14:14:11Z

GHM director:

== Before you start ==

'''Don't handle any items — paper, photos, or artifacts — without first reading''' '''[[Safe handling of artifacts and documents]]'''.

== Photographs ==
Omeka accepts photographs as attachments to all types of collections and records. When taking photographs, follow these guidelines:

* Items should be '''large''', filling most of the frame. It is acceptable to crop the photo down after it is taken.
* They should be on a plain, '''non-distracting background,''' preferably black. Nothing but the object should be visible (nothing in the background).
* They should be well and '''evenly lit'''. In particular, make sure your own shadow or camera’s shadow isn’t over the object.
* They should '''avoid reflections or glare'''. This can be difficult; in some cases, it will require a special photography setup. In those cases, talk with the Director (or just move to an easier subject). If possible, remove the object from containers (bags, frames, etc.) so you are photographing the object directly, not through plastic or glass.
* They should '''avoid shadows,''' particularly the shadow of you or your camera. Change your orientation such that light is coming from a side.
* They should be '''in focus'''; note that blur can be caused both by camera motion (hold it very still!) and by the camera being out of focus. The latter is often caused by the camera being too close to the object.
* '''No flash.''' A flash “flattens” the object, blanketing it with even light that obscures textures, shadows, and shapes.
* You usually need '''multiple pictures''' — one for each significant view or point of interest. For example, a coin would usually have two photos, front and back. Depending on the object you might have pictures of the back, bottom, sides, or inside.
* Take additional '''closeup photographs''' of original labels, identifying or manufacturer's marks, artistic elements, noteworthy construction details (e.g., an interesting hand-made hinge), or significant damage.

== Scanning ==
We have two scanners: a flatbed scanner, and a book scanner. They have very different uses and the quality of output is extremely different.

==== Flatbed scanner ====
The flatbed scanner is the only choice for photographs or high-quality scans of flat documents. It can also scan some small objects, like coins.

==== Book scanner ====
The book scanner is a special-use tool; it

[[category:Training]]
[[category:Omeka]]

Omeka: Take your first step

2024-02-11T14:07:59Z

GHM director:

Omeka: Take your first step

2024-02-11T14:07:26Z

GHM director:

__NOTOC__
Ready to help GHM with our Collection Management Software, Omeka? Awesome!

'''First you must have a login.''' This will be issued to you by the Museum Director.

Now, welcome to the Omeka team! The software can be intimidating, but it's not hard to use. At the same time, there are a lot of little things to learn. Open Omeka and follow along, using this as a guide.

==Looking around==

#'''Log in.''' Start by going to the administrative login page, at https://GreerHeritage.com/omeka-s. Enter your user name and password. If you don't have one, or it doesn't work, talk to the Museum Director.
#'''Ignore a lot of things.''' Of all the things you see, the only things you will use are the '''search bar''' (to the left) and the '''Items'''.
#'''Click on "Items"''' (in either place — the left menu or in the center of the screen) to see a list of all items.

== Searching ==
With so many items, you will have to search to find one you are looking for. Searching Omeka can be tricky. Try several different search techniques before assuming an item isn't in the system.

==== Search with accession number ====

* Put the number in quotation marks to find that exact thing. For example, search <code>"2003.12.1"</code> instead of <code>2003.12.1</code>.
* If you don't find it, try a shorter version. For example, if <code>"2003.12.1"</code> doesn't work, try <code>"2003.12"</code>.

==== Search by name, title, or subject ====

* There are times when you don't know an accession number, or when the accession number has been changed to fix a conflict or for some other reason. We try to keep both the old and new numbers in the record to help, but sometimes you have to find things without the number.
* Omeka Search looks at the entire record, not just the title. So you can search for any word you think might have been used in the description, transcription, or anywhere else in the record.

==== Still nothing? ====
It's very possible that the item is not in our system, or that it has an error of some sort. If you find one of these, add it to our [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1N7p-RDSWp-TzaKxyVs3kB4N5-7Rwzu0lGEP06tYhkK8/edit?usp=sharing '''Error List'''].

== Changing your password ==

# At the top left, click on your name.
# At the top right, click on Edit User.
# Click on the Password tab.
# Enter a new password, then click Save.

== Report an error ==
If you find objects that don't match their Omeka record or any other error, add it to our [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1N7p-RDSWp-TzaKxyVs3kB4N5-7Rwzu0lGEP06tYhkK8/edit?usp=sharing '''Error List'''].

