COME JOIN US IN CHARLESTON FOR AN ENCORE SPRING EVENT! by Bob Snipes, SFA 2 All Snipes relations are invited to join us in our follow up to our successful Ben Snipes weekend in the Northwest. It’s an exploration of William Clay Snipes in South Carolina’s “lowcountry” region -- from the charming, historic Charleston to the inland town of Walterboro, SC. Come for any or all of the fun, arriving Thursday March 27 and finishing up Sunday afternoon March 30. William Clay Snipes, who has been widely written about, was a colorful Revolutionary War Officer. Following the same format as last spring, we’re opening to all members, as well as their friends and relatives, an event of broad interest that coincides with our Spring SFA Board meeting. Let me introduce this trip with a few words about Charleston drawn from the web site of one of our hosts, the South Carolina Historical Society: English settlers founded the city of Charleston in 1670 at Albemarle Point on the western bank of the Ashley River. Originally named Charles Town in honor of His Majesty, Charles II, of England, the city was relocated to its present site at the confluence of the Ashley and Cooper Rivers in 1680. Charleston has endured five major fires, a devastating earthquake, numerous hurricanes, and two national wars. During both the Revolutionary War and Civil War, enemy armies occupied Charleston, and the first shots of the Civil War were fired at Ft. Sumter in Charleston Harbor. With many well-preserved structures from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the cityscape of modern Charleston is one of the most historic in America. Our Director of Research, Dr. James W. (Jim) Fisher, SFA 7, has studied William Clay Snipes for a long time, visited the area, and has lined up some exciting resources and places to visit. Local member Sherry Pollard, SFA 372, has been invaluable in lining up our local arrangements, including a visit to a marvelous plantation. Read on! Accommodations/reservations Our base of operations will be the Quality Suites Conference Center 5225 North Arco Lane, Charleston, SC 29418, phone: 843-747-7300.  You can become familiar with the hotel at the following Internet address: www.qualitysuitescharleston.com The hotel has free shuttle service to the airport and more reasonable rates than those in downtown Charleston.; As it is, we were not quite able to keep the nightly charge under $100, but the $107 + 12.5% tax includes a hot made-to-order breakfast and a manager's reception, with complimentary drinks and appetizers, where you’re bound to find some other Snipes. Our reservation for a block of rooms at these rates is good until February 26. Late March is a popular time of year so what’s still available for us at this price is mostly king beds. To get the reduced rate, when you call to make and reserve a room in your name, specify that you are part of the Snipes Family of America group. Our negotiated rates will be available for as many as three days prior and three days following our event. Rooms may be cancelled up until 24 hours prior to arrival. Registering for the meeting Along with reserving your room, please notify me of your interest in attending. Once again, I am compiling a mailing list to use in sending additional details about the trip and various choices you may be called upon to make. So e-mail or call me right away if you decide to participate: snipes@principia.edu or 304.876.1332. This will also enable me to help arrange transportation by linking those who can offer rides with those who need rides to town on Friday and during the weekend activities. Our program/schedule Folks who want a full day in Charleston Friday can arrive with Board members and others in time to stay Thursday night. Look for other Snipes at the complimentary wine & cheese event at the hotel that evening. During the day Friday, participants can mix and match between SFA-sponsored events and sightseeing time in town on your own or with Snipes cousins. For area attractions see: www.charlestoncvb.com/visitors/index.html The Friday morning SFA-sponsored event takes place at the South Carolina Historical Society (SCHS) library at 100 Meeting Street, Charleston. Jim Fisher will guide those who come in performing research on William Clay Snipes and others. Around noon, we will have an informal lunch at a nearby restaurant. In preparation for your visit, or to simply experience SCHS resources vicariously, investigate www.schsonline.org Friday afternoon, Jane Aldrich, assistant director of SCHS, has arranged for us to hold our Board meeting in the Tower Room at the SCHS library. The meeting is open to all members. As an alternative to one or both of the above “work” activities, you may rather tour Charleston, and that’s perfectly understandable!  You might catch some of Charleston’s historic cemeteries where William Clay Snipes’ descendants -- or even the gentleman he shot in a duel – are buried. The time for everyone to come together is Friday evening for dinner at Poogan’s Porch, a quaint charming restaurant reflective of Charleston. See www.poogansporch.com. If circumstances allow, we will do a brief orientation for the weekend activities and answer questions. Saturday morning, we will embark on a William Clay Snipes field trip by auto caravan. The first leg of the trip entails driving an hour west to Walterboro, SC where we will have lunch in a private dining room at The Blarney Stone. As lunch ends, we will hear a discussion between Jim and Ms. Laura Lynn Hughes, the Historian and Recording Curator for the Walterboro Historical Society. Ms. Hughes is quite conversant with the history surrounding William Clay Snipes and his plantation. We will appreciate having this helpful background information as we venture off to related venues. One of these is the site of Colonel Snipes’s Horseshoe Plantation. Mind you the plantation no longer exists, but historians have come up with what they think is the location, and we will lead you there. We will also endeavor to visit the church cemetery where William Clay Snipes was buried (though he has been moved to a site unknown to us) before heading back for a free evening on the town. Sunday, we will have a very special opportunity to visit Middleton Place, A National Historic Landmark, Middleton place is a carefully preserved 18th-century plantation that has survived revolution, Civil War, and earthquake. Although there were no Snipes associated directly with Middleton Place, it was established in 1741 and contains the oldest extant gardens in the U.S. Read more about Middleton Place and how it can take up to a full day to explore: www.middletonplace.org. We hope you will join us for this exciting trip.