Join us to learn the story of Lavinia C. Thompson, an enslaved woman who followed her master into battle as a Confederate Army cook, and was later paid pensions for her involuntary service to the Confederate cause.
Join us for the City of Laurens Juneteenth Festival on June 17, 2023! We’re thrilled to announce that Dr. Walter B. Curry Jr. will be speaking at the Laurens County Museum at 1:00 pm, sharing his insightful perspective on this important occasion. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and celebrate the significance of […]
Join us for lunch at the Lizards Thicket in Columbia, SC from 11:30 AM-12:30PM for a special presentation by Dr. Walter B. Curry, on his book, "The Awakening: The Seawright-Ellison Family Saga, Vol.1, A Narrative History". Books will be available for sale at a discounted price.
Join us Tuesday, July 11, at 6 pm as Dr. Walter B. Curry, Jr. will be here to discuss his book The Awakening: The Seawright-Ellison Family Saga, Vol.1, A Narrative History. The book has been selected as a 2023 National Indie Excellence Book Awards Finalist in two categories: African American Non-Fiction & Regional Non-Fiction Southeast. […]
I will be at Barnes & Noble Bookstore, 3400 Forest Drive, Columbia, SC on Saturday August 12th, 12:00 PM-2:00 PM. I’m going to have Columbia African American history displays that features my ancestral connections to historic Ward One, Washington Street Business District, Palmetto State Barbers Association, and the desegregation of the South Carolina Department of […]
2023 Jubilee Festival of Black History & Culture hosted by Historical Columbia, on Saturday September 16th, 2023, at the Mann-Simons Site from 11:00 AM-6:00 PM. The book, "The Awakening: The Seawright-Ellison Family Saga, Vol.1, A Narrative History" featuring ancestral stories connected to Columbia African American history including the historic Ward One community, Olympia Mills, Washington […]
Saturday Signing on September 23rd, 1pm-3pm, at the Book Tavern. Purchase the book, The Thompson Family: Untold Stories From The Past (1830-1960) on that day and enter to win one of several excellent prizes from me including a friend membership to the Lucy Craft Laney Museum.
I will be doing an interpretive talk on "Civil War Cooking: What the Confederate Soldiers Ate" which will focus on the foods Confederate soldiers ate prepared by cooks, when they were stationed at Battery Pringle area of Dill Sanctuary, and other locations during the way. Some of the cooks were enslaved laborers who included my […]
Ancestral Reflections: The Thompson Family is a collection of eight individual paintings that features the individual experiences of enslaved relatives which include a woman who served in the Civil War; and individual agricultural and civic activities during past times in the rural South Carolina; from the award-winning book, The Thompson Family: Untold Stories from The […]
Lavinia was born enslaved on June 3rd, 1844, in Aiken County, and this presentation tells her personal story of slavery and survival during the Civil War. Lavinia would follow her master into battle in the Civil War, serving the Confederate army as a cook. Six decades later, she would be among about 100 black South […]
We are kicking off 2024 at the historic Lucy Laney Craft Museum of Black History in Augusta, GA, on Saturday January 13th, 2024, at 5:30 P.M. Join us for a book signing and special family presentation on, "The Life of Nickie Mae Winn Corley: An African American Entrepreneurship, Civil Rights Activist, and Advocate of Women […]
This presentation explores the reasons why South Carolina used African American labor during the war; the diverse roles of African American labor during the war; SC approval of Confederate pensions for African Americans; notable features of the pension application; and notable South Carolina African American Confederate Pensioners.