USC collection to explore state’s historic African-American culture

In the early 20th century, Edgar Wallace Biggs was known as a political mover and shaker in the Republican Party.

A funeral home director and businessman in Greenville, Biggs went so far as to fight before the 1932 Republican National Convention – though unsuccessfully – for his delegation to be declared the official South Carolina delegation.

Though it wasn’t unusual for such a prominent businessman to be involved in politics in that era, it was somewhat unusual in Biggs’ case. He was African-American.

Over his short life – he died later in 1932 at age 52 – Biggs kept a collection of his political correspondence, business records and newspaper clippings, all of which are part of the historical African-American collection held by the University of South Carolina’s Caroliniana Library.

The collection will be the subject of a presentation Tuesday in connection with Caroliniana’s ongoing 175th anniversary celebration. While the actual collection will not be on display as all materials have been removed from Caroliniana Library in preparation for its renovation, photos of pieces from the collection, including the Biggs papers, will be shown Tuesday evening.

The exhibit, “African-American Collections: Homegoings, Funeral Homes and Celebrations of Community Life,” also will showcase funeral home programs, manuscript collections and clippings from African-American newspapers such as The Lighthouse and Informer and Palmetto Leader. Among the items are photographs from Columbia native and African-American funeral home owner Minnie Walker Johnson; funeral home records from Columbia’s Manigault-Hurley Funeral Home; and correspondence from Charleston businessman, civic leader and political activitist A.J. Clement.

According to Mike Berry, USC’s curator of published materials, the collection of African-American newspapers reflects the ideas and attitudes that African-Americans used to confront and challenge the pressures exerted against them during different periods of the state’s history.

“Just as slaves were not allowed to attend funerals, slaves were not allowed to read or write, so publishing, printing, and reading newspapers were acts of defiance and expressions of freedom through the medium of an intellectual outlet,” Berry said. “Also, many researchers are interested in the columns, essays and advertisements in African-American newspapers that reflect the daily lives and interests of their readers.”

While it’s difficult to point to the newspaper that is most significant, there are some standouts, Berry said – among them newspapers published in Columbia during reconstruction that are in their original format and on microfilm that document the challenges, ideas and expressions of newly freed men and women in the South.

“Certainly, (editor and publisher) John McCray’s Lighthouse and Informer, published as early as 1938 in Charleston and published here in Columbia for over a decade starting in 1941, is one of the most important newspapers that reflects the attitudes of African-Americans at mid-20th century in the South,” Berry said. “McCray was an established and well-respected African-American leader and key founder of the Progressive Democrats, as well as a key figure in the NAACP, serving as state director of its Voter Registration Action. The Lighthouse and Informer was one of his main intellectual outlets for civil rights.”

Funeral home programs and materials are a significant part of the collection for several reasons, according to Nathan Saunders, USC’s curator of manuscripts.

“Funeral home directors were often involved in numerous business ventures. They were often the leading political figures in the community, and were active in the realms of education and religion as well. These collections therefore offer a unique window into African-American community life in South Carolina,” Saunders said. “Funerals were a time for sorrow but were also a time for celebration of life. Families often reconnect at funerals. Funeral programs, some of which extend to a dozen pages, point to both the celebratory aspect of funerals and the importance of family.”

Many of the pieces in the collection will soon be part of the recently announced Center for Civil Rights History and Research, Saunders said. That center will be the first single entity dedicated to telling South Carolina’s Civil Rights story.

While the full collection provides an in-depth exploration into the history of African-American culture in South Carolina, the Biggs papers are still among the standouts for Saunders.

“When it comes to manuscript libraries and archives, significance is usually in the eye of the researcher, but a collection that I am particularly interested in is the Biggs papers,” Saunders said. “As a collection documenting early 20th century African-American business and life in the Upstate, it is unique.”

This story was originally published February 12, 2016 at 8:56 AM with the headline "USC collection to explore state’s historic African-American culture."