Valuing the Vernacular in Beaufort, SC
When Emily Varley arrived in Beaufort, SC for a summer internship, she had no idea she’d make a discovery that would change the course of her studies at USC. Her research for the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park led her to a boarded-up Freedman’s cottage associated with both Daniel Simmons, a Black soldier for the Union in the Civil War, and Edith Stokes, a Black woman who lived there for nearly 60 years. Edith’s granddaughter Annie Mae Stokes was born in the house and shared stories with Emily about everyday life there. Will those stories be part of the park’s Reconstruction-based interpretation? Emily talks with co-host Trudi Sandmeier about her summer and her thesis, Reconstruction Right Now: Conserving Vernacular Heritage in Beaufort, South Carolina as an Act of Reconstructing Preservation Practice.
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Photograph from Oral History Interview. Interviewer Emily Varley (L) & Informant Annie Mae Stokes (R). Videography of Oral History Interview conducted by Paul Keyserling. 
Emily Varley at the park headquarters office, summer 2022. 
Map of Beaufort County, SC by E. Varley. 
Plan of the City of Beaufort, SC. Image Source: National Archives. 
Primary façade of 1313 Congress Street. View NE. Image Source: E. Varley, August 2022. 
West façade of 1313 Congress Street. View East. Photograph by E. Varley, August 2022. 
East façade of 1313 Congress Street. View SW. Photograph by E. Varley, August 2022. 
Site Context & House Location Diagram-1313 Congress St. by E. Varley. 
Known Subdivisions of Block 100 from 1896 to 1946. Source: E. Varley. 
1313 Congress Street, View NE. Photo by C. Brooks, August 1997 – SC Dept. of Archives & History. 
1313 Congress Street as an example of a Freedmen’s Cottage in Northwest Quadrant Design Principles – The Beaufort Preservation Manual (2022).
Featuring
Emily Varley is a recent graduate of the University of Southern California’s dual master’s program in Urban Planning and Heritage Conservation and earned degrees in anthropology and history from Baylor University. She is passionate about transforming the fields of historic preservation and urban planning into tools of advocacy and community-led heritage conservation and creation and is excited to be part of evolving the practice. She grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and enjoys running. Her next research project will take her to central Italy to document cultural resources as part of the San Giuliano Archaeological Research Project.
Trudi Sandmeier is a Professor of Practice in Heritage Conservation, and the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for the USC School of Architecture.
Her work centers on the conservation of the recent past and the impact of underrepresented communities on the historic built environment.
Want to know more about some of the ideas and places mentioned in this episode? Check out:
Second Founding of America: Reconstruction Era is a not-for-profit corporation, working in collaboration with The Community Foundation of the Lowcountry. Our mission is to uncover the truth and to tell and teach missing parts of our nation’s history.
Reconstruction Era National Historical Park
Reconstruction Era National Historic Network – This network, managed by Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, includes sites and programs that are affiliated with the Reconstruction Era, but not necessarily managed by the National Park Service. The network facilitates and reviews Reconstruction Era related research and collaboration with affiliated sites and programs through agreements and partnerships. This network is nationwide and works to provide opportunities for visitors to connect to the stories of Reconstruction.
USC Heritage Conservation Programs
Credits
Episode produced by Willa Seidenberg and Cindy Olnick with help from Trudi Sandmeier
Original theme music by Stephen Conley (stephenconleymusic@gmail.com)
Additional music for this episode by Ezra Brodersen
Website assistance by Steven Fimbres
Save As logo designed by Fern Vargas, USC School of Architecture
More about the Save As team on the About page
