HENRY TIMROD
The Poet Laureate of the Confederacy. Henry Timrod, one of four children of William Henry and Thyrza Prince Timrod, was born December 8, 1829, in Charleston, South Carolina. He received his early education in Charleston and attended Franklin College (now part of the University of Georgia). Poor health forced Timrod to return home before completing his degree. In Charleston, he studied law in the office of James L. Petigru and pursued his writing in the company of William Gilmore Simms. Timrod focused more on poetry than on law, and he soon left Petigru’s office to write and to prepare himself for a college teaching position. Unable to get a professorship, Timrod became a tutor and continued to write and publish the poetry that prompted Alfred, Lord Tennyson to dub him “The Poet Laureate of the Confederacy.“
TIMROD LIBRARY
In 1897 a group of young Summerville women formed a Chautauqua Reading Circle; from this modest beginning the Timrod Library developed. The women donated the books from their reading circle to be the nucleus of a membership library chartered April 23, 1908. Within seven years their library had a permanent home.
On land donated by the town of Summerville, Jim Cooper, a local contractor, erected the building on Central Avenue. The Timrod, the only library building in Summerville until the public library on Trolley Road was constructed in the 1970’s, opened on April 15, 1915 and continues to serve the Summerville community to this day. In 1986 an additional, much-needed room was added thanks to the generosity of Catherine Peterman Stewart, a long-time librarian, friend, and benefactor. Again local companies donated materials.
The building is located in the historic district of Summerville, which is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. When the library was chartered, the founding group renamed the reading circle the Henry Timrod Literary and Library Society honoring the South Carolina poet who, according to unconfirmed local tradition taught here in the years before the Civil War. Because of the profound impression his wartime poetry made on civilians and soldiers alike, Henry Timrod became known as the Laureate of the Confederacy.
ABOUT THE GEOCACHE: NOTE: This geocache has been placed with permission of the Timrod Library. This geocache is placed outside. But when you are at this location and see the OPEN sign on the front door of the Library, we invite you to go inside and explore this local Summerville literary treasure. May have some muggles at times. Please respect the surrounding gardens/plants that are near this geocache. No need to go through the gardens/plants to obtain this geocache. As always, please replace the geocache EXACTLY as found so others may find this. Initially the cache has a small pencil, but BYOP to be safe to log your find. We hope you enjoy this location both inside and out.
CONGRATS TO: TOW Vehicle for FTF!!!