Greenville Technical College’s School of Arts and Sciences Speaker Series launches this February with its first event, a special virtual presentation in celebration of Black History Month by Mable Owens Clarke of Soapstone Baptist Church in Pickens County and Dr. John M. Coggeshall of Clemson University. The public is invited to attend, and there is no charge to attend this virtual event.
The presentation, “Liberia, South Carolina: An African American Appalachian Community,” also the title of Dr. Coggeshall’s book, will be held online through Zoom on February 12 at 10 a.m. The discussion will explore the African-American culture and history of the Liberia Community and the creation and influence of the Soapstone Baptist Church, founded in 1865 by freed slaves in upper Pickens County, near Pumpkintown.
Clarke is a community historian, chef, trained dietician, deacon and (at 78) youngest member of the nine-member Soapstone Baptist Church. Her great-grandfather Joseph McJunkin founded the church and donated the land where it stands today. McJunkin first held outdoor services beside the giant soapstone rock, which is still a feature on the property next to the church building.
Dr. Coggeshall, professor of anthropology at Clemson University, details the history of the Liberia Community and Soapstone Baptist Church in his book (same title as presentation), published by UNC Press in 2018. His specific research interests include the cultural history of the S.C. mountains, traditional cultures in the Midwest and Carolinas, heritage tourism, gated communities, ethical issues in ethnographic research, and undergraduate pedagogy.
His latest research is the soon-to-be published “Something in These Hills,” about the meaning of land to insiders through ownership, occupancy, stories, and burials in the mountains of upper South Carolina.
Clarke holds a monthly fish fry at Soapstone Baptist Church to help keep both the community and the church going. The fry is a result of a promise she made to her mother, Lula Mae Owens, three days before she died at age 103, to never let doors to the church close. GTC event organizers encourage the community to consider attending February’s fish fry, Saturday, Feb. 20. Visit www.soapstonechurch.com to learn more about the church and event details.
To register for the School of Arts & Sciences Speakers Series presentation, sign-up on Eventbrite at https://GTC-ArtsandSciencesSpeakerSeries.eventbrite.com by Feb. 11. Reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis as capacity is limited. A link to attend the presentation through Zoom will be sent by email to all who register. For questions about the event, contact Dianne Chidester at Dianne.chidester@gvltec.edu.
To learn more about the School of Arts and Sciences at Greenville Technical College, visit www.gvltec.edu/arts-sciences/.