The Beaufort Museum and The Case of the Shrunken Head
Once upon a time there was a man of unknown name or origin. No doubt he must have been something of an adventurer because, somehow, he found himself in the regrettable position of being amongst adversaries and they shrunk his head. And you thought you were having a bad day.
Who knows how or when or (especially) why, but his head ended up in the collection of the Beaufort Museum. And, while no one knows exactly who the unfortunate soul was whose fate it was to have his head minimized and put into a museum in the South Carolina Lowcountry, one thing was certain.
He was famous.
Every child who grew up in Beaufort in the 60s and 70s made a trip to the museum to see The Shrunken Head. Never mind the rest of the stuff in the museum - things like old carriages, pictures of Civil War generals, and arrowheads from the Yamasee Indians. You know, things that were actually meaningful and important and relevant to our heritage. On school field trips the buzz on the bus was about only one thing.
The Shrunken Head.
A few months ago we got an invitation to visit with Katherine Lang at the new and improved Beaufort History Museum to discuss a temporary exhibit in the museum related to the history in our book. In reply, I asked her two questions:
When can we come over?
Can I see The Shrunken Head?
Imagine my overwhelming disappointment when she told me that they no longer had The Shrunken Head. It had disappeared when museum artifacts were moved about.
As my Dad says, durnit.
This tragic misfortune aside, we had a wonderful visit at the museum and perused the very nice collection of Beaufort history items housed there, including the current special exhibit of Victorian clothing. Helpfully arranged in chronological order, we walked through the beginnings of Beaufort through the chaotic time of the Civil War and on to the 1950s.
An especially interesting piece is the stove used to heat irons in the Mather School. In 1867, Rachel Mather came to Beaufort from Boston with the philosophy that every woman deserved a good education and with the intent to educate daughters of freed slaves. Her school became the underpinnings to what is now the Technical College of the Lowcountry.
There's a fitting tribute to Robert Smalls, who some say is the first African-American hero of the Civil War. Stephen Elliott, who organized the Beaufort artillery and was present at the bombardment of Fort Sumter, imposingly stares down at you from his life-size painting. You can get a demonstration on how a rice trunk works and ponder Beaufort area life in the 1500s.
When you come away from the museum, your understanding is reinforced that Beaufort is not only a beautiful place, but it's also an important place in the annals of history. So if you've never visited the museum or you haven't been there in a while, take an hour and go see what they've done with it. I promise you'll be enlightened.
And if you happen to have information on the whereabouts of The Shrunken Head, please fess up. We miss him.
Special thanks to Katherine Lang, President of the Beaufort History Museum, for inviting us to be part of the wonderful legacy that is the Beaufort Museum.
For more information about the Beaufort History Museum, go to: