BEAUFORT, SC- National Park Service announced expanded hours of operation and new programs beginning Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019. The park visitor center, located at 706 Craven Street, will be open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 am - 5 pm. On October 18-19 and 26, 2019, the visitor center will remain open till 9 pm. In addition to expanded visitor center hours, new programs will be offered at 3 different park sites on the following days:
· Thursdays - 10 am and 2 pm - Bookends of Reconstruction Walk. Come hear stories of Reconstruction at 2 of the sites that serve as bookends to Reconstruction. Brick Church and Darrah Hall. Meet at Darrah Hall, located in the Penn Center National Historic Landmark District, 16 Penn Circle Drive.
· Fridays - 10 am and 2 pm - Robert Smalls Walking Tour - Join a park ranger for a walk in the Beaufort National Historic Landmark District to hear stories about Robert Smalls. See the house he was born in and returned to after the Civil War and visit his grave site. Meet at park visitor center on 706 Craven Street.
· Saturdays - 10 am and 2 pm - Union Forces in Beaufort. Join park staff for stories about the Union soldiers and Civil War Medicine. Meet at park visitor center, 706 Craven Street.
Reconstruction Era National Historical Park is administered by the National Park Service and is dedicated to commemorating the period from 1861 through 1900 when nearly four million African Americans, newly freed from bondage, sought to integrate into a free society and into the educational, economic, and political life of the country. The park visitor center and headquarters is located in the Old Firehouse, located at 706 Craven Street, Beaufort, South Carolina. Three additional sites include Darrah Hall and Brick Baptist Church, located on St. Helena Island in the Penn Center National Historic Landmark District, and Camp Saxton at Fort Fredrick in Port Royal. Now entering its second century, the National Park Service continues to explore new ways to help visitors connect and find their parks. For more information on park news, events and programs, follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ReconstructionNPS. Visit the park website at www.nps.gov/reer, call 843-227-1507 or email reer_information@nps.gov. You can also share your park experience with others by posting on social media with the hashtag #FindYourPark. Come find yours today!
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
