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Posted on Tue, May. 22, 2012
First freedmen's community part of SC budget
By SEANNA ADCOX
Associated Press
Money for America's first community of freed slaves is part of the South Carolina budget debate, 150 years after the community's founding.
The 2012-13 proposal being debated on the Senate floor includes $200,000 for the Mitchelville Preservation Project on Hilton Head Island.
Sen. Tom Davis asked for the money, calling the project's importance on par with preserving the Civil War battlefields of Gettysburg, Pa., and Manassas, Va.
The former community at the northern end of Hilton Head Island came together after invading Union Army and Navy troops established headquarters on the sea island's Port Royal in fall 1861. By military order, the Union created a safe haven for slaves left behind by plantation owners who fled inland and for slaves fleeing from plantations on nearby islands - nine months before the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.
The village of between 1,500 and 2,000, named after Union Gen. Ormsby Mitchel, could be considered the now-resort island's first planned development, complete with homes built on half-acre parcels, town elections and mandatory schooling. Residents of the self-governing town dispersed after Union troops left in 1868.
"Mitchelville is not a story of slaves. It is not a story of the black community. It's a story of American history, of Americans who earned their freedom and learned how to govern themselves," said Randy Dolyniuk, treasurer for the preservation project.
The $200,000 for Mitchelville is among a list of $4 million worth of projects for private nonprofits and local governments proposed for removal by some Republicans. Sen. Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, said his amendment strips out items that are not state obligations.
On the floor Tuesday, Davis called for fiscal prudence in the budget, as he argued for his amendment on tax cuts. The limited-government advocate opposes earmarks and told The Associated Press he agrees with Massey's premise. But he said Mitchelville is worthy of state assistance in telling the story of citizens' shared heritage.
"Hilton Head is not just beaches and resorts and golf courses. It's also the site of a compelling story of people seeking to be free," said Davis, R-Beaufort.
Massey said he remains unconvinced.
"It sounds like a wonderful idea, but it also sounds like a private project," he said.
While the Senate touched on the debate Tuesday, senators carried over all arguments until Wednesday.
The nonprofit group seeking to preserve Mitchelville officially formed in 2010, on the eve of the Civil War sesquicentennial. The budget designation would help buy plots adjoining a 33-acre beachfront town park toward the nonprofit's long-term goal of recreating parts of the original town.
Davis said he hopes Mitchelville eventually becomes a living history tourism attraction akin to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia.
The nonprofit actually sought $500,000 from the state, Dolyniuk said.
As for the debate, he said, "Everybody has great projects. Everybody has need for funding, but what better place to recognize and realize the first freedmen's community."
Still in its early stages, the project has no timetable for completion. The research and archaeological digs will likely continue indefinitely, he said.
"That spirit of freedom is something that can really get its hooks into you. The more you look into it, the more you want to learn," said Dolyniuk, whose great-great-great grandfather was a Confederate soldier out of Georgia.
http://www.thestate.com/2012/05/22/2285953/1st-freedmens-community-part-of.html
First freedmen's community part of SC budget
By SEANNA ADCOX
Associated Press
Money for America's first community of freed slaves is part of the South Carolina budget debate, 150 years after the community's founding.
The 2012-13 proposal being debated on the Senate floor includes $200,000 for the Mitchelville Preservation Project on Hilton Head Island.
Sen. Tom Davis asked for the money, calling the project's importance on par with preserving the Civil War battlefields of Gettysburg, Pa., and Manassas, Va.
The former community at the northern end of Hilton Head Island came together after invading Union Army and Navy troops established headquarters on the sea island's Port Royal in fall 1861. By military order, the Union created a safe haven for slaves left behind by plantation owners who fled inland and for slaves fleeing from plantations on nearby islands - nine months before the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863.
The village of between 1,500 and 2,000, named after Union Gen. Ormsby Mitchel, could be considered the now-resort island's first planned development, complete with homes built on half-acre parcels, town elections and mandatory schooling. Residents of the self-governing town dispersed after Union troops left in 1868.
"Mitchelville is not a story of slaves. It is not a story of the black community. It's a story of American history, of Americans who earned their freedom and learned how to govern themselves," said Randy Dolyniuk, treasurer for the preservation project.
The $200,000 for Mitchelville is among a list of $4 million worth of projects for private nonprofits and local governments proposed for removal by some Republicans. Sen. Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, said his amendment strips out items that are not state obligations.
On the floor Tuesday, Davis called for fiscal prudence in the budget, as he argued for his amendment on tax cuts. The limited-government advocate opposes earmarks and told The Associated Press he agrees with Massey's premise. But he said Mitchelville is worthy of state assistance in telling the story of citizens' shared heritage.
"Hilton Head is not just beaches and resorts and golf courses. It's also the site of a compelling story of people seeking to be free," said Davis, R-Beaufort.
Massey said he remains unconvinced.
"It sounds like a wonderful idea, but it also sounds like a private project," he said.
While the Senate touched on the debate Tuesday, senators carried over all arguments until Wednesday.
The nonprofit group seeking to preserve Mitchelville officially formed in 2010, on the eve of the Civil War sesquicentennial. The budget designation would help buy plots adjoining a 33-acre beachfront town park toward the nonprofit's long-term goal of recreating parts of the original town.
Davis said he hopes Mitchelville eventually becomes a living history tourism attraction akin to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia.
The nonprofit actually sought $500,000 from the state, Dolyniuk said.
As for the debate, he said, "Everybody has great projects. Everybody has need for funding, but what better place to recognize and realize the first freedmen's community."
Still in its early stages, the project has no timetable for completion. The research and archaeological digs will likely continue indefinitely, he said.
"That spirit of freedom is something that can really get its hooks into you. The more you look into it, the more you want to learn," said Dolyniuk, whose great-great-great grandfather was a Confederate soldier out of Georgia.
http://www.thestate.com/2012/05/22/2285953/1st-freedmens-community-part-of.html
Bringing the