GEORGETOWN — Plans for a Georgetown Arts and Cultural District hit a snag this week when city leaders deadlocked over concerns about some historic Black landmarks being omitted from the proposed district.
Should South Carolina’s third-oldest city become a designated cultural community, that would open up grant opportunities, city officials have said. But the initiative has generated questions about which places and events should be highlighted.
“Let’s understand, arts and culture is economic development,” Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce President Marilyn Hemingway told the council. “So ultimately that is what you are talking about. You’re talking about job creation; you’re talking about business investment. That’s what this is about, bottom line. But I’m looking here, and under festivals and events, we have Cinco De Mayo, but we don’t have anything for Black folks.”
Should Georgetown receive the state designation, it would be the 10th community recognized by the S.C. Arts Commission.
The city’s application to become a state-designated cultural district is due by Jan. 3. That would allow the proposal to go before the state arts commission’s board in February. But city leaders split 3-3 when they voted on a strategic plan for the project Oct. 19.
Voting for the measure were Mayor Carol Jayroe and council members Jim Clements and Jimmy Morris. Nay votes came from council members Clarence Smalls, Hobson Henry Milton and Tamika Williams-Obeng. Council member Jonathan Angner was absent.
During the public comment period, some citizens spoke against the plan, calling it “generic.” They said it doesn’t recognize the city’s Black history and Gullah Geechee culture.
Wesley Gibson asked why Myrtle Grove cemetery was not listed on the map of cultural sites.
The effort to preserve the Myrtle Grove — also called Muckle Grove — cemetery began with former Georgetown resident Tony Nelson, who learned he had relatives buried there. The cemetery is located on International Paper property and is not open to the public.
Nelson came across a memo while researching the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. The document contained stories of families who had visited the graves of their ancestors, who had been buried on the old Myrtle Grove Plantation land. Some of the graves in the cemetery date back to the early 1800s and include the remains of former slaves.
“More study is needed,” Gibson said. “Talk to some people that live on the West End. Learn about the history. That graveyard has a big sign up that will bring more tourists here than going to a lot of places on Front Street because people love history like that.”
City Main Street Coordinator Al Joseph said before the initial map was created, local leaders had conversations with the state arts commission and were told they could not include anything across U.S. Highway 17.
“It was originally not allowed because it wasn’t walkable, which is in their guidelines,” Joseph said. “We have all of these centers in the West End, and we certainly will add the cemetery.”
While the vote ended in a 3-3 tie, the plan could come back up at a future council meeting.
Georgetown’s Arts and Cultural Commission meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 5:30 p.m. in the Winyah Auditorium.
Created last year, the local arts and cultural commission’s mission is to enrich and improve the quality of life of residents; attract visitors to Georgetown; promote visual, performing, culinary and literary arts; highlight the city’s cultural heritage; and improve tourism and economic development.
“We welcome all of the input we can get from any entity or any individual,” Joseph said.