About us

In recognition of the 300th anniversary of the city of Beaufort's charter, the Beaufort Three-Century Project set out to tap our community's cultural memory through a three-year process of exploration, studies and special events that honor the past to better chart the future, culminating with the tricentennial celebration on January 17, 2011.

In 2011, the city of Beaufort, South Carolina, will pop the cork, drop the confetti, release the balloons, strike up the band and celebrate its 300th birthday. When the 300th anniversary of the city's charter date — January 17, 2011 — arrives, there will be more to celebrate than the past. Beaufort's tricentennial is also the perfect time to embark on a clear roadmap for the future. From the project's beginning in January 2008 through its conclusion in January 2011, by looking back at our history, the Beaufort Three-Century Project will strive to help the community answer questions about what is important to Beaufort, what defines her, who we are as Beaufortonians, who we aspire to be as ancestors to future generations, what we value, and what we can do to ensure that this legacy and sense of place — this place — endures long into the future.

The initiative engages children, elders and everyone in between in a process of exploring Beaufort's history through exhibits, community documentation, film, photography, writing, art, dance, theatre, lectures, programs and other creative outlets, including this Web site. Projects help define Beaufort in as many ways, formats and venues as possible. Scholars, historians, artists, teachers, grandparents and community leaders guide structured activities that examine Beaufort's stories, people and places. A resource repository of interviews, photographs and film is being created. And people will come together for a dialogue focused on how they would like the city to evolve over the next 10, 20, 100 years.