April 2004 — Historians and educators of the South Carolina State Park Service have long recognized the importance of the 1742 Map of Dorchester. This web project has served as one way to make this unique primary source come alive. We hope this web project will allow students of all ages gain a deeper understanding of the history of Colonial South Carolina. We also hope that this web project will encourage people to visit Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site.

Many people contributed to this project. Dan Bell, Historic Resource Coordinator for the South Carolina State Park Service, wrote nearly all the text found on this web site. Dan also provided recommendations for additional primary sources to accompany his text. Ashley Chapman, Park Manager for Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site, provided support for this project in a number of ways. Ashley is charged to promote and protect the resources found at Colonial Dorchester. We hope this web project will help him achieve that mission.

Amanda Lee, formerly a Graduate Assistant with the Teaching American History project, provided research support, particularly for the map history page. Chuck Lesser, Accessions Archivist with the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, lent his scholarly expertise to help us uncover clues about the 1742 map and other colonial documents. Many of the original documents found on this web site, such as the 1742 map itself, are located at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

Don Kauffman, social studies teacher at Guinyard-Butler Middle School in Barnwell, South Carolina, provided ideas for the Teacher Resources page. Don grew up in Summerville and has fond childhood memories of visiting the fort at Dorchester.

Gaines Halford, videographer for SCETV, provided both still shots and virtual movies for this site. Connie Robinette of SCETV provided web design and development support. Connie’s persistence and creativity has helped make this project a success.

Overall, I have enjoyed playing the role of facilitator and sharing ideas with the many partners involved with the project. Seeing these ideas come to life has been very exciting. This has truly been a worthwhile experience.

Don Stewart, Project Director
Teaching American History in South Carolina