Daniel Island Historical Society earns state award for preservation efforts
The Daniel Island Historical Society has received an Award of Merit from the Confederation of South Carolina Local Historical Societies for two community programs focused on local history and public engagement.
The recognition was presented at the CSCLHS Landmark Conference in York County honoring DIHS programs completed in 2025: the ongoing “Live Oak Campaign: If These Trees Could Talk, What Stories Would They Tell?” and an “Artifact Show & Tell Day” held last fall in partnership with The Charleston Museum.
“We could not be more proud to receive this honor from the Confederation of South Carolina Local Historical Societies,” said Beth Bush, president and co-founder of DIHS. “It is just a wonderful validation of the work we do day in and day out to ensure that our local history is preserved, protected, and shared!”
CSCLHS awards are presented annually to programs or projects that demonstrate outstanding efforts in advancing local history through education, preservation, or community engagement.
The Live Oak Campaign, one of DIHS’s long-running initiatives, began in 2014 in partnership with the Daniel Island Property Owners’ Association. The program allows residents to adopt public live oak trees across the island, name them, and dedicate them in honor or memory of individuals. Each tree is also registered with the national Live Oak Society in Louisiana as well as with DIHS.
“A few years after our organization’s founding, we began to contemplate ways we could tangibly celebrate our island’s history,” said Joy Kelly, co-chair of the DIHS Live Oak Campaign.
“This was important, because here on Daniel Island there are no visible historical structures to see and appreciate. But all around us are magnificent and majestic grand live oak trees. We started to imagine the history they must have witnessed over centuries – the island’s early occupation by the Etiwan Tribe; the arrival of European settlers such as our island’s namesake – Gov. Robert Daniell; the cultivation of rice, cotton and other crops; shipbuilding in the 19th century; and the activities surrounding the Civil War and Revolutionary War. The importance of the trees took center stage for us, and we decided to launch a campaign to honor them and the stories they keep.”
The campaign began with an inventory of roughly 100 live oaks in public spaces that could be adopted. Over time, nearly all of those trees were assigned through the program. Each adopted “witness tree” represents both a piece of the island’s natural landscape and a personal dedication from its adopter.
DIHS leaders hope to expand the program in the future by adding additional trees to the registry.
“It has truly been a great source of pride for DIHS and our community,” Kelly said.
ARTIFACT SHOW & TELL DAY
The second program recognized by CSCLHS, "Artifact Show & Tell Day," was held at the Daniel Island Recreation Center in September 2025. The event was hosted in partnership with The Charleston Museum and Drayton Hall and brought together archaeologists, educators, and community members for hands-on history programming.
Guests were invited to bring in artifacts discovered in the Lowcountry for identification and discussion by experts. Archaeologists helped identify objects and provided historical context for the items brought in by attendees.
The program also included separate archaeology workshops for children and teens led by educators from The Charleston Museum. Participants examined materials such as pottery fragments, glassware, bone, and metal artifacts while learning how archaeologists analyze and interpret historical objects.
They also participated in guided exercises designed to introduce basic archaeological methods, including artifact sorting and analysis, as well as hands-on activities involving broken historical objects used to demonstrate how researchers reconstruct and interpret the past.
“Partnering with DIHS for the Artifact Show & Tell Day provided a wonderful opportunity to share The Charleston Museum's education programming and mission,” said Elise Reagan, chief of education for the museum.
“Through the activities on this exciting day of archaeology, we fostered an interest and passion in local history and archaeology that will continue to ensure history is preserved and shared."
CSCLHS officials said the DIHS programs were selected for their community-based approach and emphasis on public education.
“With great pleasure, we have awarded the Daniel Island Historical Society an Award of Merit for their Artifact Show and Tell, Kids' Archaeology Workshop, and Teens' Archaeology Workshop programming, and their Live Oak Campaign,” said Haley Milner, vice president of CSCLHS. “The DIHS continues its track record of providing engaging outreach and education that promotes local history using fun, community-centered methods.”
The DIHS has received prior recognition from CSCLHS, including two Awards of Merit in 2024 for its Cainhoy Collective Oral History Project and cemetery preservation work.
The Confederation of South Carolina Local Historical Societies, founded in 1964, is a statewide organization that supports local historical societies, museums, and preservation groups. Its annual awards program recognizes projects and individuals contributing to the preservation and interpretation of South Carolina history.