Voices of Mather Project Sharing Underrepresented Lowcountry History
The Voices of Mather project has received a $200,000 grant. This partnership among the Mather Museum & Interpretive Center, the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, and the University of South Carolina Beaufort will document and share the history of the Mather School, founded in 1868 to educate the children of formerly enslaved people. The project will include a digitized oral history collection, an enhanced walking tour with video, and a podcast series to preserve and amplify the voices of the Mather community.
“The Voices of Mather project will continue the legacy and open doors for many Matherites to share their experiences at the Mather School as a testimony to the impact that the school had on students from all over the United States and abroad,” said Rufus Pinckney, executive director of the Mather School Museum & Interpretive Center. “This project is an essential factor in fulfilling the mission of telling the Mather story now and for generations to come.”
“One of the goals of the Voices of Mather project is really to broaden the public understanding of the history of Beaufort’s Mather School and also to tell this history in a new way, from multiple perspectives, multiple voices,” said Dr. Timothy James, professor of history at the University of South Carolina Beaufort. “I am especially excited about the opportunity to record and preserve the oral histories of those who attended the school in the 1950s and 60s.”
“This project not only honors the legacy of the Mather School but also empowers students to participate in a meaningful act of preservation that blends communication, history, and public engagement,” said Dr. Caroline E. Sawyer, associate professor of communication and interdisciplinary studies at USCB. “The Voices of Mather project exemplifies the community and experiential learning mission of USCB, bridging scholarship and storytelling to amplify voices that have shaped the region’s past and continue to inspire its future.”
The The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation (GDDF) also awarded grants to the Colleg of Charleston for their project entitled Lowcountry Oral History Initiative and to The Village Museum for their project entitled Voices of the Village Waterfront.
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KL /9/30/25