The 250th anniversary of the founding of our nation. The 250th anniversary of the Battle of Sullivan’s Island. To recognize all this is going to what? Cost some money? Utilize town resources? Bring some more tourists to the island? What do we get out of it? Maybe businesses get a few more patrons. Maybe the battle that occurred here on June 28, 1776, finally gets recognized as one of the most important events of the American Revolution. But should we care that Charleston — which includes us — was designated as one of only four “signature cities” in the nation for the 250th? Sure, they’re going to be celebrating down at Fort Moultrie. Is that good enough? And when the governor, members of Congress, the British ambassador, the secretary of the interior and maybe the president of the country pass through our community on the way to Fort Moultrie, how will we demonstrate the pride we have in our community and its incredible Revolutionary history?
Here are some facts. I first published an article in the Island Eye News in October 2024, 15 months ago, under the title “How Will Sullivan’s Island Celebrate Our Nation’s 250th Anniversary?” In that article, I reported that a small group of volunteers was meeting occasionally to work on answering that question. These brainstorming sessions were very productive and included representatives from town government, the arts community, educators, community service organizations and islanders at large. The group came up with many ideas, some great, some not really workable. But in that article, I issued a plea saying, “But we need more. We need your input. I’ll try to keep you informed as this project progresses, but in the meantime, if anyone has thoughts about how the 250th anniversary of this great nation of ours should be celebrated locally, please send them to me.”
The result? Zero. No input. No communication. Absolutely nothing — that is, until the brouhaha broke out regarding the tagline for the welcome sign. I’m not going to revisit that discussion. I fully understand the sensitivities it provoked. But I want to make it perfectly clear that none of this has been done in a vacuum or without many opportunities for public input. All ideas for celebrating the 250th that have come to my attention have been presented in multiple public forums — the public facilities committee, the recreation committee, the Town Council workshop and the full Town Council meetings. The photos of the palmetto log fort project from 1976 have been shown more times than I can count.
So my question to the current critics, as well as those who have now come up with some very positive suggestions, is simply this: Where have you been since October 2024? The 250th has been going on since April 19, 2025. As I write this, we are only 165 days away from Carolina Day 2026 and 171 days away from July 4.
If we do the least that can be done for this 250th anniversary of one of the most important events in world history, we are going to be embarrassed. We have the opportunity to shine a spotlight on our community and show the country how this event “heard ’round the world” should be recognized. This won’t be done with only marching bands and a few food trucks. It won’t even be done with completion of a palmetto log fort wall, if that happens. This is going to take an islandwide effort. It’s going to take imaginative and creative ideas. It’s going to take dedication to make this something special. And yes, it’s going to take some investment.
I’ve tried to conceptualize how we — or at least I, as an islander — would feel if we do little to nothing to recognize our 250th birthday. I’ll have to clean this up a little bit so it can be printed, but it’s probably best stated in the opening speech by George C. Scott from the movie Patton. You’ll remember he’s standing in front of that huge U.S. flag talking to the troops he’s about to lead into battle. At the end of this iconic speech, he says, to the effect, “By God, I envy you men. I really do. Thirty years from now, when you’re sitting around your fireside with your grandson on your knee and he asks you what did you do in the great World War II, you won’t have to say, “Well, I shoveled manure in Louisiana.”
So, 30 years from now, when our descendants ask us what we did for the great 250th birthday of America, what will we say?
Disclaimer: I write this as an individual, not as the president of Battery Gadsden Cultural Center. The opinions expressed are mine alone and not those of the organization or its board of directors.