SI Mag 3.3

15 www.SullivansIslandMagazine.com | www.SullivansIslandHomes.com Quarantined on Sullivan’s Island: Understanding the Past T he hallways of history, however disturbing or intense, deserve careful examination and delicate scrutiny so we can look back and find the truth and look forward with a clearer perspective for the future. Such is the case with the institution of slavery, and, more specifically, with Sullivan’s Island’s role from 1707 until the 1790s, when it served as a quarantine station for sick seafarers and was the entry point for ships carrying slaves from Africa to a new country. This historical fact has made it a nearly sacred place for many Americans, a place to commemorate their ancestors who were brought here in bondage. With the cultural significance of Sullivan’s Island in mind, Dr. Nic Butler, a well-known local historian with the Charleston County Public Library, has new research into very old records that has the potential to provide a better understanding of Charleston and the sea islands’ role in the slave trade. “We need the facts, and I’m trying to dig up the facts,” he said. “But we’re not just talking about numbers or figures or dates. We’re talking about people.” Following the Paper Trail As a historian, Butler specializes in unearthing details buried in old records and looking at primary source material. He said he never set out to write about the pest house, but, while researching another topic – to find out more about the fortification of Charleston and its distinction as the most walled city – he started “following the paper trail” By Pamela Brownstein by reading all the Colonial government records. Since those records are kept in the state library in Columbia, Butler spent a lot of time driving to the South Carolina capital and making notes. He kept finding little bits of information about the pest house on Sullivan’s Island that were interesting but not related to his work. “In the course of methodically plowing through these government records, I started gathering and interpreting details about the pest house,” Butler said. “And in the process of doing that, changing conclusions.” [ Feature ] Dr. Nic Butler