Omeka: Take your first step

2024-02-11T14:05:27Z

GHM director:

__NOTOC__
Ready to help GHM with our Collection Management Software, Omeka? Awesome!

'''First you must have a login.''' This will be issued to you by the Museum Director.

Now, welcome to the Omeka team! The software can be intimidating, but it's not hard to use. At the same time, there are a lot of little things to learn. Open Omeka and follow along, using this as a guide.

==Looking around==

#'''Log in.''' Start by going to the administrative login page, at https://GreerHeritage.com/omeka-s. Enter your user name and password. If you don't have one, or it doesn't work, talk to the Museum Director.
#'''Ignore a lot of things.''' Of all the things you see, the only things you will use are the '''search bar''' (to the left) and the '''Items'''.
#'''Click on "Items"''' (in either place — the left menu or in the center of the screen) to see a list of all items.

== Searching ==
With so many items, you will have to search to find one you are looking for. Searching Omeka can be tricky. Try several different search techniques before assuming an item isn't in the system.

==== Search with accession number ====

* Put the number in quotation marks to find that exact thing. For example, search <code>"2003.12.1"</code> instead of <code>2003.12.1</code>.
* If you don't find it, try a shorter version. For example, if <code>"2003.12.1"</code> doesn't work, try <code>"2003.12"</code>.

==== Search by name, title, or subject ====

* There are times when you don't know an accession number, or when the accession number has been changed to fix a conflict or for some other reason. We try to keep both the old and new numbers in the record to help, but sometimes you have to find things without the number.
* Omeka Search looks at the entire record, not just the title. So you can search for any word you think might have been used in the description, transcription, or anywhere else in the record.

==== Still nothing? ====
It's very possible that the item is not in our system, or that it has an error of some sort. If you find one of these, add it to our [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1N7p-RDSWp-TzaKxyVs3kB4N5-7Rwzu0lGEP06tYhkK8/edit?usp=sharing '''Error List'''].

== Changing your password ==

# At the top left, click on your name.
# At the top right, click on Edit User.
# Click on the Password tab.
# Enter a new password, then click Save.

Omeka: Take your first step

2024-02-11T14:04:28Z

GHM director: Created page with "Ready to help GHM with our Collection Management Software, Omeka? Awesome! '''First you must have a login.''' This will be issued to you by the Museum Director. Now, welcome to the Omeka team! The software can be intimidating, but it's not hard to use. At the same time, there are a lot of little things to learn. Open Omeka and follow along, using this as a guide. ==Looking around== #'''Log in.''' Start by going to the administrative login page, at https://GreerHerita..."

Ready to help GHM with our Collection Management Software, Omeka? Awesome!

'''First you must have a login.''' This will be issued to you by the Museum Director.

Now, welcome to the Omeka team! The software can be intimidating, but it's not hard to use. At the same time, there are a lot of little things to learn. Open Omeka and follow along, using this as a guide.

==Looking around==

#'''Log in.''' Start by going to the administrative login page, at https://GreerHeritage.com/omeka-s. Enter your user name and password. If you don't have one, or it doesn't work, talk to the Museum Director.
#'''Ignore a lot of things.''' Of all the things you see, the only things you will use are the '''search bar''' (to the left) and the '''Items'''.
#'''Click on "Items"''' (in either place — the left menu or in the center of the screen) to see a list of all items.

== Searching ==
With so many items, you will have to search to find one you are looking for. Searching Omeka can be tricky. Try several different search techniques before assuming an item isn't in the system.

==== Search with accession number ====

* Put the number in quotation marks to find that exact thing. For example, search <code>"2003.12.1"</code> instead of <code>2003.12.1</code>.
* If you don't find it, try a shorter version. For example, if <code>"2003.12.1"</code> doesn't work, try <code>"2003.12"</code>.

==== Search by name, title, or subject ====

* There are times when you don't know an accession number, or when the accession number has been changed to fix a conflict or for some other reason. We try to keep both the old and new numbers in the record to help, but sometimes you have to find things without the number.
* Omeka Search looks at the entire record, not just the title. So you can search for any word you think might have been used in the description, transcription, or anywhere else in the record.

==== Still nothing? ====
It's very possible that the item is not in our system, or that it has an error of some sort. If you find one of these, add it to our [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1N7p-RDSWp-TzaKxyVs3kB4N5-7Rwzu0lGEP06tYhkK8/edit?usp=sharing '''Error List'''].

== Changing your password ==

# At the top left, click on your name.
# At the top right, click on Edit User.
# Click on the Password tab.
# Enter a new password, then click Save.