NPS Civil Rights Grant
In February 2017, the National Park Service awarded the Sandy Island Cultural Initiative at Coastal Carolina University an African American Civil Rights Grant. This grant will fund historic documentation and preservation of the school house on Sandy Island. The grant will run through April of 2022, and will result in a Historic Structures Report and preservation plan for the Sandy Island school, as well as a National Historic Registry listing for a number of structures in the Sandy Island community. We are currently seeking further assistance to help make high-priority repairs on the school buildling.
The Athenaeum Press is proud to be a part of the Sandy Island Cultural Initiative. Alongside our At Low Tide project, we look forward to continuing to tell the story of Sandy Island's unique legacy of self-governance, political activism and education. We look forward to collaborating on bringing more awareness and resources to the Sandy Island community.
Check back on this page, or follow the Athenaeum Press on Facebook, to hear more updates as the grant continues.
Press Coverage:
- Grant Awarded:
- CCU to keep Sandy Island’s rich history alive with $100K grant (Sun News)
- CCU helps to preserve the history of Sandy Island: "It's a hidden gem." (WPDE News)
- Sandy Island: A Community and Historical Legacy (Atheneum Newsletter)
- CCU awarded grant for Sandy Island project (South Strand News)
- Sandy Island and the African American Civil Rights Grant (Edwards Digital Production Studio)
- Grant Progress:
- Summer 2019 Public Meeting Poster
- Summer 2019 Public Meetings Press Release
- Sandy Island Cultural Initiative works to revive historic school, national historic landmark (WMBF News)
Project Firms:
- Historic Architect: Cummings and McCrady
Timeline
- Spring 2019: Historic Architect develops Historic Structures Report (HSR)
- June 2019: Submitted 50% HSR to National Park Service
- Summer 2019: Solicit Public Feedback
- Fall 2019: Completed Historic Structures Report
Read it here: Sandy Island School Historic Structures Report - Winter 2019: Submit the application for National Historic Registration
- October 2020: Sandy Island School certified on the National Register for Historic Places
See the listing: Sandy Island School Historic Register Nomination - Fall 2021: Open bids for the Sandy Island rehabilitation
Other Initiatives
The Sandy Island Cultural Initiative is a collaboration among various departments at Coastal Carolina University, Brookgreen Gardens, and Georgetown County. It aims to tell the stories of African American and Gullah Geechee heritage along the Grand Strand and northeast South Carolina. We are currently working on the following initiatives:
- guiding students to identify, transcribe and organize the interviews conducted with Sandy Island and Georgetown community members;
- collaborating with community members to conduct genealogical and archival research;
- mapping the political activism (historic and current) of the African American communities along the Grand Strand.
Support
If you're interested in contributing towards the preservation of the Sandy Island community, please consider donating to the island community's non-profit, Sandy Island Transportation Project, which helps maintain and improve not only the school house, but other community resources like the dock and a pontoon boat.
You can send checks or money orders to:
Sandy Island Community Improvement
Attn: Carolyn Pyatt
15 Sandy Rd.
Pawleys Island, South Carolina 29585
If you're interested in touring Sandy Island, visit Tours de Sandy Island, run by Sandy Islander Rommy Pyatt.